REVIEW – Dead Cells

Fight, upgrade, explore, die. Will you make it? Can you possibly escape the inescapable? Or will you fall to the hand of monsters set on destroying you? 

Dead Cells is a 2D platformer made by Evil Empire and Motion Twin. In this roguelike Metroidvania, you are the Beheaded, a prisoner who wakes up and has to escape an island partially infected with a disease known as the Malaise. As you make your great escape, you come across monsters and bosses. The game gets more difficult the further you progress, but finally, you’re at the end… Or so you thought. Instead, you’re in the middle of fighting the final boss, but then you die. Over and over again, you die–each time going back to the beginning. So your goal is to upgrade, defend, and make your way to the end without dying at all. There are multiple areas to explore, featuring a beautiful world of ever-changing scenery.

The visuals are smooth and flawless and the background adds a nice touch of scenery that compliments the levels. The monsters and characters are animated very well. Each level and monster has its own unique colors which adds a nice touch to the whole game. You will come across some enemies that are animated differently than others but might have the same function maybe with a spin. The maps are randomly generated, but the scenery doesn’t change. The controls are very simplistic and easy to use and I quickly got the hang of them. You have four slots: two for weapons and two for traps. You will use your simple x and y buttons and triggers for these. Overall, Dead Cells runs very smoothly.

You can release traps and fight with both melee and long-ranged weapons. As I stated earlier, the enemies and bosses will get harder the further you progress, but this certainly feels more satisfying when you beat them! You also come across mini-bosses, or Elites. Fighting them will sometimes give you Runes, which grant you special abilities, but more on that later. You can also upgrade your weapons and health with power scrolls and buy new weapons. Every level, you will encounter different enemy types and more of them. This game is great for those who like beating up enemies and fighting, as every hit is an achievement. You won’t be able to rely solely on offensive moves to progress, though- you’ll have to perfect dodging as well. Failing to dodge will be frustrating for sure, but that’s nothing compared to the feeling of triumph when you make a successful dodge, then counter to strike that enemy down!

You can use Cells that you get from enemies to upgrade and purchase items and mutations from the Cell Keeper. Mutations are special abilities that can help you in the game and can be acquired in the area between levels. You may also choose to acquire Aspects in the game before the run starts. These also give you special abilities but will prevent you from getting Boss Cells. The Boss Cells are special cells that you get every time you beat the game. To help you in combat, you’ll find amulets which have special effects. Like stomping on the ground to make fire spring up. Lastly, you will come across Runes, which allow you to do things like teleport and break through the ground. All of these great abilities help you to beat the game and make it easier.

Once you finally beat the game and go back to the beginning, you have the option to go through the game again or go on to the Giant DLC, where, you’ll fight the giant you see at the beginning. You may also purchase other DLCs, which provide even more areas to explore and bosses to defeat. But if you choose to go through the main game again, you’ll get Boss Cells from the last boss, which will make the game harder and open special doors. All of these options really help if you want a change of scenery.

In the end, I give Dead Cells a solid 5 out of 5. This is such a great indie game, especially for fans of roguelikes. It does contain some language and gore, though, so it is for older audiences. It is truly a great game and I highly recommend it. With beautiful scenery, all the fighting, and pushing yourself to make it to the end, Dead Cells is worth playing. It is full of exciting fights, secrets, and many, many deaths, all of which make it an awesome game and a must-buy.

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