Games worth discovering

Best Roguelike out There? - Dead Cells Review.

2K View2023-03-03

If you never played Dead Cells you are missing out a lot! I was one of those people, and I am glad that I gave it a go, even though Metroidvania isnt my favorite kind of games. This is a masterpiece like no other and everyone should play it just to know how perfect roguelike game feels like.

Gameplay

You play as some parasite organism that takes over dead body and uses it in order to move through the dungeon. Tutorial is very short showing you just some basic things, and then you are being thrown straight into action.

Combat is pretty fast-paced and surprisingly fluid. Dodge will be your best friend and you will have to learn enemy move patterns in order to avoid them. Levels are just right length, but you have to be careful not to take too much damage, since healing is rare early game.

There are a lot of different enemies in Dead Cells, each with unique abilities and move set. Most of their moves will be easy to avoid, since they telegraph it pretty clearly, but for others you will have to be careful. Sometimes you just dont understand what kills you.

Other than normal enemies you will meet elite enemies, that are upgraded versions of their normal types. Those are hard, but they drop way better loot.

Controls are really good and responsive for such a fast-paced game as Dead Cells. There are not that many buttons you will have to use, so it will be easy to get used to. Even jumping in the game is pretty fluid once you get used to it, since in most platformer games it makes me ragequit quite often.

Progression mechanics is great. As you go through the level defeated enemies will drop cells and gold, and sometimes you will find blueprints. While cells and blueprints are used for long-term progression, aka permanent upgrades that make your character stronger, gold can be used in your current run to buy new gear or unlock special doors (with gear behind them). Moreover you can find special items that will improve your character's damage and health for the current run.

There are way more progression mechanics outside of the main ones, so Dead Cells wont let you get bored and you will always find something to do and feel like you are getting stronger.

Gameplay Score: 10/10

Difficulty

Dead Cells isnt an easy game. Its pretty challenging, and I would say that its closer to hard for me. So expect dying quite often. It gets easier as you learn enemy abilities and move sets, as well as get stronger, but learning curve for newly unlocked areas is tough. Moreover, since its a roguelike, you will get random encounters every time and you can get unlucky with some ridiculously powerful enemy combinations in the most weird places. But it just adds more fun to it.

Difficulty Score: 8/10

Graphics

Dead Cells Graphics is pixel-styled, but it have a lot of lighting effects and looks very good. I would say for pixel-styled game and the way gameplay is built graphics is just perfect. It doesnt distract you too much with flashy effects, so you can focus on the fight, but at the same time looks nice enough and you enjoy whats happening on the screen. Oh yeah, game is a bit gory, since enemies become pieces of meat on the ground.

Graphics Score: 9/10

Sounds and Music

Sounds and Background music in Dead Cells are fantastic. Every action you do, ambient sounds, interactions with other characters are very well made. Music is really good as well, it even have soundtrack as a buyable option. It fits situation really well and sets the rhythm for your fighting and exploration. I strongly recommend playing it with headphones and music on.

Sounds and Music Score: 10/10

F2P or P2W

This is a paid game on the PC and Mobile devices. At the moment of writing this article it costs 12.5 USD on Steam and 18.56 USD if you buy it with all the expansions.

On the Mobile devices it costs 4.99, which is a fantastic deal.

Overall even the full price of the game on Steam is totally worth it. This game will give you hours and hours of fun gameplay and positive emotions.

F2P Score: Game costs 5 USD.

Overall scores and Conclusion

Gameplay 10/10

Difficulty 8/10

Graphics 9/10

Sounds and BGM 10/10

F2P - paid game - worth the buy

It is very rare for me to give 10/10 score for anything. But Dead Cells is a fantastic example of things that worth your time and money. Even if you dont like roguelike genre I advise you to get it and play it for at least couple of hours. I guarantee you that you will love it and will thank me afterwards.

Overall score: 10/10