Highlights of this story are a virus tearing through a city, a king corrupted by his own mortality, and the pursuit of knowledge to make a better environment no matter the cost. There’s not much of a narrative to Dead Cells, at least at first, but as more and more small rooms of lore are found and the pieces start aligning there’s a story here that is compelling and interesting. There are even references to other games to be found like Gordon Freeman’s iconic suit and crowbar. Actually having just a touch of humor in the game makes it that more engaging and fun. Most of these beings and creatures are knights or disfigured monsters and even the hero character manages to pull off humor despite the fact that it’s a headless homunculus birthed by twisted alchemy.
With more animation fidelity available, characters are expressive, even though they lack facial features.
Visually, Dead Cells pulls off a 2D sprite-style but is actually more akin to the low-poly style that is steadily growing in popularity. Henpaku, one of the top runners of the game, talked about this in detail in our podcast interview with him. In fact, speedrunning the game is all about using pattern recognition to lower the chance of certain outcomes. Between being able to adjust the randomized elements to get another roll at shops and knowing when to go for a speedrun door makes the game more manageable. Systems are steadily unlocked that start a run with more gold to buy items at a shop and eventually one can unlock with whole kits that can be picked from. What I like most about Dead Cells is the game steadily gives the player more control. Those that like to take their time and explore can find more power-ups and items that will assist in later levels or allow for more options to buy. Getting both doors is a moment of triumph akin to beating some of the toughest gaming challenges, even though it is bound to happen eventually. Similarly, some doors can be opened after killing so many enemies without taking damage. Encouraging speedruns, there are doors at the end of each stage that close after an amount of time has passed, rewarding players with a stack of cells and a choice of a powerful item. Every weapon amazingly feels unique and each skill such as a grenade or trap also feels unique. Weapons typically fall into melee, ranged, and shield categories but there are variances within that to keep things interesting. To say that Dead Cells is satisfying to learn is an understatement and it feels like there is still so much more for me to discover after more than forty hours.ĭepending on one’s playstyle, there is a wide set of mechanics to engage with. In just a few hours, I found myself zipping and slamming around the map, quickly appraising rooms of enemies and making plans of attack in mere moments. Skilled players may find themselves able to beat a boss or two on the first attempt but most will find success through repeated trials. Cells are dropped by most enemies or found in caches and are the most important currency when it comes to expanding the options that drop during play. As more enemies are eliminated, bosses are taken down, and secrets uncovered, blueprints are unlocked which can be added to the game’s rotation once purchased with cells. Dead Cells offers a variety of actions and weapons that flows incredibly well together and rewards players for continual practice and mastery while constantly challenging players with tougher and tougher runs.ĭead Cells, a 2D action platformer with rooms and biomes that are randomly generated, starts simply with only a few weapons available. DOOM had players considering enemy types, their ammo amounts, and the properties of the available weapons since the beginning and mastery of action has only gotten better in the latest entries of the franchise. Mega Man X allowed players to string together dashes with various shot types. Mario’s jump was simple but layered with subtle mechanics that allowed for greater control such as gaining more height with a longer press. Games have always excelled at capturing what it feels like to perform specific actions. Dead Cells is defined by its visceral combat with a movement system that flows and reacts to the player, all with excellent feedback design. I wish I had played Dead Cells sooner because it is one of the most rewarding action games of this generation and I think about it in the same stretch as games like DOOM Eternal. Maybe I considered it to be too hard or I did not want another system-rich rogue-like to master after I had already spent so much time with games like Exit the Gungeon, Enter the Gungeon, and The Binding of Isaac. I knew shortly after the release of Dead Cells that the game was an instant classic but for whatever reason I could not find the time to sit down and play it.
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