Dead Cells

Dead Cells fuses breakneck motion with an emphasis on risk-and-reward for an incredibly engaging action-platformer.

Dead Cells is an incredibly satisfying mishmash of genres that's more than the sum of its parts.

The Metroidvania at its best: a swaggering role-playing beat-'em-up that's very easy on the eyes and dense with secrets.

A stellar action platformer with gorgeous presentation and excellent combat. Punishing but worth it.

Perhaps my favorite part of the experience is how mastering the different systems let you slip into a state of flow. The game is never relaxing, but like driving in the real world you'll often find yourself zoning out with your thoughts as you use a variety of skills that begin to feel like second nature.

The reward loops are addictive and continually open up new things for the player to explore

Plunge into ingenious shifting labyrinths to battle lethal beasts, in the knowledge that every gory failure makes you stronger

And as painful as the end of a run can be, “Dead Cells’” steady introduction of new mechanics made it easy for me to pine for one more go. In my view, that’s the hallmark of a successful arcade experience.

Then it's time to repeat the process again, experimenting with a wild newfound power that's unlocked after completion and items I've never used before. I'll probably be doing that for longer than any roguelike in recent memory.

When a game is as finely tuned as Dead Cells, that tuning is all it needs. I've found its punishing, live-die-repeat rhythm plenty engrossing without a narrative wrapper, to the point that more of a story might just be a distraction.