When this game is good, it is so good.

I was addicted to Super House of Dead Ninjas in 2018, a game that prioritises moving fast as hell and smashing up dudes with a completely empty head. Sometimes Dead Cells reaches these heights; in fact, the time-sensitive aspect of some bonuses and powerups suggests that this is in the design brief for the game. Getting the right combo of weapons makes the experience almost transcendental as you annihilate all comers with dexterity and poise.

When this game is bad, it is so bad.

The above being said; after Dead Cells has taught you to go in Fast and Hard (heheheheh), leaning into momentum and combo-stacking, the brakes are pumped. Enemies that will punish rushing in become more numerous. Combinations of enemies packed into a tight space that you simply cannot clear without taking a lot of damage become more frequent. You will unlock weapons whose high damage does NOT justify their huge vulnerability window.

When this game is much, it is so much.

My first stint with Dead Cells was in early 2020 and there was a shedload of content even then. Now in 2024 with all the DLCs and collabs and tie-ins it is bursting at the seams with content. Too much. It's too much. Thematically random areas. Weapons upon weapons upon weapons that makes it hard to create a cohesive build. Runs that take well over an hour. Exhausting.

Dead Cells is great; but is it good?

Roguelites and likes are the spawn of satan himself, so when a game in this cursed genre introduces options that help get rid of the stench of it, I always end up giving it a shot. I end up regretting a lot of the time, but Dead Cells is one of the few exceptions. the gameplay's fun, the visuals are great, the music is fantastic and the loop is very satisfying. The assist options still fail at getting rid of some of the hallmarks of the genre, but they were good enough for me to find this an ultimately enjoyable experience.

This has seen a lot of updates since I first played it, one of them an "Assist Mode". Among the options, you can lower enemies' health and damage, as well as give yourself infinite "lives"

It's a fantastic feature that makes this game even better. In my 1st playthrough, I didn't bother with the boss stem cells, because it was a little too difficult for my liking. Here, I can adjust things to make it manageable, allowing me to actually experience the whole game. I finished it with 5BC, and completed all the DLCs. I would definitely not have done that without Assist Mode, where dying sends you back to the beginning, and things turn into a bit of a clusterfuck towards the end. The Malaise mechanic in 5BC isn't really explained at all, and I'm reading the wiki here trying to understand what the hell it even does.

There is something truly cathartic about setting the enemies' HP to 20% and just demolishing everything in your path.

Este juego te hace pensar al principio que es facil matar bichos que explotan en gemas y oro, para despues detruirte con el combo mortal mas destructivo de la historia.

Dios, como me gusta este juego.

Castlevania.

Dead Cells is a shining example of a phenomenal, engaging roguelite. Having languished in my Steam backlog for quite some time, I've been slowly chipping away at progression in this stylish, challenging platformer. The action reminds me of the beloved Super Smash Bros. series.

The homages to other indie titles are particularly enjoyable, clearly showing the developers' respect for the content they were granted permission to use.

I purchased all of the DLC, but the Castlevania expansion resonated with me the most. The evident love and respect for the source material shine through in the phenomenal music, iconic locations, and weapons that are a blast to use.

I'll definitely keep returning to Dead Cells over time to continue progressing and exploring more of its world.

Level design: 10\10;
Gráfico: 10\10;
Gameplay: 10\10;
Diversificação: 10\10;
Trilha: 9\10;
História: 8\10;
Fator replay: 8\10;
Motivo do abandono: Não curto Rogue Like.