Dead Cells

The main character tries to reach the end of a large castle, but along the way, he will encounter a whole horde of different monsters that will beat, throw, burn, and simply kill him in a variety of ways. In response to such unfriendly treatment, you can smash the monster with a frying pan or, in the old-fashioned way, use swords, whips, and other classic types of weapons.

The single-player platformer Dead Cells is a hybrid of a whole range of genres: roguelike, metroidvania, action, and souls-like games, with the camera positioned sideways, offering a two-dimensional view of a medieval castle.

Dead Cells was released in early access on Steam in May 2017, with the full version released on August 7, 2018. Throughout this time, the developers closely monitored fan feedback, fixed bugs, and carefully balanced the game mechanics, taking the best from each genre. Thanks to this, Dead Cells has earned the highest reviews from buyers.

There is no plot as such in Dead Cells. Short lines from neutral NPCs explain that the hero is on a fictional island whose inhabitants have been affected by the Blight virus and have started to mutate.

Thus, in the prison, the first game level, you see guards and prisoners who have turned into living dead. Leaving this cursed place doesn't make things easier — the player encounters various monsters, creatures, and strong bosses.

The island is ruled by the King, who is the main antagonist. The hero seeks to leave the island and also kill the King to bring some change to this sleepy realm. As he progresses, he meets various characters — Gulián, the Collector, the Chronicler, and others.

The game world consists of two dozen levels, with each level always generated slightly differently, though their sequence remains the same. Thus, it is impossible to memorize the location of rooms and enemies, various boosters, and just useful items.

Often, you have to choose one of two different levels to pass through. Dead Cells rewards those who like to peek into every corner, as well as speedrunners — some rooms close within minutes, but if you manage to get there in time, you can get elite weapons or equipment. It's up to the player whether to explore every nook or rush forward.

Each session in Dead Cells starts the same way — "brain goo" drips into yet another corpse, which then jumps up and begins to explore the game world, avoiding traps, solving puzzles, and just smashing everything in sight. Secondary characters call the hero the Beheaded, sometimes the Prisoner or the Fallen.

There are no saves or checkpoints in the game; it needs to be completed without losing health from start to finish. Death is a matter of time, and the character resurrects again at the very beginning with an empty inventory. To survive, you need to collect equipment — weapons for the first and second slots, runes, mutations, and amulets.

The playstyle is defined by four types of weapons (melee and ranged, shields, and spells), three types of skills (setting up turrets and traps, using grenades, magical abilities), and specialization — Brutality, Tactics, or Survival.

Dead Cells предлагает крайне вариативный геймплей вместе с простым управлением. Традиционное для жанра метроидвании движение вперед и назад дополнено приседаниями, прыжками вверх и вниз, пикированием на врага, перекатами, блокированием удара или его парированием.

Механика боя учитывает многочисленнее постэффекты по врагам — критический удар, кровотечение, горение, оглушение, заморозку, замедление и другие. Предметы разделены по специализации, качеству и уровню, также вещи высокого уровня имеют модификаторы на то или иное действие (атаку).

Полноценное прохождение игры возможно только после нескольких полных, когда игрок найдет все руны, мутации и амулеты, сохранив улучшенные вещи. Так, со временем, откроется доступ к самым тайным комнатам, отопрутся запертые двери и одолеются самые необычные противники.

В игре более 50 вариантов врагов, у каждой обычной версии имеется сильная и элитная, с новыми опасными способностями и большим уроном. Каждого врага можно убить своими силами, используя тактику со способностями или же подставив его под ловушки.

Последние не преминут воспользоваться невнимательностью игрока — шары на цепях, шипы, огненные струи, обветшалые платформы и другие ловушки с легкостью убьют персонажа. Вариативный геймплей позволяет Dead Cells не надоедать после 10-15 попыток пройти игру, а на полноценное прохождение уйдет около 30 часов.