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Dead Cells


Motion Twin



User Ratings: 35
 When it comes to genres that the indie scene is absolutely enamoured with, few would rank higher than the roguelike and Metroidvania genres. It’d be easy to dismiss Dead Cells, then, as low-effort pandering to a current industry trend, another forgettable release in a marketplace rife with better options. Such a judgment would be wrong, however. Dead Cells manages to fuse these two genres together in a meaningful way, creating an addictive, difficult, and fun experience that will keep players engaged for hours on end.

The story in Dead Cells is kept to a minimum, largely acting as a subtle context for the strong gameplay. You play as a nameless, undead hero who reanimates in a grimy prison cell, and your task is simply to escape the prison. As you explore the diverse environments, occasional rooms will contain notes or other clues that gradually introduce a threat called 'The Malaise' that ravaged the prison. Couple these notes with the short vignettes that are included on the loading screens when you enter a new area, and there’s just enough information provided to keep you asking questions and wanting more, even if there isn’t strictly a coherent plot to the events. For this sort of game, this storytelling style works well, even if it feels a bit thin, and we appreciate the masterful air of mystery that’s so intricately woven. The gameplay acts as the main star of the show here, and what a bright star it is. After picking a starter weapon and a secondary at the outset of each run, you plumb the depths of procedurally-generated dungeons chock full of all sorts of ghouls and monsters that want to tear you limb from limb. And tear you up they will; it only takes a few hits from most enemies to kill you outright or bring you to death’s door. If you can manage to rise above the odds, your character will be rewarded with Cells and gold — both of which are critical to progression — and you might even get a nice weapon drop out of it, too.

Combat is fast-paced and fluid, favouring aggressive tactics, but careful play. Your character swipes quick and deadly with most weapons and has a dodge roll that can get you out of trouble in a pinch, and these abilities mean that most skirmishes are over in a blink of an eye. There’s a certain rhythm one gets into once combat ‘clicks’, as you wait for the tells that an attack is incoming and punish the weaknesses that are subsequently exposed, and this rhythm can be utterly intoxicating. While the enemies may have the upper hand those first few times you’re coming to grips with things, it doesn’t take long until your character becomes a diving and dancing scourge of death, rinsing the dungeon corridors of monsters while making a tidy profit off of their spoils. The weapons you use are ultimately divided into three sub-classes: Brutality, Tactics, and Survival, and it’s through wise mixtures of different weapon types and stats that you stand the best chance of survival. Some weapons can freeze enemies while others can ignore shields, and each weapon can have any number of attributes to further distinguish them, like upping damage percentages against enemies afflicted with certain status conditions. It’s safe to say that you will never use the same weapon twice in this game, but that’s part of the charm; you make do with what you’ve got until you find something better.

To help soften the blow of having to start a run with sub-par weaponry, there are power scrolls randomly scattered through each level that allow you to boost your stats in one of the three different sub-classes, increasing your damage with those weapons while also upping your overall maximum health. Each time you bump a stat higher, it’ll be a little less effective to invest the next power scroll into that stat, encouraging diversification, but not mandating it. Dead Cells is a game that’s all about player choice, making both victories and defeats feel rightfully earned, and this system of levelling your character does a great job of giving a balanced set of pros and cons to the choices you make. Every time you reach the end of an area, you’ll be treated to a brief safe room where you can take a minute to gather yourself and plan out the next confrontation. Exploration and enemy drops will sometimes lead to you receiving blueprints, which can be handed over to a shop to be banked. To use the item in the blueprint (or at least to have the option of it appearing in a run), you must invest enough cells into the item to buy it. This system helps to ensure that the player always feels like they’re progressing, as better weapon blueprints are always being dropped and unlocked at a relatively consistent rate. This means that subsequent runs seem easier in comparison, as you’re more likely to find better equipment that can carry you much further. It’s a satisfying loop, one which softens the bite of a roguelike resetting you on every death without completely defanging it.

Feeding more into the permanent progression of Dead Cells are the Metroidvania elements, which mostly manifest in permanent traversal abilities that you gain from defeating very tough bosses in certain areas. There’s not really much backtracking to speak of here — you’re not able to go back to an area once you leave it — but a new ability you obtain may be able to unlock a shortcut to a later area from earlier in the game or open a brand new path entirely. Much like a typical Metroidvania, acquiring new abilities leads to more and more of the game being opened up to you, which helps to make the player feel all the more empowered as they deepen their understanding. Some may be a bit miffed that the exploration elements aren’t nearly as strong as they first seem, but they’re still done in such a way that few other roguelikes have tried. One point that bears mentioning is the light sense of repetition that can set in upon playing extended hours of Dead Cells. For all its flawless combat and gorgeous locales, the overall gameplay structure largely remains the same throughout the experience, which may be a sticking point for some. Aside from some rather thin gimmicks, like a level that has you running between safe zones in a poisonous fog, every new level feels rather like a reskinned version of the level that came before it, just with a new set of enemies. The fun of the moment to moment gameplay makes this something that you won’t be paying too much attention to for most of the time, but we did have a few too many moments of déjà vu where progress felt almost artificial in light of how little things seemed to change over an extended run. The weapon and enemy variety help to trivialize this matter, we just wish there were a bit more to make each new level feel truly unique.

On the presentation side of things, Dead Cells absolutely astounds, showcasing intricately detailed and well-animated pixel art that looks fantastic in motion. Each area you visit looks almost entirely different than the last, from misty fishing towns to castle spires silhouetted against a setting sun; they all utilize a distinct atmosphere that helps to make each place forge its own identity. This is only further backed by the broad colour palette used, with each area using a whole new range of colours for all the backgrounds, traps, and enemies that you encounter. Animations are extremely well detailed and distinct, too, moreso than you would expect, and the detail is something which helps considerably in making combat feel that extra bit more fluid and responsive. Woven through all of this is smartly directed sound design that layers in brooding gothic music where it fits, setting the tone and the mood without overwhelming the player or distracting them from the battles at hand.


Dead Cells is a masterclass in excellent roguelike design, mixing together nonstop intense action sequences, gorgeous vistas, and an addictive loop of unlocks and rewards into a beautiful experience that no Switch owner will want to go without. There’s dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of content available here, and though some sense of repetition can creep in every now and then, it’s remarkable how fresh Dead Cells can stay through all those hours. This game is a blast to play, full of visual splendor, and packed with things to do; don’t miss out on this one, it’s a must-buy.


Review copy provided by Motion Twin Yet another game to add to my ever growing list of games to get. This is a problem I don't mind however. Good. I’m glad it’s a must buy. I must bought it a week ago. The animation sold me. I need something to take me away from Iconoclasts anyway. While I am not a fan of randomly generated levels, I followed this game since its first trailer. Somehow the trailer shows very impressive stuff constantly (what a surprise) but when I see the gameplay videos these days on YouTube I am a bit bored. And somehow I am annoyed with the way the character walks (walking sprite). Anyone else noticing this as well? Anyway I will probably order the signature edition. Pre-ordered the physical version a while back. I’m just accepting the fact that I’m broke and might not ever recuperate I pre purchased this with a load of gold points I had.. Can't wait to give it a go Another done deal, but will wait until the retail version hits next week. Cant wait. Thinking of picking this one up. It's a totally different experience to the rpg that octopath is which in playing now. Between those and fortnite there's your summer of gaming. Heh, I'm sure I'll make one of these roguelikes my first one of these days. It seems inevitable... I just have to be sure I'm up to the challenge to keep from wasting money. Wish I could get a demo of this at least. Between ACA Neo Geo and roguelikes/metroidvanias, I don't think there's a larger category to be found (could be wrong, but still...) I'm the type of player who HATE randomly generated stages but I swear the work that these little frenchies did is AWESOME !

If you never played it, you can buy it without any problems.

Absolutely great ! I pre-ordered digital. I can't wait to play. Got this on pre-order. Between this and Hollow Knight?
I reckon they are similar enough to be compared to some extent. Roguelikes and procedural generation turn me off, but I keep thinking I just need to find the right game with those features. Can't stand Steredenn, hate Issac, not a fan of Gungeon, Wizard of Legend is alright...but Rogue Legacy seems to be the only one that got it right so far. All the praise this game is getting makes me want to try it. Maybe it'll be the cream of the crop like everyone seems to think it is...and I do like Metroidvanias. I heard a lot of good things pre-release. Glad this game turned out well! Yes! So glad I got this game physically, shame I have to wait a little bit longer to play it but I can keep myself busy, I liked the look of this one from the start and I am glad it lived up to expectations. This looks pretty good. I'm in the middle of a few other games at the moment so I'm in no rush to play it but I'll make sure to grab the physical version. I honestly don't know if I should bite the bullet and get this game or not. I LOVE the visuals, and the combat seems fun, but the fact that it is a roguelike is worrying to me as I am not super fond of them from what I have played of them. Still, it looks amazing. I know the guy who reviewed this game seems to absolutely adore these 2D pixel art roguelike games, as he adores 2D pixel art metroidvania games. Basically, I have seen this guy award very high scores to just about every game that comes along with pixel art graphics and 2D platforming.

Nothing wrong with that I suppose, it is just his taste in video games, but it is a taste that I do not share with him. Personally, I just never really see these games as the be-all-end-all of gaming. I know some people do but it is something I could never relate to.

With that said I am going to pass on this. I have bought too many games like this already and I don't need any more. I have given these kind of games a chance time and time again and they just don't really do anything for me, nor are they the kind of games that I feel a particular desire to play. Damnit, no time at the moment and only started the 2nd chapters of Octopath, this game looks brilliant! What a week. This, Megaton Rainfall, Okami HD, and Minit. Not sure if I'll get Okami and Minit, but I already have Dead Cells preloaded, and I'm definitely getting Megaton Rainfall. I've been waiting for this since it was release in early access on steam. Don’t like rogue games I'm not a fan of roguelike games as well, but this might be the game I make the transition. It worked for 20XX, and I'm believing the hype behind this one. The nostalgic graphics aid in my decision but I do admit that the trend is a little tiring to see nowadays. Will keep my eyes out on the physical copy. I just 100% Hollow Knight yesterday, still not done with it yet - but I'm 100% ready for Dead Cells aww yeah! This is the only game with rouge like elements that I really like. Usually hate that kind of stuff, but here it really works, and you actually feel like you’re making some progress in the game. The combat is great as well. Highly recommended I was pleasantly surprised to find out this game was getting a physical release at first. Until I realized that not only does it cost more than the digital version but the Switch version costs an additional $5 more than other physical versions, lol.

On top of that Okami for Switch isnt getting a physical release at all in the West despite having one on ps4 and Xbone. Apparently owning physical games on Switch just isnt meant to be 😢 Like some other here not a big fan of rogue like games or radom generated levels but this is a day one physical for me. Looks to good to pass up Already pre-ordered and downloaded waiting to play it tonight after work..and okami this week too Does look nice but another rogue game. Not sure i wanna play another. Can’t wait to try this character on Brawlout. I preordered a physical copy, which I think comes out later this month. I can't wait to play it! I’m still looking for a reason why Axiom Verge had a perfect 10/10 (an 8/10 at best here), but it’s nice to see a lot of GREAT indie games popping up on Switch eShop. @PixelStef I noticed the animation was a bit off, too.

Either way, I'll skip this since it appears to be a game that focuses on the randomness of the level design, which is just not my thing. I need something to fill the void of completely finishing Hollow Knight...might consider this. PSA: Metroidvanias and Roguelikes are mutually exclusive. I’m always happy to see a Lovecraft quote. Creepy coincidence, I've been reading Lovecraft's works from the beginning for a while now, and I finally read Call of Cthulhu.

Been waiting on this game, I hope I can download it 12am PST! I like you Mitch, but sorry, this game isn't a roguelike.

The differece between roguelikes and roguelites matter and sites like this one should stick to the correct term. Like someone I follow on twitter. I must hold off on playing this game or else I won't go back to Octopath. Definitely buying this game. I dont think I "GET" Roguelikes or Rogue-lite games. Played a few and played Dead Cells on PC .. still dont get it. Is it like ... if a game has a 12 hour campaign but if you die after 11 hrs 58 mins, you have to play through the WHOLE THING AGAIN!! Id hate ANY game like that. If Super Metroid or Link to the Past had a "die once and restart from beginning" rule... id absolutely despise them! When does the EU pre order go active? It still wont play despite nearly being the 8th and it was supposed to go live on the 7th So glad a couple of reviews hit prior to release date. I wanted to take advantage of the 20% off pre-order bonus on the eShop, and it's every bit as awesome as I hoped it would be. this is a definition of a manly game. Not interested in these roguelikes games. But good for the fans. My only concern for the fans is their limited time and this endless spam of roguelikes which somehow is in harmony with the taste of reviewers. @fluggy it’s about love of randomness, difficulty, retry button, losing all progress, dying alot, chance based success, soulless computer designed rooms and things, light or no storyline, lack of character design, and things like that. "Roguelike" and "Procedurally generated" ... How about NO.

Having a side mode or grinding dungeon procedurally generated is about the only times I am okay with that. Or something like Minecraft where the world is different each time. But for a Metroidvania I want lovingly crafted "levels" and sections.

And I just generally don't like the whole "die and start your run over" crap. Like I really don't like that.

These are industry trends that are very much, not for me. Not a huge fan of these types of games just because I suck at them but I have the physical version of this pre-ordered. It really stinks that I have to wait till the 21st to play it though. @Heavyarms55 If all the water levels in Super Mario Bros. reset every time I died, I would have chucked the whole system into Goodwill. @fluggy There's more than just dying and losing everything. Dying gives you a chance to build your hero's skillset, some rogue-lites do this element better than other though... Some games do it better than others. @HobbitGamer I think I'd be more violent than that. lol The game looks stunning and I'm very tempted but, honestly, I really dislike rogue-likes and procedurally generated levels.

I bought Enter the Gungeon on a whim last week because it was on sale and I couldn't regret it more. I dislike everything about that game, it has become the worst money spent ever (along with A Flame in the Flood)

If Dead Cells is as difficult and pointless as Enter the Gungeon I'll pass. I'd rather spend that money on Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2 or the All-in-One DLC for BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle... Are you me? My thoughts exactly! Enter the Gungeon and flame in the flood (which I got in December) have been the worst money spent) I wanna like dead cells, but I think rogue-like games just aren’t for me. I bought binding of Isaac and played it for one day and never touched it again @maruse Enter the Gungeon IS NOT a roguelike. Just saying. @Mgene15 None of them are roguelikes. Flame in the Flood is a SURVIVAL game. I do not know why people CAN think that that game is a roguelite.

I blame informative sites that do not correctly inform people (like Nintendo Life right now, disseminating incorrect information).

It is not fair to call a player lazy because he doesn't know the correct term. @Lina-MG I never said Flame in the Flood is roguelike... just that it was a very bad purchase.

Enter the Gungeon on the other hand, I don't know if it is a roguelike or not and don't care much anyway, but it is classified as one everywhere, so... I never called flame in the flood a rogue like.. I was referring to dead cells as a rogue like.. reading comprehension Wow! I wasn’t expecting a score like that. THAT good huh? Guess I’ll be checking it out! @rushiosan I wrote the review of Axiom Verge, too, and I would still claim that it's the better game; I love procedurally generated games like this, but I have yet to play one that can pass up the best handcrafted experience, like Axiom Verge.

Personally, I'm not one for review scores, as those are such a relative and unstable metric for a subjective matter. The botorm line is that Axiom Verge represents the absolute best of what the Metroidvania genre has to offer; you could easily make a case for a better game, but I don't think one can truthfully call it anything less than a great piece of game design. @fluggy as someone who really enjoys Roguelites I find never knowing what to expect comibined with making the best out of what the game gives you exciting. Its not about winning for me it’s about the challenge. In a way it’s analogues to life, death is the only certainty. I have these rogue like games on my Switch:

Enter the gungeon
Death road to Canada
Sky rogue
Binding of Isaac plus

Never finished any of them, because rogue like: me don't like rogue like. Can't continue, start over again and again... I rather a game being short and sweet so I can get done with it and move on. There's too many other games to play. Pissed off that I stayed up to play this game & it's still not unlocked. What time do switch pre purchases usually unlock? @Daftbomb this. I messaged Nintendo & motion twin on Twitter but no response. I figured it would be 12am GMT which is 6am here (it's 1:34 am now). I hope anyway. OK I just tried it, the game feels like a 2D Diablo. I've got this game on Steam, I pre-ordered the retail edition for Switch and I swear I'm going to buy this game for every single console it'll be release on. Effin' brilliant. You guys heard about IGN plagiarising their review of Dead Cells? They even took down their video review. Roguelike=No way I buy this.
Also I did play it not long ago at a Nintendo booth and the levels are beyond boring, gameplay is the same every single minute. Finally I am a very casual player and the guys there said 20min or 5 lives try your best. I played if for 15 min with a single life and beating guys every corner. Pre-ordered the Signiture Edition months ago Seems like we have found the gaming equivalent of marmite @BladedKnight Didn't believe you at first, as the embargo just passed, but then I remembered that this was a PC release beforehand. I looked into it and, man, that's gonna be tough for IGN to talk their way out of. I would call for them to remove Filip from their staff immediately if the accusations turn out to be true. @Spoony_Tech I'm dying inside here... My list keeps growing too, and this and last week haven't been kind, to say the least. Still not done with Hollow Knight which I got in June, and last week I added the following to the list:
1. Code of Princess EX
2. Iconoclasts

Meanwhile, this week I've added:
1. Dead Cells
2. Okami HD
3. Furi (eshop sale)
4. Resident Evil Revelations 2 (eshop sale)

The games start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the wallet and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for games
Your wallet stays full but your spare time gets dull...

I'll see myself out. @twztid13 That's odd. Mine unlocked at midnight (it's 10:47 AM here now), not sure why yours still isn't unlocked. I'd suggest restarting your Switch and making it forget your network, establishing a new connection and going to the eshop. Worked for me last time a game didn't become available. @Blizzia yeah, i tried everything before i posted. TONS of people on Twitter had the same issue. It ended being that it unlocked at 3am, but i was thinking that was midnight Pacific time, but they are 2 hours behind us, so not sure why it was at that time (i power cycled & checked a few times after each hour on the hour, or shortly after, & it wasn't available at 2am. I only removed/rejoined to my network once, after it didn't work at 1am). Thanks for trying to help, though.

Unrelated...One thing i don't like is the jump..well 2 things, and the way the sword swings (to do the uppercut, for instance, you have to swing the sword like 3 or 4 times quickly & that seems the only way to do it. Each swing type isn't independent of the others i guess is what I'm trying to say). I was hoping for hollow knight with different setting in a way, but this is not that. Hopefully it will grow on me. No way it's better than axiom verge for whoever suggested that earlier, also. @twztid13 Ah alright. Well at least it unlocked.

Personally I don't mind the sword swings much, but yeah, the jump feels odd. Then again, I said the same for Hollow Knight, and in 5 hours I went from jumping to my death every few minutes to doing frame-perfect speedrun jumps through familiar areas xD

I haven't played Axiom Verge, but I think this should scratch a different itch than that, at least. One question...where dies it save at, or does it? Will i lose all my teleporters & weapons if i quit? Im only at the start shortly after a merchant, but bought something & have a few tactical upgrades I don't want to lose. @SwitchVogel yes, plagiarism is not something to be taken lightly. I just noticed they took down their video of last nights stream of the game as well, as people were massively downvoting that video as well. Never been a fan of Filip, his lack of Nintendo knowledge and awkward camera presence alone... but man, who would have thought a big name in game journalism such as IGN would resort to plagiarism! @Blizzia nice. I almost didn't start this because i haven't finished hollow knight yet. I wanted to map them the same because i know it's gonna be hard otherwise, but i didn't since it didn't feel right here. I should probably pick one & finish it, but i hoped they'd feel more similar than they do. I bought this now because i knew i was going to anyway & it saved me 20%, with which i bought rogue aces for half off (i like it). Hollow knight was rare for me in that i didn't have anything to nit pick on (which i usually can't avoid). It felt amazing from the moment i started playing to me.it says i have 80hrs in it, but about 20 hrs was sitting on map screen instead of pausing it (u know u can bring up the full map by double pressing L? I JUST figured that out yesterday). Still, 60 hrs w/o finishing it says alot. I just enjoy the exploration, which is something i didn't expect to get here due to the procedural generation. @Daftbomb what is marmite? Ive heard of vegemite (says similar item in Australia), but i have no memory of when, where or what that is either. I'm in US, btw. @BladedKnight Yeah, that's a rough blemish on such a major outlet. I don't blame the editors, as this sort of thing is near impossible to catch right away, but this is something that's going to impact IGN's reputation just as much as it will Filip's, if he really did plagiarize. @Blizzia regarding the jump...for me it's too low. I'm glad you can double jump from the start here, i guess, but i would rather the single jump went higher & didn't need a second jump. It's just weird having to double jump to platforms at the beginning when they could have a single jump that is pressure sensitive, so they could keep the platforms the same heights. Is that anywhere close to the reason the jump feels odd to you? @twztid13 brown yeast savory spread that divides opinion of whether its delicious or like licking satans anus @SwitchVogel @BladedKnight do y'all know who he supposedly plagiarized?

EDIT: Boomstick Gaming, for those who care. This video fro the editor of that review explains his accusation here - @Daftbomb ahh, ok. Makes perfect sense now. I read the definition when searching Bing, but I didn't understand the context you were using it in.

EDIT: I realize I asked the wrong question, that being the case. @twztid13 A small YouTube channel called Boomstick. Never heard of the guy before, but the video he posted is pretty damning. I'm not going to jump to conclusions and say Filip lied in his review, but those side by side readings definitely raise an eyebrow. Interested to see where this goes. @SwitchVogel you ninja'd me, lol. I just edited the above post & was about to paste the link to his video explanation.

EDIT: Boomstick Gaming, for those who care. This video from the editor of that review explains his accusation here - @twztid13 Yeah I know the feeling. Personally I like it best when the world is static in a way that the map doesn't change everytime I go in. I just can't help but try out games like Dead Cells that look so extremely polished and satisfying to play. But so far it's decent, I get the feeling the power-ups and new weapons will eventually change up some of the awkward aspects. We'll see @twztid13 Hmm yeah that might be it. I've also recently played a lot of games where sensitivity mattered with a lot of aspects (movement in Crash Bandicoot, jumps in Hollow Knight etc) which might sort of put the issue on a pedestal, but still... It feels as if they should've just had a single jump with the pressure sensitivity, or heck a double jump as a power-up instead with the single-jump having a bit of extra height to it. @Blizzia i agree wholeheartedly. That's why I'll usually stick with games like this that everyone else praises, as they do usually end up pullung me in for one reason or another eventually (on top of wanting to get my money's wort. However, I do plenty of research before buying any game, so it only applies to games that have already passed pretty stringent scrutiny before I buy them. @twztid13 The worst part is really that issues like the jump are impossible to research - it's such a subjective thing that others might not even notice, and I can sure as hell say that when I watched a gazillion videos on it, I didn't pay attention to that at all. It felt natural when watching it, but when playing it felt off.

The rest of the gameplay does seem very enjoyable though, and I actually just picked up a spear which feels much smoother than the sword - might be we need to explore all the weapon options and downplay some awkwardness to personal preference? xD How's the framerate, does it hold up? I heard some rumours about it not hitting 60 fps when things are busy but I figured that was BS? @Blizzia again, you're spot on from my perspective. Exactly how i was looking at it myself.

Did you realize you can map lots of actions (maybe all of them) to same buttons, lol? It's crazy you can jump, swung sword, roll, & use a special weapon all at once. That's VERY interesting. Another thing I dont like in any game are the floating damage numbers. I saw that in the eshop vid (Japanese eshop i think, since videos from any games I'm interested in never seem to be posted in the US eshop,; Even those that are in English with Japanese subtitles in the Japanese store, oddly), but haven't noticed it in game yet. I was upset they didn't have an option to turn that off, as most games featuring that effect do, but i was happy to see lits of options unlike hollow Knight. Especially haopy to see button remapping (which should be standard in gaming as a whole nowadays), but I hear hollow knight will be adding that with the last dlc/update (it's too late to use it myself, but anyone who hasn't played it yet deserve it). @JayJ Well-worded argument why this type of game doesn’t suit you. But I am curious, to give me a frame of reference, which games in the same genre type did he review? @citizenerased I can't say as i haven't had a screen full of enemies yet. It does re-center (or re-adjust the screen in some form) when I'll be still looking at something in the environment somewhere, after no more threats, and it will shift a little to one side or the other. I think it did it once right after defeating all enemies & i mistook it for a stutter at first, but later realized it was scooting the view over a frame or so. It is a very miniscule amout that it moves (possibly a jerk, pop, or sudden, instantaneous movement) left or right by a few millimeters, so may be unnoticed by most.

Others may not notice this, but I did because I tend to play games slowly & i look at every aspect of design - the art, but also how everything in the environment reacts, like if shooting into water makes a splash, or a tree sheds bark...in shooting games, obviously (like...Halo 1 was the first game i recall letting that urge take over me on & I have done that on every game I've played since that i can recall. This makes games a considerable amount longer to play through, as I'm a completionist, also. I hate that i feel so strong an urge to always do this because my backlog borders on stupidity at this point). hey, at least this review wasnt stolen cough cough ign Haha, pretty similar in our approach, aren't we

And wait, what? You can map actions to the same buttons??? That's actually nuts. I haven't had too much time to delve into options and such, I just spent a few 15 minute sessions here and there so far, running through like a moron until I got killed

The damage numbers should be a toggle afaik, not sure how though. But if they don't show up by default... Fine with me

Pretty neat that button mapping is so advanced though, didn't expect that

And yeah, button mapping should be a staple, but you know how devs like to tell players how to play their games... "You obviously need to use B for this heavy attack despite it being the jump button in the games you usually play - and don't you dare use R for a special move son! Put that thing on d-pad up!" (can't remember the game, but I had to use D-pad up to unleash a special move, and it was AGONIZING. So many mistaken specials.) Apparently, this game is fast, fluid and responsive. (What a plonker) Switch tax in effect as it appears to be cheaper on Xbox. I may get this once my financial woe is over. This is not a Metroidvania and the randomness of the level design is really important because you will play them over and over and over. They don't feel completely random either with secrets and hidden pathways all over.

It has a 2D Bloodborne/Castlevania vibe to me.

So far so brilliant. I've only had a chance to play this game for a couple of hours, but I've been enjoying myself and definitely been getting killed quite regularly. The controls are great and there seems to be a decent level of variety...at least so far. Awwww man I wish I didn’t get this on steam. I haven’t even played it yet. It’s pretty pricey on the Switch but seems like it’d be awesome to play in portable mode. Looks like someone got fired!


Update: the offender has even had his picture taken off of the NVC YouTube Page. @james_squared that guy was kinda an oddball anyway, then he did this. good riddance maybe? I'm seeing framerate issues pop up on various sites and threads, bit weird that this isn't covered in the review especially given how unforgiving the game is. Apparently the developers have commented they'll only patch the game if enough people complain? Odd.

As for the IGN debacle, they handled it well, let's not celebrate that someone lost their job, though. I have more than enough games to play. For example, I’m in love with Hand of Fate 2, stoked by the sheer craziness of Pool Panic, immersed into the vast world of Octopath Traveler but this name- and mouthless little sucker is constantly getting in the way of everything since the preload unlocked.... Sure I already saw the exact same review on IGN for this, poor job Nintendolife you should stop copying other people's work I’m very tempted, this or Okami will be my next purchase I'm surprised that this review doesn't mention the frame rate drops of the Switch version. In the first level, the game still plays smoothly but beginning in the 2nd level, there is quite some stuttering. At least the devs will release a patch but in this state, the Switch version should not have been released. I was following this all day yesterday since I listen to NVC every week. An absolute shame, but frankly he had it coming. Plagiarism is never ok and is taught in the 4th or 5th grade. As I'm sure you know, if someone plagiarizes once, it's usually not the end either. Apparently, Kotaku got a tip about similar evidence of him lifting phrases from right here at NintendoLife about the last FIFA game. Scroll to the second update:


He certainly wasn't a very good host on NVC, but I was willing to give him a little more time to adjust, thinking maybe he was just nervous and couldn't find the right words to add to the discussions, but it turns out he really doesn't have many opinions of his own, and it makes perfect sense now. Perhaps it's best to leave the public eye in his case. He was a terrible NVC host, let’s be real I certainly don't disagree with that. I still thought maybe he'd grow into it, but it all makes sense now. He was a bad host cause he just couldn't come up with anything on his own so that's why he ended nearly every discussion with "Yeah well I know I"m really looking forward to this game, and I hope you are too..." ::roll eyes::

I hope the new NVC host has more personality and at least adds to the discussions. I will definitely get this game, but not yet. I have more games to play than time! "procedurally-generated dungeons" Hard pass.

I initially thought that I would love randomly generated levels and they would be really fun as I thought that the game would never be the same.
However, after now playing many games that incorporated that element over the last few years, I can admit that I was wrong. I would rather have a perfectly handcrafted level that I can memorize and play again and again learning more each play through. I got this on steam for 4.5$. 25$ is ridiculous. I'll skip I'm completely won over with Dead Cells, amazing game! Is the frame-rate better in the PS4 version? The switch version chugs when there's a lot of stuff happening. Enter the Gungeon is a roguelite, not a roguelike. @Lina-MG Sure... you say potato; I say pot-ah-to. Both taste the same though. @Balta666 all lies @Hikingguy so odd you can do that here, and the levels are randomly generated This looks like a lot of fun. May pick it up after I finish a few other games I’ve been putting off. Lol. Jesus this game is good. Can’t stop!!! I got caught up in the hype of this game and preordered it so I didn’t miss the discount. To be brutally honest I didn’t expect to like it that much but I can’t put it down. I’ve fallen asleep thinking about it, woken up thinking about it, taken my switch to work to play it. It has me completely and utterly hooked. When I die I think “stupid game” and I start straight in on a new run. Awesome. This one had been on my radar since it was announced. Picked up the physical copy and am very satisfied with my purchase. Worth the price of admission, highly recommend. For me, this is the game the new revision of Strider should have been!

There are so many nods to various games in Dead Cells, but in my mind all I can think of is that time I threw money in this arcade machine and finally beat that damned ape boss at the beginning of level 2.

It's not the 'Spider Rune', it's the 'Strider Rune'!

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7th Aug 2018, $24.99 (US/Canada)

17th Aug 2018, £29.99 (UK/EU/AU)


7th Aug 2018 (US/Canada)

7th Aug 2018, £22.49 (UK/EU/AU)
