TommyD100 Dead Cells Review

Maybe I don't love the roguelite genre, but I don't hate it. Dead Cells just didn't keep me hooked like other games in this space (ie Hades). The gameplay is fundamentally sound, the weapons list goes on forever and the playthrough options are limitless. The progression to get slightly stronger with each run is noticeable, but I ran out of patience after a dozen runs. It's not that I was hitting a wall, I just ran out of motivation. There is no story or characters to care about. The biomes don't change all that much, and the repetition just started to feel like work. I set the game on Assist Mode after a dozen runs to make things a little easier, and powered through to get the full ending, got every achievement, and even completed all the DLC. Surely I would grow an attachment to the gameplay, weapons, or unlockable costumes, right? No, I didn't hate any of it, but I don’t find myself agreeing with the professional reviewers, who mostly seem to be in love with it. The visuals are a nice nod to the old platformers of yester-century, the gameplay does work and there are no bugs or glitches to ruin the experience. The music was weak and had to be turned off after a few runs, but the sound effects were sharp and gave weight and texture to the weapons and environment. Dead Cells left me feeling how I feel about the rogelite genre; I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it.