The combat is still a precision delight: dodge, parry, strike, and you slip into a trance fast. The roguelite loop punishes without frustrating thanks to wild weapons, and the metroidvania backtracking makes you want to comb everything.
Your verdict
Category
Roguelike1 player12+
Description
A cellular blob animates corpses to break out of a castle that endlessly reshapes itself. Published by Motion Twin, released worldwide in 2018. Snappy combat, permanent death that restarts the run, weapons and powers to unlock and fluid pixel art.
Dead Cells review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Dodging at the last instant, parrying, striking and bouncing straight back: the feel of the weapons borders on obsession and grips you within minutes. The roguelite structure punishes without frustrating, because death always reignites the urge to try another bit of madness. Metroidvania-style detours invite you to comb every corner. Fluid pixel art, total handheld comfort, edge fully intact against recent rivals.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Strike, roll to dodge, chain hits with no downtime: combat snaps with a jubilant fluidity. Every run hands you fresh weapons and a reshaped layout, so death instantly rekindles the urge. The nervy tempo and the depth of the arsenal sustain an exhilarating tension that never dulls.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Strike, dodge, parry on a knife's edge, then kick open a door into an unknown room: the razor-sharp feel of combat is the first hook. Dying sends you back to the start, but you keep weapons, mutations and unlocked shortcuts, so each attempt begins a notch further along. Weapons with wildly different behavior push you to retry "just to try that one." A reservation: permadeath can frustrate anyone who hates losing it all.
The frantic roguelite peaks when a boss erupts to test your hard-won arsenal: perfect dodges, parries timed to the frame and pattern-reading decide an entire run. The Concierge, the Time Keeper and the Hand of the King raise the bar at each tier. Permadeath lends every attempt an electric, intoxicating tension.
An underrated gem
Launched in early access by a small French worker-co-op studio, Dead Cells was honed for years with its community, something often forgotten. The result weds metroidvania bite to the run-resetting death of the roguelike, with a sense of movement rarely matched. Its flood of imitators eventually stole its thunder. Worth rediscovering for its fluidity, perfect for anyone who loves fast, precise combat.
Is Dead Cells still worth playing in 2026?
Dead Cells has stayed relevant where many roguelites run out of breath, thanks to obsessive care for how weapons feel. Every blow lands, every dodge counts, and death instantly fuels the urge to dive back in. The progression cleverly blends permanence and reset, and numerous updates have widened the bestiary and the paths. The animated pixel art remains among the smoothest in the genre. On Switch, handheld comfort is total. Demanding yet fair, the game holds up brilliantly against recent competition without surrendering any of its nerve.
