Dead Cells (PC) Preview

Dead Cells has the potential to be a really great game if it lives up to its current build's promise. From its sprite graphics that really work to its smooth combat, it is a fun and addictive game to play. Playing a zombie-like character that never dies, the game sets a good atmosphere of trying to escape from a jail only to die over and over. Even the entire aesthetic is gritty, with blood flying and the body count stacking.

In true rogue fashion, the learning curve is intense, and it is mostly knowledge that brings the player further, not so much the gear. However, the gear can help hugely, which leads to hunting it down. The game is played like a typical platformer of hopping around and killing enemies while exploring various dungeons. On the way, better items or stats can be found. These can range from slow broad swords to fast knives, and turret guns to grenades. Some items seem way better than others, but it is always fun to see what is new and try things out.

Even though dying happens a lot - and it's frustrating every time - there is an element that slowly makes it less intense. As you play, killing enemies drops 'cells,' which, after every stage, can be used to eventually upgrade things like carrying an extra potion or weapons doing more damage. It still does not make dying less of a let-down, but helps players not feel like the last hour was for nothing.

Combat is very smooth and a fun part of the game. As mentioned earlier, different weapons behave differently, and there is as much finesse of dodging arrows and button-mashing to plough through a group. With gems and blood as a reward, it is an oddly satisfying experience, even if in these types of games combat is always ideally avoided.