Switch Exchange #2: Dead Cells
Welcome to the second entry of Switch Exchange: the series that trawls through the Switch's massive library of untold gems and garbage so you don't have to! If you missed Chary's views on Angels of Death last week, I encourage you to check it out here!
Chary Says...
Welcome to my latest obsession! For the first game I’m recommending to Scarlet, I’m going with Dead Cells, an indie breakout hit with addictive gameplay. Most of my experience with Dead Cells stems from the very first Early Access beta in mid-2017, but as far as the Nintendo Switch version goes, it’s the full experience, and boy has the game evolved into a masterpiece. I’ve been dying to recommend this game, and I’m hopeful Scarlet likes it even half as much as I do.
Welcome to my latest obsession! For the first game I’m recommending to Scarlet, I’m going with Dead Cells, an indie breakout hit with addictive gameplay. Most of my experience with Dead Cells stems from the very first Early Access beta in mid-2017, but as far as the Nintendo Switch version goes, it’s the full experience, and boy has the game evolved into a masterpiece. I’ve been dying to recommend this game, and I’m hopeful Scarlet likes it even half as much as I do.
So after featuring a more obscure title, we find ourselves looking to a better known game this week. Acclaimed at launch, Dead Cells promised to provide a "rogue-lite metroidvania with some souls-lite combat". As somebody whose only look at Metroid was a bit of the first Prime game on the Wii, and whose only look at Dark Souls is seeing everybody call everything the Dark Souls of something, I was more than a little intimidated. Add into the mix the random nature of rogue-lites and to be quite honest, I was dreading it. With only a week to play before coming up with some kind of initial opinion, difficulty was my biggest concern, and after a week, it still somewhat is.
Back on the topic of difficulty however, I'm sad to say I didn't get all too far in the time I had. Only managing to beat the first boss, there's a lot more to be discovered here. Despite my inherent lack of skill, I still found myself coming back again and again. My progress may be slow, but each step forwards felt earned. Dying to a bat, dying to an exploding orb, dying by jumping off a castle because I didn't realise the screen had stopped scrolling; each death felt as though it could have been prevented and made me want to better myself to stop it happening again. This gradual progress is at the core of what I love about Dead Cells, this extending to the game's design as a whole. While each new run sees you start fresh with no gear or powerful mutations, there are certain permanent upgrades that stay with you. Starting the game with random items, getting additional health flasks, and even keeping some money after dying—you claw your way forwards knowing your deaths aren't entirely in vein. Everything feels fair and balanced, putting the light onto you as the player to improve and adapt to situations as they come.
Have any thoughts of your own to add? Got any games you're dire to see myself or Chary play? Let us know your thoughts!
US eShop Link / UK eShop Link
You can also find Dead Cells on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.