like the experiments of the Frankenstein monster. The game tries to combine 3 game genres at the same time starting from metroidvania which forces players to explore big maps full of mysteries to find the right room, Roguelite which keeps changing layout levels every time it is played, and souls-like which in fact is difficult and encourages players to memorize every aspect of the game.
Combining various genres like this is prone to make the game unfocused and identity crisis, especially for small indie studios that try to release their first game on all existing modern gaming platforms. But with the mature execution of Motion Twin, the three genres combine to become a difficult yet addictive unit to be played hundreds of times
At first glance, Dead Cells looks like other indie games with Roguelite elements that are now cliched for indie studios. Roguelite which actually has a random level has gotten a bad perception in recent years. The random level created by the procedural generation feature makes the level designer not too dizzy because it doesn’t have to spend a lot of time on level design and this trick becomes a cheap trick to make playtime from the game longer than it should.
Even though this sounds like a bad thing, the beauty of this genre comes from how good the execution is from the developer. When the roguelite genre is combined with gameplay designs that are full of variables and capable content to make curious players, the roguelite genre can make the game very rewarding and addictive to play. Dead Cells is the latest example of good execution.
The premise of Dead Cell is very simple, you play as a green blob that can take control of a dead body. You are trying to free yourself from an underground prison, but of course there are many obstacles that will hinder your efforts. Enemy soldiers who all want to kill you, levels that change every time you die, and big deadly bosses are the biggest obstacles you will face.