For the time-starved, a roguelike can be the perfect game; bite-sized runs, rarely more than twenty minutes, can be enough to round out a lunch break or make a commute more exciting. Dead Cells is one of the best roguelikes ever made, and the perfect choice for those looking for a quick gaming sesh on the move with GeForce NOW Powered by Pentanet.
Live, run, fight, die, repeat. Live, run, fight, die, repeat. Live, run... You get the idea.
Dead Cells is a game of repetition, but that's not to say that it feels repetitive. An action-adventure roguelike from developer Motion Twin, Dead Cells sees you thrust into the shoes of a nameless (and headless!) prisoner on a dying, plague-ridden island. With roots back to Castlevania and Metroid, it's a 2D action adventure that picks up the torch they lit and turns it into a blazing bonfire.
With a rusty sword and a broken shield, you set out, traversing sewers, ramparts, jungles, swamps, laboratories, smugglers' dens, and zombie-ridden coastlines to carry you to the top of the castle. There, you face the Hand of the King, and with his defeat, step forward to kill the king who imprisoned you...
And then, only half an hour after you began, you're back in the prison, ready to start over, run it again, find new weapons, learn new abilities, and get closer to the truth.
Each time you run Dead Cells, it's different, the route you take to the end, the weapons you find, and the abilities you upgrade. On your first run, it's very unlikely you'll reach the Hand of the King. Heck, when I started, it took me six tries just to beat the Concierge, the first boss (imagine losing to a butler).
But death in Dead Cells does not mean defeat. As you fight, you gather cells to invest in new upgrades that will carry over to the next run and in unlocking new weapons and abilities that can begin to appear in future runs. Each death makes you stronger, teaches you a little more about the island, and pushes you one step closer to reaching the King and, after him, the true ending.
But beyond that core path, there is so much more to see. Over the years, Motion Twin has added many loving references and homages to other classics in the genre, including Hollow Knight, Shovel Knight, Temple of the Dead Gods, and more.
But none are so impressive nor iconic as the newly released Return to Castlevania DLC, which reimagines many classic locations, weapons, enemies, and characters, including Trevor Belmont, Alucard and Dracula himself.
Adding the world of Castlevania into Dead Cells is a seamless fit, and the love and attention poured into it shows just how much passion and admiration Motion Twin has for the game that started it all. Castlevania Symphony of the Night is a game I have more nostalgia for than almost any other, and getting to relive those memories here in Dead Cells was truly something special.
Dead Cells is a perfect game for GeForce NOW users, thanks to its gameplay structure. Built for quick runs, it's easy to sneak one in on a lunch break, on the train, or just when there's a quiet moment. With GeForce NOW Powered by Pentanet turning any device into a gaming PC, Dead Cells vibrant, 2D art style makes it the perfect game for a tablet, laptop, or even phone, staying readable and enjoyable regardless of screen size. I can't recommend it enough, but I hope, unlike me, you won't fall for the "one more run" and wind up late for meetings.
This spotlight was written by Pentanet team member "Motley" and does not represent the opinions of Pentanet or NVIDIA.
