Dead Cells is a 2018 roguelike-Metroidvania game created by Motion Twin, a French independent game developer. Players control a shapeless creature named the Prisoner. The goal is to escape a sick island and defeat its king. As the Prisoner, players explore randomly generated levels to find weapons, treasures, and tools. The game includes a permadeath system, meaning players lose all items and abilities if they die. A currency called Cells can be collected from defeated enemies to buy permanent upgrades.
Motion Twin began making Dead Cells after planning a follow-up to their earlier browser game, Die2Nite. They changed the game from being played with others to a single-player experience focused on fighting and action. The developers were inspired by the Engineer character class from Team Fortress 2 and redesigned Dead Cells as an action platform game where players use different weapons and skills.
The game was released on August 7, 2018, for Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. A mobile version for iOS came out on August 28, 2019, and an Android version was released in 2020. A PlayStation 5 version was added on June 29, 2023. After its release, the game received updates and expansions, with Evil Empire managing development. Critics praised the game’s combat and level design, especially the random levels and weapons. By June 2023, the game had sold more than 10 million copies.
Gameplay
Dead Cells is a 2D side-scrolling game called a "roguevania," which mixes elements of roguelike and Metroidvania games. The player controls the Prisoner, a shapeless creature who travels across an island filled with mutated monsters. If the player dies, they lose all weapons and upgrades earned during that playthrough, except for a few items that stay forever. Weapons include swords, bows, shields, and traps that damage enemies when they get close. During combat, the Prisoner can dodge on the ground to avoid attacks or jump over them. If the Prisoner dodges into an enemy’s space, they can move through the enemy and attack from behind. When falling from a height, the Prisoner can slam into the ground to stun enemies or avoid being stunned themselves.
The game’s combat is similar to the Dark Souls series, where enemies have specific behaviors that players can learn. Frequent character deaths are part of the game’s design. As players explore levels and defeat enemies, they collect an in-game currency called Cells. Cells can be used to buy permanent upgrades, such as potions that restore health or extra weapons that may appear randomly. These Cells can only be spent at the end of a dungeon section. If the player dies before then, they lose all collected Cells. Players can find blueprints inside dungeons, which must be taken out of the level to be collected and used for upgrades.
Levels are randomly created by combining pre-designed sections in different ways, making each dungeon unique with varying enemy and item placements. Between dungeons, players can earn limited mutations, which give the Prisoner temporary bonuses that last until they die. During this time, players can reforge weapons, changing their effects in combat. Inside dungeons, players can find hidden Power Scrolls that increase the Prisoner’s health or improve weapon damage based on the tool’s type: Brutality, Tactics, or Survival. Dungeons may also contain permanent upgrades called Runes, which allow new ways to move through levels. Runes are obtained by defeating powerful Elite enemies, and each Rune requires the previous one to be collected.
Plot
The story takes place on an unnamed island. The main character, called the Prisoner, is a shapeless creature that takes over dead bodies found in the island's underground areas. The Prisoner's head cannot be destroyed, but the bodies it uses can. If a body is destroyed, the Prisoner must return to a place called the Prisoners' Quarters to find another corpse. The Prisoner does not speak, so it communicates with other characters through gestures and body movements. Sometimes, the player sees the Prisoner's thoughts through text boxes on the screen.
The Prisoner begins the story in the prison's underground areas, unable to remember the past. A soldier tells the Prisoner that it cannot die. The Prisoner tries to escape the prison, but each time its body is destroyed, its head is forced back to the underground areas. Over time, the Prisoner learns that the island was once a powerful kingdom that fell after a disease called "The Malaise" turned most of its people into mutated creatures.
After escaping the underground areas, the Prisoner decides to kill the island's king, believing this will change the island. Before leaving, the Prisoner meets a mysterious figure called the Collector, who trades special items for something called "Cells." The Prisoner fights through infected areas of the island and reaches the king's throne room, where it kills the comatose king. However, the king's body explodes, destroying the Prisoner's current body. The Prisoner's head escapes through a drain that leads back to the Prisoners' Quarters, where it considers the effects of killing the king.
The "Rise of the Giant" downloadable content adds new parts to the game. The Prisoner gains access to a new area called the Cavern, where it fights a giant undead creature. After defeating the giant, the creature reveals that the Prisoner is actually the king and blames him for the kingdom's destruction. After defeating the final boss, the Prisoner can collect special items called "Boss Cells," which increase the game's difficulty. If the player collects all five Boss Cells and reaches the throne room, they can access a new area called the Astrolab. There, the Collector explains he has been collecting Cells to create a cure for the Malaise called the "Panacea." When the Collector drinks the Panacea, he becomes mad and attacks the Prisoner. The Prisoner drinks some of the Panacea before defeating the Collector, causing its current body to disappear. The Prisoner's head returns to the Quarters to find a new body.
When the Prisoner returns to the throne room, the king's body is found unharmed. The Prisoner's head attaches to the king's body, restoring its memories and allowing it to speak. However, the king's body is infected with the Malaise. The king then goes to the Astrolab to face the Collector again. This time, the Panacea cures the king and "binds his body and soul." The king returns to his throne, where he faces a look-alike of the Prisoner in a duel.
The "Queen and the Sea" downloadable content adds three new areas and another ending. The Prisoner finds a letter inviting it to meet in the prison's sewers. There, it meets a water creature called the Fisherman, who offers a way to escape the island through a lighthouse. The Prisoner finds a key to the lighthouse and meets the Fisherman again at the king's castle. The Fisherman takes the Prisoner to the lighthouse, where it accidentally knocks over a flaming chandelier, alerting three warriors named Calliope, Euterpe, and Kleio, who serve the island's queen. The warriors chase the Prisoner to the top of the burning lighthouse, where the Prisoner defeats them. The Prisoner enters the lighthouse's upper chambers to light its beacon, but the queen appears and challenges the Prisoner to a duel. The Prisoner defeats the queen, throws her off the lighthouse's balcony, and causes an explosion that activates the beacon. The Prisoner uses the beacon to signal a passing ship, which arrives at the island.
Development
Motion Twin, the developer of Dead Cells, began creating games for web browsers and mobile devices in 2001. The studio noticed that making profitable games for mobile platforms required more money and effort, so they decided to focus on a different type of project they called their "passion project." This project was a game they described as "very challenging, very specific, with pixel art and extremely difficult gameplay," which they believed might be risky but could attract players interested in unique experiences.
Motion Twin originally planned to create a sequel to their 2008 browser game Die2Nite, a cooperative tower defense game that allowed up to 40 players to work together to defend a town from zombie attacks during a night phase. They wanted to improve the sequel by letting players take action during the night phase and added free-to-play features. However, these changes made the game less engaging for single players. In 2014, the team simplified the game to focus on single-player action and presented the idea at an event called the Big Indie Pitch, where it won second place in a contest. They later removed the preparation phase and focused on continuous combat, a process that took about a year to complete by the end of 2015.
To improve gameplay, Motion Twin borrowed ideas from the Engineer character class in Team Fortress 2, where players use buildable items like turrets to enhance their abilities. They redesigned Dead Cells into an action platform game where players use weapons and skills. The developers avoided letting players rely on a single weapon or skill combination by incorporating roguelike elements that required trying new combinations as the game progressed. Motion Twin’s producer, Steve Filby, noted that The Binding of Isaac influenced the game’s item-driven gameplay. To provide variety, the team created about 50 different weapons, refining them through repeated testing of gameplay, graphics, and art to ensure each weapon had unique animations or behaviors.
Motion Twin used Steam’s early access model to test player interest and gather feedback on game features. At the time, the studio was concerned about the reputation of indie games, fueled by fears that too many indie games might negatively impact the video game market. They avoided releasing an incomplete version of the game during early access and ensured the first release, which was about 30 to 40% complete, had strong combat and control systems. This allowed the team to fix balance issues and avoid punishing players for specific play styles based on feedback. The game remained in early access for about a year, during which time developers added content based on player suggestions and bug reports. Lead designer Sébastien Bénard estimated that 40 to 50% of the final game’s features came from early access feedback.
The story of Dead Cells was not planned from the start. Motion Twin believed adding a story might distract from the action and aimed to include only a basic narrative. As the game progressed through early access, the developers added a minor story after players expressed interest in the world. Over time, the plot was written in a mix of French and English and became more complex. While the game’s levels include hints about the story, Motion Twin kept some details secret and used nonlinear gameplay to keep the narrative unclear, allowing players to discover the story on their own.
Release and expansions
The early access period for the game began on May 10, 2017, with support for Windows. Additional support for macOS and Linux was added on June 26, 2018. In November 2017, the game was released on GOG.com as part of their effort to offer another way to buy games that are still being developed. In January 2018, Motion Twin announced plans to develop versions for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. A release date of August 2018 was predicted to match the end of the Windows version’s early access period. Motion Twin does not plan to create a sequel. Instead, they focused on adding a modding system for PC versions to let players expand the game after its release. The game was officially released on August 7, 2018, for Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Retail versions were also released in August 2018. The base game included Twitch integration, allowing viewers to influence the game through chat, such as voting for a Power Scroll weapon class option.
In mid-2019, Motion Twin released a free downloadable content update called Dead Cells: Rise of the Giant. The developers announced plans to port the game to mobile devices running iOS and Android, adjusting the interface for touch controls and remote controllers. The iOS version was released on August 28, 2019, and the Android version on June 3, 2020. The game’s first paid expansion, Dead Cells: The Bad Seed, was released on February 11, 2020. It added two new biomes, a boss for early game content, weapons, enemies, and new mechanics. On the same day, a new physical special edition, the Prisoner’s Edition, was announced for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. This edition included the game, DLC, soundtrack, an art book, and a figurine of the player-character. A second paid DLC expansion, Dead Cells: Fatal Falls, was released on January 26, 2021, adding new levels, weapons, and a boss.
Around January 2019, Motion Twin began work on their next game while still developing Dead Cells. When they hired more developers, they aimed to keep the Dead Cells team between eight and ten people to maintain a manageable worker cooperative. A new studio called Evil Empire was created to help co-develop the game. On September 16, 2021, Motion Twin released a free update titled “Practice Makes Perfect,” which added a training room, world map, and other quality-of-life changes. A free update called “Everyone Is Here,” released on November 22, 2021, introduced character skins and mechanics based on characters from other indie games, such as Hyper Light Drifter, Guacamelee!, Curse of the Dead Gods, Blasphemous, Skul: The Hero Slayer, and Hollow Knight.
To celebrate Motion Twin’s 20th anniversary, the developers released a third paid expansion titled Dead Cells: The Queen and the Sea on January 7, 2022. A free content update called “Break the Bank” was released in March 2022. It added a new level that can be randomly encountered during gameplay, giving players a chance to earn large amounts of gold. On October 26, 2022, Motion Twin released a free boss rush update, allowing players to fight all the game’s bosses in a new mode. A free update titled “Everyone is Here Vol. 2,” released in November 2022, added more homages to other indie games, including Terraria, Hotline Miami, Slay the Spire, Shovel Knight, Risk of Rain, and Katana Zero.
The fourth and final paid expansion, Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania, was released on March 6, 2023. It includes characters, weapons, and enemies from the Castlevania series, under license from Konami. This expansion features a secret level inspired by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and allows players to control Richter Belmont with moves similar to the Castlevania series. A PlayStation 5 version was released on June 29, 2023. On August 19, 2024, with the release of the game’s 35th patch, Motion Twin and Evil Empire announced they would stop further creative work on Dead Cells. Motion Twin shifted focus to their next game, Windblown, while Evil Empire began working on their own title. Both companies stated they would continue fixing bugs and making quality-of-life improvements.
Netflix released a mobile version of the game on October 31, 2023. This version is free but requires an active Netflix subscription to play. It includes all previously released DLCs.
Reception
Dead Cells received positive reviews from critics. The Xbox One version received "universal acclaim," and the PlayStation 4, PC, Nintendo Switch, and iOS versions received "generally favorable" reviews, according to the website Metacritic. Brandin Tyrrel of IGN praised the game for its engaging gameplay and randomized levels, saying, "The structure of the game and the changing levels that make it exciting are like the skeleton and the blood that keeps it alive." The action and combat in Dead Cells were described as "distinct," "fluid," and "agile." Reviewers compared the game to titles like Dark Souls, Diablo, and Castlevania because of its difficulty and changing levels. They also praised the game's visuals and sound design.
The story of Dead Cells was criticized by some reviewers, who said it was unclear and lacked depth. Kirk Hamilton of Kotaku noted that the story was disappointing, stating, "The only story here is about moving forward, fighting enemies, and improving over time." Some reviewers said the game's progression beyond the first few hours was confusing, and the difficulty was harsh. Chris Carter of Destructoid mentioned that the game's difficulty could be frustrating, saying, "Sometimes you have a perfect run with all your favorite items, but then you face a new boss who defeats you quickly."
Some critics highlighted the permadeath feature, which allows players to earn permanent upgrades and fully explore the game's content. Neal Ronaghan of Nintendo World Report said the permadeath system made the game enjoyable, adding, "Every time I play, I want to try again and push past my previous progress."
About a year after its early access release, Dead Cells sold over 730,000 copies. Before its full release, sales reached 850,000 copies. By May 2019, within ten months of its full release, the game had sold 2 million copies. In March 2021, sales reached 5 million copies during the announcement of its third DLC. By June 2023, the game had sold over 10 million copies.
In June 2023, the game's developer, Motion Twin, announced an animated series called Dead Cells: Immortalis, created by French animation studio Bobbypills. The series was released on June 19, 2024, by French network ADN and lasted for 10 episodes. An English version of the show was released on October 7. In August 2024, the game Roboquest added characters and items from Dead Cells in an update. In September 2025, the game BlazBlue Entropy Effect included the Prisoner as a playable character.
In February 2026, Evil Empire and Motion Twin announced they were working together on Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, a new game in the Castlevania series licensed by Konami. This project follows their earlier collaboration on the Return to Castlevania expansion for Dead Cells. Belmont's Curse is the first 2D action role-playing game in the Castlevania series since 2008 and was created to celebrate the series' 40th anniversary.