Parents' Guide to Dead Cells

While the gameplay of this randomized adventure isn't overly complex, the challenge fuels an addictive puzzler of a game. Dead Cells doesn't bog itself down with overthinking the gameplay aspect, but instead offers up randomly generated levels that have unique monsters to battle. This is a game about timing attacks, like knowing when to use ranged strikes and when to go into melee mode. You'll also need to know when to use items (like a bomb that dazes monsters, making them easy targets) or using a trap to disable opponents (so you can use ranged attacks). On the plus side, the game's pixelated art style is colorful and moody, and the music is solid. The action evolves, and the dungeons are cleverly done, with plenty to explore. While permadeath is never a huge bonus, in this setting, it creates a sense of wariness. You can't just plow into monsters and count on whittling down numbers thanks to save points, because there are none. Die and you start all over at the beginning, but it won't be the same dungeon crawl you just experienced. It's challenging, infuriating, and engaging at the same time, making you want to dive back in and play as soon as it restarts.

Are there negatives? Some, but they're pretty minor. The explosion of bloody enemies could've been toned down to make it more accessible to a wider audience, even though you're not fighting humans. Plus, some pathways seem unnecessarily hidden -- for instance, you might not be able to see where you need to go on some stages until you're exactly in the right space to navigate through the environment. You'll also find that the gameplay prevents backtracking, so while you may gain a key or ability to unlock a new room or area that you were denied access to, you can't take always take advantage of it on that playthrough; the only way to use this is to die and restart the game. But even with these hiccups, Dead Cells is a lush title where its addictive nature lays in the fact that you can't just run through it.