Dead Cells - The Rogue-Lite Board Game (Review)

[@the_Mike_d]

It's always interesting to me how sometimes such a small detail in the mechanics - like how this looks to be more mechanical than luck based - makes such a HUGE difference in whether or not I actually like playing a game. Like you, I generally don't like trying to puzzle out each round in most games - I need luck or randomness to be part of it. If the entire game relies on my ability to maximize decisions, I usually get bored or frustrated pretty quick.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yeah. We’re on the same page here.

[@liammctaggart9840]

Interesting. I can see how that makes it more approachable as a new player. But I kind of thought if you're a board game designer, good deterministic gameplay should almost be the goal - but that dice are usually necessary, especially when solo. It's like the puzzle of making something that's usually only possible in another medium. That said, I don't know if they nailed it

[@TheDungeonDive]

For me, I want almost all randomness. I'm not a fan of the modern anti-dice / luck trend. Usually, if that's the goal of the game, it probably won't resonate with me.

[@svai303]

@@TheDungeonDive I like dice with luck mitigation factors (tokens or whatever). At least you feel you have some kind of "decision power" over randomness. It's kind of the best of both worlds. I didn't like Gloomhaven's way of saying "Too bad, you didn't pick the most optimal cards, start again this 2-hour scenario where EVERYTHING is placed the same. Have fuuuun!" This is not my definition of fun. haha!

[@svai303]

Thank you for that review, Daniel! I've just started playing and there's NO WAY I'm going to limit communication between players, nor am I playing with Serenade. I'm playing using 2 Beheaded.

[@Scotch5ailor]

Super cool and really well made. I've been watching this game for some time and glad to hear your thoughts.

[@samurguybriyongtan146]

I enjoyed the review. I really like the IDEA of a sword being your NPC buddy, to bad it was not executed very well. The visa design of the game is truly stunning. I love the strong, bright colors and the icons seemed pretty clear. I’m with you on puzzles like that, they just stress me out and make me feel like I’m playing “wrong”.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yes! The feeling of playing wrong is also something I experience with these kinds of mechanisms.

[@dougcooley1946]

Coming to this late, so perhaps unfortunate that some may have bounced off of this game. I was unimpressed with the boxes solitaire solution, and agree that the game shines at three. The entire reason for that is the tension of minimal interaction when deciding what card to play in combat. That’s lost in solo to some degree, so I do the following to try to add some tension in card selection in that situation. The First Player chooses three cards from hand, look at them, shuffle, and place one down. Next player chooses two cards to shuffle, third player just chooses one. Now you fight to see how good your choice went. There are decision points in combat, but the guess of what card will help the team is the meat of the system. I’d also like to note that the fourth player, if there is one, sits out but gets to recover to some degree. That can’t be overstated as an effect, and combat takes maybe a minute or two including card selection when you’ve internalized the system so downtime isn’t that big of a deal. Being able to recover is a critical skill in the game, cheap potions aren’t easy to come by. I came very close to bouncing off of the game, and I admit my solo variant isn’t particularly well tested, although it has the advantage of providing some surprises for a very small investment in time. I still agree it’s better multiplayer.

[@GrizzTactix]

I was surprised when you said you didn't like the game(mostly the combat part of it), as I too love playing the other games you mentioned. I bought this game cause of the video game and while i was surprised at the lack of dice in the game I do find it enjoyable for atleast to figure to mitigate how to deal and take damage with the combat with the cards I am dealt with. It feels different to me when I play solo than other solo games, which will make me take it out more than the others. Well, if you ever need a third, I will rig up my camera on my desk with my cards, lol

[@davidautinify]

very glad a buddy of mine snagged this game (so i didn't have to lol). it's a game i think i will enjoy playing in a group, but it didn't have the story elements i look for when im rolling solo.

[@dougsealy199]

I want to buy this so if you’re not really into it please send it to me in Japan!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Haha. Shipping would probably four times the cost of the game.

[@corgibuttz2550]

I love rogue likes! Some of my favorite on PC are Caves of Qud, Approaching Infinity, and Tales of Mag'Eyal. Hopefully one day I can scoop up Quest for the Mad Pixel off Game Crafter. I will admit it's frustrating how the general internet folks don't seem to understand the difference between Rogue-likes and Rogue-lites. I've seen guys come into the Roguelike subreddit and argue with everyone there that "We don't know what rogue likes are" after they pop in and claim how much they *adore* the roguelike genre, then list all meta-progression rogue-lites. When they're corrected about the difference, they get angry and tell everyone there we don't know what we're talking about.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Well, genre semantics are mostly pointless arguments to engage with. I try to avoid them at all costs, especially given the fact that language changes so fast these days.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I especially avoid all subreddits dedicated to certain fandoms for that exact same reason! It's like people arguing about the difference between a Metroidvana, an Ikavania, and so on. It's like...just enjoy things. :)

[@marcar365]

Thank for review! I'm sad to hear your review when the videogame is so good😅

[@crazyvolucris]

Thank you for this great review. And i am happy 😂 one of the rare vids i watch and don’t want to buy the game instantly 😂 so thank you so much and i see that this game is not my kind of game ☺️

[@TheDungeonDive]

Haha. Saved some money. :)

[@thomastergaard]

20:24 "The alpha player" 😁 I actually think we could just say "the bossy player" or "the rude player", since that's what it amounts to. (The internet is fond of the 'alpha' thing, even though it was retracted by the dude who invented it 😄)

[@TheDungeonDive]

Oh yeah - but that's the general term used in gaming. The alpha player is a common term used to describe someone who takes control of a co-op game. But yeah, "the rude player" is probably better! LOL!

[@thomastergaard]

As long as people don't start introducing 'beta' and 'sigma' and whatever else 😅

[@TheDungeonDive]

What about a skibidi toilet gamer?

[@thomastergaard]

I think toilet gamers of any sort would be very unpopular if they brought that to the table 😆🚽💩

[@jonathana6298]

I posted this a long time ago on one of your videos, but I skipped both this and Slay the Spire because of Assault of Doomrock. This looks okay, but Assault on Doomrock is more of a “roguelite” board game that I’m looking for.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Doomrock is cool.

[@alexpersonne83]

Thanks, you spare me some time. This game looks like bad, uninterresting, and has no vibes from the video game

[@godofzombi]

Que Papa Roach song.

[@mattrenyard]

:)