Our review of Dead Cells by Motion Twin, which after last year's success on PC and console reaches iPhone and iPad
Released just last August after a period of Early Access, Dead Cells immediately revealed itself as one of the best independent titles of recent years, managing to combine metroidvania and roguelike elements in an extremely convincing mix, also supported by a pixel art graphics component brilliant and full of character. The work of the French Motion Twin has reached, in addition to the PC, also all the current consoles or PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch; now, thanks to the collaboration with Playdigious compatriots, Dead Cells also lands on mobile platforms, first with iOS and then with Android. A considerable challenge, considering that anyone who has even made just a couple of games with the original will have understood very quickly how the precision and responsiveness of the controls play a fundamental role in a very demanding and often punitive gameplay. Then we find out in our review what the result was, instead referring to last year's article for all the details on the game itself.
Controls via touch screen
Even in the face of such legitimate doubts, it is necessary to premise how Playdigious has a long experience not only regarding the publication on mobile platforms, but also as regards the conversion of titles born on other platforms, such as Teslagrad, Evoland 2 or Cultist Simulator. Certainly, however clever, the French are not yet able to work miracles, which is why they have chosen to approach the touch interface through different solutions, but starting from the adoption of virtual keys anyway. To the left of the screen is the stick, which can be chosen between fixed or floating. On the right, the keys have been placed to replicate the attack actions with the 4 slots for the respective weapons, the jump, the dodging and the one to interact with the various objects. Above them there is the map, while on the opposite side there are always the buttons to heal and use secondary skills. A lot of stuff then, and it is clear that although it is possible to change both the layout and the dimensions of all the inputs, we can find ourselves in situations of embarrassment, especially during the first few games. Let it be clear, Dead Cells is able to play the same decently even on touch screens, but in the more advanced and complex phases it appears more than evident that the limits are impossible to completely overcome. It must be said, however, as in the options there are a couple of alternative solutions that are worth trying: in addition to the original mode, which reproduces perfectly the one studied by Motion Twin, you can find an alternative called Automatic Attack which, as can be guessed, it independently manages the melee weapon attack when you are at the correct distance from the enemies. Although purists may seem blasphemous, actually lightening the touch controls at least by a "commitment" makes the progression less frustrating, to the point that this mode could soon become the favorite of many playing in this situation. Much less appreciable is the ability to activate the dodge by swiping the screen, which is simply too unreliable to be taken seriously into consideration.
Graphics and content
Needless to say, all these recent speeches on the limits of the touch interface immediately lose their meaning in cases where a MFi controller is available: in our case the always excellent Steelseries Nimbus has allowed us to fully appreciate the original experience without compromise. , being able to enjoy it on the move similar to what is feasible on Switch. It is worthwhile to emphasize again how the upcoming release of iOS 13 is destined to bring native support to PS4 and Xbox One controllers, making gaming on Apple platforms even more interesting. Obviously the same speech also on Android, which will see the arrival of Dead Cells in the coming months. From a technical point of view, our experience on the iPhone Xr and iPad Pro has left no margin for criticism: predictable, given also the affinity between the Nintendo Switch hardware and that of modern smartphones. Yet it is still a pleasure to observe the splendid work of French artists on the screens of smartphones and tablets, who have been able to recreate a decadent and gloomy world while not skimping on the use of a wide palette of colors. The good variety of settings and the excellent level of detail can also make the inevitable necessity of retracing the same places after dozens of times even pleasant. Only the fact that the "lock at 30 fps" option is enabled by default is questionable: whoever has a sufficiently powerful device should immediately turn it off to appreciate the greater fluidity of the action. Finally, it is worth emphasizing that the sale price is set at € 9.99 in this edition, which is largely the lowest currently available on all platforms. And of course this is the complete version of all the contents found elsewhere, without advertising or extra purchases. An additional element that could suggest the purchase of Dead Cells right on the App Store or, shortly, Google Play, for those who have not yet had the opportunity to appreciate its enormous qualities.
