Dead Shell・Roguelike Crawler

About

Dead Shell is a sci-fi style Role Playing Game with pixelart graphics and a catchy soundtrack. Explore space dungeons, battle monsters, and enjoy the delightful atmosphere. Despite some bugs and excessive grinding, the gameplay is great, but be prepared for annoying ads. The game describes itself as a pixelart RPG roguelike clicker, which is an accurate summary of the gameplay experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 9,975 reviews

gameplay195 positive mentions

monetization624 negative mentions

Fun and engaging gameplay with a nostalgic DOOM vibe.
Simple mechanics that are easy to pick up and play.
Great pixel art and soundtrack that enhance the gaming experience.

Heavy reliance on microtransactions and ads, making progression feel grindy.
Limited ammo drops can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
Lack of depth and strategy, often reducing gameplay to repetitive tapping.

monetization
726 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
10%
86%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing frustration over the excessive number of ads, particularly unskippable ones that interrupt gameplay. While some users appreciate the option to watch ads for rewards and the ability to remove ads through in-app purchases, others feel that the game has become overly reliant on ads and microtransactions, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game can be enjoyable, the aggressive monetization strategy significantly impacts player enjoyment.
- “In-app purchases are not forced upon you and are completely optional, while the gameplay itself requires learning each enemy's strengths and weaknesses.”
- “Overall a fun time waster with a nice progression and no pushy microtransactions.”
- “Great game, awesome way to pass the time and doesn't force you into microtransactions.”
- “The game is basically a cash grab.”
- “Now it's even more grindy than it was before, massively inflated difficulty and really doubled down on the monetization including unskippable ads alongside constant sidebar ads.”
- “The forced ads every few minutes ruin any fun or immersion you might be experiencing.”
gameplay
486 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
52%
8%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its simplicity and repetitiveness, often revolving around tapping enemies and managing limited resources like ammo and health. While some players find it engaging and enjoyable for short sessions, many criticize the lack of depth, strategic elements, and the intrusive pay-to-win mechanics that hinder progression. Overall, the game offers a straightforward experience that can be fun but may quickly become monotonous and frustrating due to its reliance on ads and timers.
- “The gameplay is simple but still exciting.”
- “The gameplay consists of going room to room, clearing enemies while managing ammo and health.”
- “The gameplay is engaging enough to keep you interested, the graphics are charming, and the controls are simple yet intuitive.”
- “Gameplay is dull and repetitive; you're basically one button brute forcing your way through all levels.”
- “The gameplay quickly becomes repetitive grind, everything is just tap tap away.”
- “There is no gameplay, no depth, it's just numbers and click.”
graphics
288 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
35%
3%
The graphics of the game are predominantly praised for their retro pixel art style, evoking nostalgia and a classic gaming aesthetic reminiscent of titles from the 80s and 90s, particularly with a "Doom" influence. However, some users express a desire for more variety and detail in the environments, as well as updates to modernize the visuals, citing that certain aspects feel outdated or repetitive. Overall, while the graphics are generally well-received for their charm and atmosphere, there are calls for enhancements to improve gameplay experience.
- “Awesome game, love the pixel-art style too.”
- “The graphics are wonderful too, and the theme is inspired by the Doom series which I personally like very much.”
- “The retro-styled graphics are vibrant and pleasing to the eye - the music is truly epic and puts me into the place of my characters as I battle hordes of monsters.”
- “Graphics are old by now; an overhaul/update/renewed graphics would be fine.”
- “The graphics are very 8-bit and there are no real animations; it feels very much like a kickback to old NES games.”
- “Not much in the way of graphics, but that.”
music
240 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
33%
1%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its nostalgic, retro vibe reminiscent of 80s synth and sci-fi soundtracks. Players find the soundtrack to be captivating and integral to the game's atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience despite some noting that it can become repetitive. Overall, the music is highlighted as a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and enjoyment.
- “The art and animation are excellent and the music blew me away to another world.”
- “The soundtrack of the game is just amazing, it keeps the adrenaline flowing through your body which is fantastic!”
- “I really dig the atmosphere, the diversity of monsters, weapons and heroes and the soundtrack is awesome.”
- “Music and gameplay gets repetitive.”
- “Overall I would have given this a one star if it wasn't for the music.”
- “What can make the game even better is to add a gallery to see what you unlocked and add more music tracks in the game since the single track on loop can get annoying.”
story
202 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
79%
9%
The game's story is largely criticized for its absence, with many players expressing a desire for a more developed narrative and character backstories to enhance engagement. While some appreciate the nostalgic graphics and gameplay, they feel that the lack of a cohesive storyline makes the experience repetitive and less rewarding. Overall, players believe that incorporating a meaningful plot could significantly improve the game's appeal and depth.
- “The story, graphics, music, and everything else about it almost overwhelm me with wonderful nostalgia.”
- “That said, if there was a fleshed-out storyline, a reason any of the events in the game are happening, character backstories, etc., it would probably be a 5-star for me.”
- “A story line would also help it out immensely, even if it was only a little bit of one.”
- “Great game but it gets boring pretty easily and the story gets lost.”
- “No story line dungeon crawler with simple controls and retro graphics.”
- “It's a rogue-lite with no purpose/story/explanation, and absolutely zero tactical thought required from the player.”
grinding
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The reviews indicate that the game features a significant amount of grinding, which many players find tedious and repetitive, particularly in terms of resource accumulation and character leveling. While some appreciate the grind as part of the gameplay experience, others criticize it for being overly punishing and linked to monetization strategies, making progress feel slow and frustrating without spending money. Overall, the grinding aspect is a divisive feature, with opinions ranging from it being a fun challenge to a major drawback.
- “I just found it and have been playing for days... fun and not too grindy at all.”
- “+ great music + fun pastime + pixelated waifu - ship takes too much time - no grinding using already completed levels - reward doesn't scale with level but pixel waifu so 4/5”
- “Not very engaging; grindy and repetitive.”
- “Now it's even more grindy than it was before, massively inflated difficulty (making the aforementioned grind even worse) and really doubled down on the monetization including unskippable ads alongside constant sidebar ads.”
- “The only complaint I have is the seemingly inability to go back to earlier areas to grind for credits makes the game needlessly tedious.”
atmosphere
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
22%
11%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its engaging retro aesthetics, dark corridors, and immersive sci-fi soundtrack, reminiscent of classic titles like Doom and Dead Space. Players appreciate the combination of pixel graphics and atmospheric sound design, which effectively enhances the gameplay experience, despite some criticisms regarding game mechanics and content depth. Overall, the game's atmosphere stands out as one of its strongest features, contributing to a tense and enjoyable gaming environment.
- “I love the atmosphere created by the retro music and dark corridors filled with random sci-fi creatures.”
- “Great design, atmosphere and presentation.”
- “Retro pixel graphics are fantastic with great space horror atmosphere, one of its strongest points.”
- “More kinds of interactable objects (doors? computers? visual variations on crates and corpses?) and differences in which interactables are in which areas would add more atmosphere.”
- “The menacing atmosphere heightens the tense gameplay (where in later levels each bullet and hitpoint is a precious resource in a war of attrition), and the audiovisual design perfectly blends modern mobile simplicity with classic 90s monster gore.”
- “Atmosphere pays homage to original Doom, which is pretty cool.”
stability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is significantly compromised, with numerous users reporting frequent freezing, crashes, and buggy achievements that hinder gameplay. Many players experience the game freezing shortly after launch or during missions, making it difficult to progress. Despite its potential for fun, the persistent glitches and lack of effective updates have led to widespread frustration among users.
- “One big issue that's pretty annoying is that, despite them saying they fixed it, the achievements are buggy as hell.”
- “One problem I have been experiencing, however, is where I will be playing and enter a level, and after a battle or two the game freezes and sends me home.”
- “It is too buggy.”
humor
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding moments of unexpected hilarity, such as bizarre glitches and low ammo drops. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to blend humor with challenging gameplay, making it both entertaining and addictive. Overall, the comedic elements contribute significantly to the game's appeal, with users frequently describing it as "funny" and "interesting."
- “I killed an enemy so hard that it opened the Play Store to the Amazon shopping app (I guess it thought I tapped a banner ad), that was funny.”
- “It's funny that the most recent update said bug fixes but I didn't even notice any.”
- “I find it funny that a game limits how much you can play it.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
Overall, the game is praised for its strong replayability, with many players enjoying its fun mechanics and the ability to pick it up easily. However, some critiques highlight a lack of depth and content, which can hinder long-term engagement, particularly in the roguelite genre. Despite these concerns, the game still offers a solid replay value that keeps players coming back.
- “I had some issues with bugs and these have all been fixed, but the game is a fun, deep experience with a lot of replayability.”
- “It's a fun and simple game, anyone can pick it up and play it anytime and it's got a lot of replayability even if it's the same mechanics every time, nice game developers!”
- “Good fun, decent replayability and not full of ads.”
- “Pretty cool art and idea, but lacks content and depth which are especially required and pretty much essential in roguelites to maintain the replay value and keep the player going.”
- “The tutorial should be replayable.”
- “It's a fun and simple game, anyone can pick it up and play it anytime and it's got a lot of replayability even if it's the same mechanics every time.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with smooth performance and a focus on short play sessions. However, some users noted a graphical downgrade in the latest update, which may have been a trade-off for improved performance. While the gameplay is simple, there are opportunities for optimization through strategic play.
- “The game runs smoothly and is a great game to play while you sit back and relax.”
- “It runs smoothly, plays well, and is actually pretty decent.”
- “The overhaul update brings in great optimization along with a few visual and weapon updates.”
- “Other than that, there is a need for optimization.”
- “I noticed a graphical downgrade when compared to the old version; whether this was done to improve performance or not.”
- “Gameplay is very simple, but has a learning curve, and you can get a lot of little optimizations out of playing it slowly and thinking things through.”
character development
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
29%
Overall, the character development in the game is highlighted by its appealing character designs and humorous elements, which contribute to an engaging experience. However, some players feel that the depth of character development could be improved, suggesting a desire for more complexity beyond the visual appeal.
- “The game is very funny and challenging; you're going to find moments where you have to sit and think about what you're going to do next. The character designs are cool, and the ads aren't annoying. It's very easy and simple; it's a game anyone can learn how to play.”
- “It's like a dungeon crawler with simple controls, cool loot, and awesome character designs.”
- “The design is great; I love the character designs especially.”
- “Character development?”
- “Could use some more depth in terms of character development.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a mix of frustration and appreciation regarding the emotional impact of the game. While some are annoyed by gameplay mechanics like increasing respawn times, others celebrate the game's overall wholesomeness and emotional resonance, highlighting its ability to evoke strong feelings despite its flaws.
- “I rate it 5^∞ 'five stars raised to the infinite power' ☝☝☝☝☝. A badass review out of 10/10 with a salute to the devs. I can't deny how this game works or argue the mayhem of it because it's a hit and a truly wholesome experience!”
- “All around the wholesomeness I want in a mobile game.”
- “This game made me feel a range of emotions, from excitement to nostalgia.”