Dead Cells vs Skul: The Hero Slayer
Dead Cells is a platformer roguelike game from Motion Twin (2018) while Skul: The Hero Slayer is an action-adventure platformer game from SOUTHPAW GAMES (2021).
What each one is
Steam files Dead Cells under Platformer and Roguelike. In contrast, it files Skul: The Hero Slayer under Action-Adventure and Platformer.
Dead Cells is a roguelite, metroidvania inspired, action-platformer. You'll explore a sprawling, ever-changing castle... assuming you’re able to fight your way past its keepers in 2D souls-lite combat. No checkpoints. Kill, die, learn, repeat.
Guide 'Skul' on his quest to single-handedly take on the Imperial Army and rescue his King from captivity, in an action-packed rogue-lite 2D platformer for the ages.
At a glance
| Dead Cells | Skul: The Hero Slayer | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.7/10 | 8.1/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (97%, 183,007) | Very Positive (93%, 57,566) |
| Critic aggregate | 89/100 | 80/100 |
| Price | $24.99 | $19.99 |
| Install size | 0.49 GB | 1 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | verified |
| Released | 2018 | 2021 |
| Developer | Motion Twin | SOUTHPAW GAMES |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Dead Cells vs Skul: The Hero Slayer, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Dead CellsPlatformer roguelike gameSkul: The Hero SlayerAction-adventure platformer gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Dead CellsAdventure, Action Roguelike, MetroidvaniaSkul: The Hero SlayerIndie, Action, Action RoguelikeThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Dead Cells ✓Score 8.7 · 97% on Steam · 89 criticSkul: The Hero SlayerScore 8.1 · 93% on Steam · 80 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Dead Cells183,007 reviews · 8 add-ons · 0.49 GBSkul: The Hero Slayer57,566 reviews · 2 add-ons · 1 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Dead Cells$24.99Skul: The Hero Slayer ✓$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Dead CellsVerifiedSkul: The Hero SlayerVerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueDead Cells and Skul: The Hero Slayer on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Dead Cells (GamingPickz Score 8.7)
- The cheaper right now: Skul: The Hero Slayer ($19.99)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Dead Cells (183,007 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
AdventureAction RoguelikeMetroidvaniaPixel GraphicsRogue-like2DRogue-liteDifficult
Where they differ
Souls-likeReplay ValueRoguevaniaDark FantasyAtmosphericProcedural Generation
Side ScrollerVillain ProtagonistAction-AdventureFantasyStory RichMultiplayer
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Dead Cells is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Skul: The Hero Slayer is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| Dead Cells | Skul: The Hero Slayer | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | Nvidia 450 GTS / Radeon HD 5750 | — |
| Minimum CPU | Intel i5+ | — |
| Minimum RAM | 2 GB | — |
| Install size | 0.49 GB | 1 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Dead Cells · Skul: The Hero Slayer.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Dead Cells and 1 for Skul: The Hero Slayer. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Dead Cells and Skul: The Hero Slayer in scope?
Dead Cells has drawn 183,007 Steam reviews, ships 8 add-ons and installs in 0.49 GB. Skul: The Hero Slayer has drawn 57,566 Steam reviews, ships 2 add-ons and installs in 1 GB.
Is Dead Cells or Skul: The Hero Slayer better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Dead Cells rates higher (8.7 to 8.1). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Dead Cells or Skul: The Hero Slayer?
Skul: The Hero Slayer is cheaper right now at $19.99, against $24.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.