Comparison

Dead Cells vs Blasphemous

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Dead Cells

Explore a sprawling, ever-changing castle as a failed alchemic experiment. Master frantic 2D combat with a variety of weapons and skills against dangerous foes. Death is not the end; learn from each attempt to progress through this roguevania action platformer.

Highlights
  • Roguevania exploration
  • Frantic 2D action combat
  • Nonlinear progression
  • Permadeath with learning
  • Unlockable weapons and skills
  • DLC content packs
Read full description

Death is not the end. Play as a failed alchemic experiment and explore the sprawling, ever-changing castle to find out what happened on this gloomy island…! That is, assuming you’re able to fight your way past its keepers. Dead Cells is a roguevania action platformer that will require you to master frantic 2D combat with a wide variety of weapons and skills against merciless minions and boss. Kill. Die. Learn. Repeat. First available on PC and consoles, the indie hit Dead Cells is now slaying foes on mobile! Main Features • Roguevania: The progressive exploration of an interconnected world, with the replayability of a rogue-lite and the adrenaline-pumping threat of permadeath • Frantic and Dynamic 2D Action: Learn your enemies’ patterns to stay alive, or prepare to be sent back to your cell before you can say “baguette” • Nonlinear Progression: Unlock new levels with every death, opt for the path that suits your current build, your playstyle or just your mood. Surely, the ramparts can’t be as bad as the sewers, right? • Play at your own pace: Will you explore every nook and cranny of the castle, or rush to the end? *Latest updates are available: Clean Cut & The End is Near* RETURN TO CASTLEVANIA DLC Time for some vampire slaying • New storyline - overcome the Ruler of Darkness alongside Alucard and Richter Belmont, • 2 new biomes - Explore Dracula's Castle and its outskirts • 9 new monsters - Werewolves, haunted armors, and medusas are waiting for you • 14 new weapons - wield the Vampire Killer or the Holy Water to defeat creatures of the night, • 3 new bosses - go fangs to fangs against Death and Dracula himself • 20 new outfits - dress as your favorite Castlevania characters such as Simon and Richter Belmont or Alucard • Alternative soundtracks - play along 51 Castlevania original tracks and 12 tunes reimagined in the style of Dead Cells THE BAD SEED DLC You reap what you sow • New levels to lose your head in the not-so-peaceful Dilapidated Arboretum and the noxious Morass of the Banished • New monsters to rip to pieces: get to know the locals, such as the Jerkshroom and the Yeeter • New weapons to play with: trim sticking-out heads with the Scythe Claw, or make them dance to the sound of the Rhythm n' Bouzouki • New boss to fight against: Mama Tick is dying to meet you FATAL FALLS DLC Ready for a leap of faith? • 3 new biomes - Get some fresh air at the Fractured Shrines, splash around at the Undying Shores and take a picture at the Mausoleum • 8 new monsters - The Cold Blooded Guardians and their friends would love to teach you about their culture. ... Wait, aren't those relatives of yours in the Undying Shores...? • 7 new weapons - Lil' Serenade is perfect for breaking the ice with the locals, although the Snake Fangs would make for a perfect souvenir... • 1 new boss - The Scarecrow is very proud of his gardening skills and won't hesitate to show off QUEEN AND THE SEA DLC Take it to the sea! • 2 new biomes - Battle your way through a rotten shipwreck, or scale a burning lighthouse and confront your deadliest foe yet. • 9 new weapons, including a throwable shark, a trident and a pirate hook hand (eyepatch not included). • 2 new bosses - Don't lose your head before you meet the Queen! This DLC also gives you the usual extras: - A not-so-cute pet. - Loads of new outfits. - New enemies to bash. WARNING: Devices with less than 2 Gb of RAM may not be able to run this content correctly. We recommend not to take this DLC if your device is under 2gb of RAM. Carefully redesigned for mobile with a revamped interface • Two game modes available: Original & Auto-Hit • Custom controls & More touch controls options available: Change the buttons’ position and size to your liking, swipe to dodge… • MFi external controller support • No ads, no F2P mechanics! If you run into a problem, please contact us at support@playdigious.mail.helpshift.com with as much information as possible on the issue.

About

Blasphemous

Embark on a brutal action-platformer adventure in a dark, gothic world. Wield a blade forged from guilt, master hack and slash combat, and explore a cursed land filled with monstrous enemies and challenging bosses. This version includes all released DLCs for the complete experience.

Highlights
  • Explore a non-linear world
  • Brutal action combat
  • Savage executions and gore
  • Customizable character builds
  • Intense boss battles
  • Unlock mysteries and lore
  • All DLCs included
Read full description

Fight. Endure. Break eternal damnation. Blasphemous is an award-winning 2D indie action platformer with soulslike elements, offering brutal hack and slash combat and deep exploration across a dark, gothic world steeped in penance and suffering. Set in the cursed land of Cvstodia, ravaged by a twisted curse known only as The Miracle, you play as The Penitent One, the last survivor of the Brotherhood of the Silent Sorrow, bound to a cycle of death and rebirth. Face monstrous enemies, navigate deadly traps, and uncover hidden secrets in pixel perfect handcrafted levels. As you fight for redemption, you'll explore desolate cathedrals, forsaken wastelands, and blood-soaked dungeons, encountering grotesque monsters, merciless bosses and tormented souls along the way. Penance Never Ends. MAIN FEATURES - Explore a Non-Linear World: Venture through diverse platformer environments filled with fearsome enemies and deadly traps. Seek redemption across the dark gothic landscapes of Cvstodia. - Brutal Action Combat: Wield Mea Culpa, a blade forged from guilt itself. Unleash devastating combos and skills, and hack and slash your way through hordes of twisted monsters. - Executions & gore: Deliver savage executions with pixel perfect animations that celebrate brutal combat and grotesque detail. - Customise Your Build: Equip powerful Relics, Rosary Beads, Prayers, and Sword Hearts to shape your playstyle. Experiment with builds and unlock new progression paths to survive the impossible. - Intense boss Battles: Face off against colossal bosses and deadly mini-bosses. Learn their patterns, endure their fury, and crush them. - Unlock the Mysteries of Cvstodia: Meet a cast of tortured NPCs. Some will help, others will test your resolve. Unravel their stories and shape your fate in blood, guilt and damnation. ALL DLCs INCLUDED This mobile version includes all free DLCs ever released for Blasphemous, expanding the core game with new content, features, and challenges: - The Stir of Dawn – Unlock New Game+, encounter new bosses and enemies, and dive deeper into the lore. - Strife & Ruin – Brave the brutal Boss Rush mode and embark on a crossover quest with Miriam from Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. - Wounds of Eventide – Witness the conclusion of The Penitent One’s first journey and unlock an ending that connects directly to Blasphemous 2. THE FULL BLASPHEMOUS EXPERIENCE – NOW ON MOBILE - Includes every feature and content update from the original PC and console versions. Switch between precise touch controls or full controller support (gamepad compatible) for a seamless experience. - No ads, no microtransactions. MATURE CONTENT DESCRIPTION This Game may contain content not appropriate for all ages, or may not be appropriate for viewing at work: Some Nudity or Sexual Content, Frequent Violence or Gore, General Mature Content.

Screenshots

Dead Cells4 screens
Blasphemous4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Blasphemous at none against Dead Cells's 4. Blasphemous also leads on price ($7.99 vs $8.99). Dead Cells's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (12K vs 243). On update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Dead Cells costs $8.99 and Blasphemous $7.99 up front. Dead Cells sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Blasphemous asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dead Cells holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dead Cells has 12K ratings behind it against 243, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Dead Cells's written reviews are positive against 72% of Blasphemous's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dead Cells ships an update every 5 weeks, Blasphemous monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Dead Cells versus Blasphemous: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDead CellsBlasphemous
Price$8.99$7.99 — better
Rating4.8 (12K ratings) — better4.4 (243 ratings)
Positive reviews88.5% of reviews — better71.9% of reviews
Number of ratings12K — better243
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#6 — better#33
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.8 GB921 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperPlaydigiousThe Game Kitchen Games

Customer experience

Dead Cells

All ratings12,164 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral1.5%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews1,780 reviews
Positive88.5%
Neutral3.6%
Negative7.9%

Blasphemous

All ratings243 ratings
Positive85.6%
Neutral4.9%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews498 reviews
Positive71.9%
Neutral9.6%
Negative18.5%

User reviews

Dead Cells

From 12K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Excellent controls
  • 💎 High-quality graphics
  • 🎮 Great controller support
  • 🔥 Addictive and challenging

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Audio glitches and bugs
  • 🤔 Lack of custom mode
  • 📱 Finicky touch controls
  • 🔇 No background music support

Blasphemous

From 243 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Excellent art style
  • 💎 Challenging but rewarding
  • 🎮 Great on controllers
  • 🔝 Faithful port of console version

Room to improve

  • 🔧 Needs more customizable controls
  • 📱 Suboptimal touch controls
  • 🖼️ Blurry/low-resolution visuals
  • 🔌 Requires online connection
  • 📺 Lacks iPad optimization

Bugs and requests

Dead Cells

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Saves not compatible across platforms
  • Texture and graphical issues on some devices
  • Persistent memory leaks causing performance drops

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add Chinese language support
  • Implement cross-save functionality
  • Introduce online multiplayer mode
  • Optimize for older devices

Blasphemous

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Glitches with certain enemies and abilities
  • Game freezing when accessing controller settings
  • Blurry/unreadable text in certain languages

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to resize and reposition on-screen buttons
  • Support for offline play
  • Full iPad optimization and native UI
  • Haptic feedback for touch controls
  • Synced saves across devices

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Dead Cells

One-time4
  • The Bad Seed$3.99
  • Fatal Falls$3.99
  • The Queen and the Sea$3.99
Show 1 more
  • Return to Castlevania$6.99
None

Blasphemous

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dead Cells free?
Dead Cells costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Blasphemous free?
Blasphemous costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dead Cells or Blasphemous?
Dead Cells is rated higher. Dead Cells averages 4.8 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while Blasphemous averages 4.4 from 243 ratings.
Do Dead Cells or Blasphemous have ads?
Neither Dead Cells nor Blasphemous shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dead Cells or Blasphemous?
Dead Cells ships an update every 5 weeks, and Blasphemous monthly. Most recently, Dead Cells was updated on September 24, 2026 and Blasphemous on September 22, 2026.
Which is more popular, Dead Cells or Blasphemous?
Dead Cells currently peaks at #6 in the App Store charts, and Blasphemous at #33. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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