Dead Cells is a gameplay-first roguelike that keeps narrative elements light and atmospheric. There is almost no emphasis on the protagonist’s identity, and the story avoids making identity politics a focal point. Characters are mostly generic monsters or mysterious figures, with little room for even potential forced representation. This game puts its mechanics and challenge above any ideological messaging, resulting in almost no narrative compromise for ideology.

There are no meaningful attacks on religion, family, or tradition here; in fact, such themes are barely acknowledged, much less subverted. Everything is kept mysterious and abstract, there’s hardly a character arc, let alone commentary on masculinity, gender roles, or morality. Dead Cells feels more like old-school action than any product of the modern culture wars.

Dead Cells doesn’t push any ideological monoculture, because it doesn’t push any overt ideology at all. Its world is hostile, cynical, and quirky, with very little dialogue and no real signposting of modern moral assumptions. While the bleak world could be seen as nihilistic, it’s more classic dark fantasy than some social messaging machine.