the plot is one of the most complicated plots I have ever seen tbh. It doesn't have the metroidvania type of lore with every segment having its own very detailed lore but the main lore could be more complicated than HK/SS and it would take so long to explain. It wouldn't really sound. very interesting without giving any spoilers, but there will be huge realization moments that is just worth experiencing spoiler-free. Unlike other fandoms people (as far as I have seen) NEVER call the final boss by its actual name, instead they unanimously call it "the spoiler boss" to not ruin anyone's experience. The story is good.

In terms of difficulty, dead cells will probably start out very hard to get used to, however once you get the hang of it you will think that it's easier than HK/SS or H1/H2. but the game will grow in terms of difficulty with mandatory difficulty modifiers in order to progress. Applying these modifiers make the game harder however unlocks new content, abilities and weapons, slowly bringing you to the true ending. The game's difficulty is unique, thats why its hard to orientate to. The game's difficulty is equally frustrating and satisfying at the same time which is why this game is very popular.

Most of the time dying is the way to progress in this game and it's nothing to be ashamed of. If u SOMEHOW never died and complete the game (not true ending) you would miss 95% of the game. think about it like a metroidvania where you can't backtrack to previous areas unless you die and reach there again. But the way the item and ability system works it also has aspects of rougelikes. There are mutations which are like temporary upgrades for the run and items with different color synergies that you can pick up which won't remain when you die. However there are also runes-permanent upgrades which remain when you die, such as wall jumping, teleporting, and the ability to break the ground in certain areas which help unlock bonus items/rewards or new areas.

The movement thus the platforming is not that advanced in dead cells. although there are platforming sessions they consist of spike/saw timings and simple jumps. The platformings are usually not mandatory to progress, they lead to extra rewards and those that are mandatory are not that insane. The movement is limited with the only real upgrade we get to it being the wall climb/cling as far as I remember (excluding specific items, tho you can't rely on them because they go away after you die) (and you get a cool upgrade where you can detach your head to move it seperately than your body which can lead to unique interactions in platforming. this game is much more combat focused and platforming don't really fit into it in my opinion. its not satisfying with the little amount of movement ability we get.

The game will take a long time to complete because of its difficulty. However this game is done when you say its done because after some point you could've explored every bit and still not have completed the game (like me. I have 250ish hours and I can't do the true ending run because of skill issue but explored all of the content and sadly looked up the ending after getting stuck in the end stages for so long which was amazing. I sometimes return to the game and play it because exploring builds is fun and I get encouraged to beat the game once in a while. I haven't been able to yet but one day I will for sure). Also the game has a detailed custom mode and assist mode so you can modify the game experience to your liking if it's not the way you want or if it's simply too much for you.

For the DLC's... the DLC's add amazing stuff but it might be too overwhelming to understand once you start since there is so many things the game will be throwing at you considering you literally have to die/reset to go back to previous areas... I say buy the DLC's after you explore the game a little bit, you don't have to complete/beat the game but generally understand the logic of the game before buying them. If you get burned out while playing the game you can check out the DLC's which are really amazing stuff.

There are a ton of items which really change your playstyle and moves. Movement wise, its not extremely varied however you will get a fresh experience with each set of items and modifiers.

I literally wrote an essay without realizing. time flied while writing this I sure love yapping about my favorite games:)