Rogue-likes are all similar, but all distinctly different. The game that springs to my mind most when playing it is Rogue Legacy, the first real rogue-like I played, not just because you're an endlessly respawning hero traversing castle-like environments slaughtering untold numbers of monsters while collecting loot, but because of the feel of the game. Dead Cells feels really good to play.
Every aspect of the controls is tuned to perfection. The jump feels great. The double jump feels great. The dodge roll feels great. Slashing enemies or unloading a shotgun style crossbow at short range or using the Sub-Zero-esque ice blast on them feels great. It's a game for people who like games that control well. More than any other part of the game, that's what keeps bringing me back to it over and over again.
Not to say anything else in the game isn't well made. The backgrounds you traverse have a stunning amount of subtle detail in them, which is good since you'll see the opening prison level about 5,000 times. The enemies have come a long way since their early access beginnings and have a strange character to each one. They all feel like they belong in the universe together, yet are distinct enough to be recognized in a heartbeat. The music is haunting, as befits an island where literally everyone is either dead or transformed into a hideous monster.
There's also a huge number of unlocks to be found in and around the levels. The opening level has an array of glass jars where everything you've unlocked is displayed, basically a showcase of the things you might randomly encounter as you traverse the levels. I've played my save for nearly 80 hours at this point and I still haven't found everything. This is probably because I've mined the early levels for all they've got and now have to focus on getting to the later levels more consistently, but it's still nice to know there's jars to fill up. The items themselves are breathtaking in their diversity. There's the obvious things you'd expect in a side scrolling brawler (swords, bows, spears, shields, whips, etc.) but then you get into things like the torch, a constantly burning stick that can set things on fire with every swipe, or the shovel (a clear nod to shovel knight), or Hayabusa boots that turn you into a bicycle kicking kung fu master.
I've made it to what I think is the end boss of the game twice now, and he's destroyed me every time. This isn't a failing of the game's difficulty curve or it not giving me the resources to be strong enough to do it. I'm simply not good enough at fighting him yet. This has been the case with every previous boss in the game as well; They will destroy you first time out. Regardless of your setup, your level, or how good you think you are, the bosses need to be learned before they can be beaten. Once you have the knowledge and the skill to execute, then you'll breeze past them on each run. It just takes time.
Dead Cells is a truly great game and worth your time and money. I'll probably pick up a second copy for my Switch at some point (I have some travel coming up later this year), but not before I at least beat it once on my PC save.