Pixels and Pints: Dead Cells

A few years ago I was working at a bar that had an event which boasted to pair films with wine. Watch a film, have some wine that is from where the film is set roughly. I guess it made the wine more… filmic? And naturally it made whatever film was playing more enjoyable. They sorted out the wine and served it in the auditorium, which meant the minimum work I did for the minimum wage was sheared down even further, replaced with more worthwhile things like googling ‘Danny Huston no shirt’. The lack of actual work on those evenings did plant a small seed of cynicism towards the event- ‘the only thing wine can be paired with is food!’ I would say to myself, not realising that’s an idiot thought for babies. I then, unfortunately, moved past apathetic bartending, got into craft beer and became exactly the kind of wanker you picture when you hear the term. I’m in real deep. My liver looks like a pasty.

I work in a brewery and most years we put out two festive beers every winter- a cold conditioned porter with coffee beans, and a dry-hopped Belgian strong ale. While both pair well with whatever reheated Tupperware fodder you’re enjoying on your break, they pair even better with a concept, a thought, an idea: Christmas. I don’t know whether it’s Pavlovian or simply because they taste Christmassy, but a pint or two of either and I’m ready to begrudgingly tap along to whatever sleigh bell-infused shite the bright young things are playing on the work radio.

If a beer can be paired with the idea of Christmas, then it’s not a stretch to think that a beer can be paired with a video game, right? Please don’t write this idea off- I drink a lot of different beers, and am planning to make this into a series. We’re starting off today with a fairly new style of beer, the Philly Sour, and a modern classic: Dead Cells.

The similarities really are remarkable, and while this isn’t particularly indicative of what’s in the bottle itself, let’s start with the label. Colourful, messy splatters in almost the exact same colour palette as the game’s many biomes, and reminiscent of the starting room- splashes of blood, that weird green thing latching itself onto the nearest headless corpse. For all it’s dark themes and settings, Dead Cells is a wonderfully vibrant game, both to play and to look at.

Something really cool about the Philly Sour is what gives it its sourness- usually lactobacillus is allowed to produce lactic acid in the wort before it’s boiled to give that sour tang. In Philly Sours it’s the yeast that produces the acid! It gets better though, and more congruent with the game we’re pairing it with: the yeast was discovered and cultivated from a single tree in a cemetery in Philadelphia. Isn’t that crazy?! It’s a nice parallel with the creeping malaise that spreads and infects the world of Dead Cells, but has the advantage of not turning you into a corrupted, hulking beast.

Dead Cells sparkles. It absolutely crackles with a beauty that belies its pixelated form. From the cold, muted walls of the Prisoner’s Quarters to the gorgeous, smouldering Ossuary, every new stage is just marvellous to behold, a new layer of a deep and foreboding mystery that, while punishing, is immensely rewarding. It’s a game that forces you to persevere, making what seems like minuscule progress each run. Every new level, every new little bite of lore you come across becomes all the more exciting for what you’ve had to endure to get there, and leaves you hungry for the next big discovery, whether that be a new unlock, or finally veering into some of the more challenging DLC levels.

Pouring the Philly Sour, we can immediately see a playful, slightly rocky head and a lovely blush rose colour. The addition of sour cherry and pomegranate gives a pinkish hue and at once accentuates and dials back the sourness, without letting the beer become overly fruity. It’s a delicious sour through and through, with the fruit almost becoming a built-in dessert. It’s got an exciting sharpness to it, and layers of complexity slowly unfold as you slowly progress to the bottom of the glass.

Smash them together like that rat from the movie and you can see the similarities between the two, and how they complement each other- I highly doubt Dead Cells inspired this beer, but their common ground can enrich not only your understanding of them both, but your appreciation as well.

At first, if you’re not familiar with sour beers, they can be quite daunting- the unfamiliar prickle can often overwhelm what you might consider a ‘normal’ beer flavour, but they do end up being immensely rewarding once you become acclimated to them. At first, if you’re not familiar with Dead Cells, it can be quite daunting- the precise combat can often overwhelm you if you’re used to the more forgiving Metroidvania games, but it does end up being immensely rewarding once you become acclimated to it.

Beer is a wonderful drink- to a glass it is goodly, wholesome and nourishing. More than that, each glass is completely unique, with infinite potential for pairings across all manner of foodstuffs, settings and disciplines (except shit like driving or operating a chainsaw, unless you’re drinking AF stuff). I hope you’ll continue to journey with me as I turn two of my favourite things into some dumb articles every now and then.