I also didn't like Dead Cells too much, but I wanted to. In my case, the biggest issue might just be that I'm not good at games™--that game is pretty hard, imo. I think I tend to like roguelikes generally, and I think your critique here is valid. I wonder if you've tried something like Darkest Dungeon 2? It's not mechanically similar to Hades or Dead Cells, but does have a run-based permanent and story progression aspect that you might appreciate. I guess one could say the same about the recently released (in early access) Slay the Spire 2, though I would argue Darkest Dungeon 2 makes the progression aspect feel more core to the game.
I also didn't like Dead Cells too much, but I wanted to. In my case, the biggest issue might just be that I'm not good at games™--that game is pretty hard, imo. I think I tend to like roguelikes generally, and I think your critique here is valid. I wonder if you've tried something like Darkest Dungeon 2? It's not mechanically similar to Hades or Dead Cells, but does have a run-based permanent and story progression aspect that you might appreciate. I guess one could say the same about the recently released (in early access) Slay the Spire 2, though I would argue Darkest Dungeon 2 makes the progression aspect feel more core to the game.