Romeo Is a Dead Man Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, & PC)

Goichi Suda (Suda51) himself struggling to explain what exactly Romeo Is a Dead Man is about is itself a good thing. It means yet another one hell of a mind-boggling adventure from this “gonzo” game designer and writer. If Killer7, No More Heroes, Killer Is Dead, and more Suda51 games are anything to go by, then it means an absolutely bonkers time, with over-the-top action unafraid to be dark, violent, and different in all the unhinged ways possible. 

And the trailer itself proves as much, with a story whose details are hair-twisting as you’d expect, and the visual style and gameplay are sweet, sweet mental. This isn’t your average game. Nothing that colors within the lines of watered-down graphics and gameplay styles. Suda51 is, at this point, one daring outlier, whose games push back on the norm and challenge the status quo. And whether you’re a fan or not, you can’t deny the significance of untethered creativity and experimentation in pushing gaming forward.

But where previous Suda51 games have left an impact on gaming, I wonder if Romeo Is a Dead Man achieves the same. Does its bold chaos and heart-pounding drama leave a lasting impression beyond the game itself? Does it only tingle the senses during your playthrough, or is it a complete waste of time? Let’s debunker these and more in our Romeo Is a Dead Man review.

For the Love of Chaos

One thing I realized about myself is that I’m a sucker for drama and chaos. The more bonkers the story, the more I’m hooked. Whether in films, games, or (sometimes) even in real life. And the truth is, the most fascinating stories don’t always make sense. They have random, surprising twists and turns. The characters aren’t one-dimensional. Neither is the story arc itself, often leaping out of bounds of its core themes. That’s perhaps Suda 51’s greatest strength: his ability to weave in lots of puzzling story elements and characters that make some sense, but mostly are a bunch of chaos.

Okay, so the main character is the titular Romeo, a deputy Sheriff. He earns his “Dead Man” moniker after a near-death experience where he loses his arm and gets his face botched. His crazy, time-traveling grandfather comes through with a fancy-looking helmet that sustains what little life is left of him. A little of RoboCop cyborg tech here, which leads Romeo/Dead Man to be recruited into the FBI space-time unit. His new job? Hunt down anomalies across time and space, including alternate versions of his girlfriend Juliet.

Make It Make Sense

Suda51 does this. Poking at pop culture references and other media. Whether through dark humor or surrealism, he explores themes of crime and unconventional ideas. To be honest, some are interesting perspectives. But breaking them apart could leave you with a sore headache. This is the mind of Suda51, which isn’t always easy to align with. And so, fans of his work might simply advise you to have fun with it. And you damn sure should follow their advice. When stuff doesn’t make sense to you, it might make sense to someone else who’s more familiar with the source material referenced. Or it might simply be complete and utter nonsense thrown in the story for fun or whatever.

By the end of the story, I didn’t hate it. I didn’t fall head over heels in love with it either. But, I sure did enjoy myself, in short bursts, other times laughing out loud. “Previously on…” the story goes, as you go back in time to kill a nasty version of your girlfriend. And you realize that this Romeo and Juliet relationship might just be the most unhealthy entanglement you’ve been roped into. Remember your grandfather who saved you? Well, he died. But his spirit lives on as a cartoon slapped onto the back of your jacket. And there’s just so much that you’ll find is bonkers. But definitely a good time in the end.

Beauty All Around

A huge reason for smiling through it all is the art style (or several). Romeo Is a Dead Man feels like a jumbled mess of story and gameplay ideas. And it works surprisingly well. The visuals, for one, are so much fun to watch, alongside a bomb soundtrack and sound effects. Animated cutscenes keep the momentum going. But in another instance, comic book-style storytelling takes over. And another 2D sprites with textboxes. In between missions, you’ll go to your spaceship to upgrade your gear, play minigames, and even cook sweet delicacies with your mum. There’ll be eccentric NPCs to talk to, but it’s all in a top-down 32-bit PS2 era visual style that just warms the nostalgic soul.

And then it hits you that Romeo Is a Dead Man actually has lots of content to offer. There’s a Pac-Man-like maze game called DeadGear Cannonball that rewards you with stat boosts. But you can also collect seeds from enemies and grow them at the spaceship to breed zombies or “Bastards.” These are the main enemies you fight during your missions in hordes. Different Bastards have different skills and abilities. But you can also fuse them to get more variations. Wide-ranging, from freezing enemies to boosting your health and shooting lightning bolts, mid-combat.

Hack and Slash Undead Bastards

Combat is the main active gameplay element. It’s mostly hacking and slashing at hordes of zombies. Wielding your lightsaber, you’ll easily tear through multiple enemies in constricted rooms and hallways. The particle effects are glorious, splashing the screen with bursts of color. Light attacks are swift, while heavier attacks inflict more damage. While attacking enemies, the screen fills up with blood, too, which, beyond visual gore, fill up your “Ultimate” attacks meter. Once full, you unleash more powerful attacks that fill the screen with blinding fireworks. Take away all of the visual and sound action on-screen, and the combat might be left bare with simple hacking and slashing. Nonetheless, it still feels hella fun to mow down enemies through the levels.

When you switch up melee weapons for a ranged gun is when the combat picks up pace a bit. Shooting bullets at enemy weak spots fuels the action, especially when dealing with bosses. And the fact that the weak spots are often tucked away behind them or on an annoyingly agile limb. Speaking of bosses, Romeo Is a Dead Man has some pretty disgusting designs. Some deranged combination of sci-fi, fantasy, and the stomach-turning grotesque. And I absolutely love it, especially because they do put up a fight. Fortunately so, because regular enemies quickly get tedious, with their repetitive fights. But bosses, though, those need mastery of skills and anticipation of attack patterns to beat, at times, after a couple of hours.

Into the Subspace

It’s a shame that the level design is quite bland. And it’s especially noticeable when the screen isn’t overrun by zombies and particle effects. Even when you’re transitioning from an abandoned asylum to a shopping mall, environmental variety or even interactivity doesn’t change much. There’s a dungeon section, too, but hardly interesting enough to keep going back to. Otherwise, you’re moving through hallways, slaying hordes of zombies, and in between levels, jumping to the subspace. This is some kind of twisted reality that should have been the place to really go overboard with psychedelic interpretations of a distorted reality. 

The idea of Romeo and Juliet communicating through dreams and nightmares is already featured in Romeo Is a Dead Man. A visual representation through the subspace would have brought the idea home. But as of now, it remains a bland space to run around in, looking for keys to unlock more areas to explore. Some light puzzles here and there. Nothing head-scratching. And lastly, you may run into some technical issues, but nothing too distracting from pushing through to the end.

Verdict

I can’t say I’m mad at Romeo Is a Dead Man’s complete package. In fact, it does what I wish other games would do: try something different. Experiment. Even if it backfires, at least stick to the crazy ideas that make your soul burn. And Suda51 is among the few game designers and writers sticking to his guns. Even when his audience is small, you can’t deny the need to push gaming to its limits. 

Unfortunately, Romeo Is a Dead Man hasn’t been Suda51’s best work. It does have the chaos and violence that punctuate his work, and that fans love. And it constantly surprises you with its bold design choices and fun combat system. But there are issues with the level design, often uninteresting. As there are with the combat system, which could have included more strategy and depth. 

I suppose some may take issue with the story’s lack of direction. It can leave you clueless about what’s going on at a point. But it’s hardly Romeo Is a Dead Man’s weakest pillar. Skipping out on this one may not be such a bad idea, but only if you’re certain you won’t regret playing through one of the few games that actually dare to be different.