Romeo is a dead man is Suda51's game, top to bottom. I don't mean to say Romeo is a dead man it's like any other Suda game – on the contrary, it's completely unique despite its obvious similarities Lollipop Chainsaw and No more heroes. But it still has the spirit of Suda51, which means it's expressive, bombastic, surprising, and doesn't seem to care if you like it or not.
You play as the titular Romeo, a lovelorn cop turned intergalactic agent. He is in love with Juliet, a space-time criminal encased in the trappings of various other enhanced beings throughout the Fragment Universe, a smattering of pocket dimensions created after a unique event in the fictional town of Deadford, Pennsylvania, during which Romeo was nearly killed and subsequently revived as Deadman. His genius, Rick Sanchez's code grandfather, Benjamin Stargazer, elevated him to a superhuman level and lives in a 2D image on the back of his grandson's jacket, serving as a sort of assistant-mentor.
If that description doesn't make much sense to you, then you're basically in for a treat Romeo is a dead man experience. It's a psychedelic ride through the space-time continuum, peppered with colorful and bizarre characters that only Goichi Suda could conjure up, and while I won't be surprised if not everyone likes it, I certainly will.
Romeo is a dead man is a damn good time
There are plenty of games, good and bad, that are, as they say, designed by committee. They are clean and polished – no rough edges to be seen. The story and gameplay are rigorously tested and refined to appeal to as many people as possible, and every feature and system works in harmony with each other like a complex clockwork. This is not how Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture make games and Romeo is a dead man is proof of that.
RomeoGameplay can be divided into two main pillars: combat and environmental puzzles. The first pillar is simple and straightforward (Benjamin Stargazer literally tells Romeo not to think too much during the first combat tutorial), consisting of a mix of melee and ranged options. Romeo has four weapons in each category, all of which can be upgraded throughout the game, but only in an obvious stat-based way. For the most part, it's combos and techniques that you learn Romeo the first few hours will lead you to the end credits.
But that doesn't mean the fight isn't fun. Actually, Romeo is a dead man can be a breath of fresh air for anyone longing for the PS3's era of hack-and-slash gaming, which was often focused on making players feel powerful, not weak or disadvantaged like many modern action titles. i played Romeo on the hardest difficulty available the first time I played, and I found that this sense of power didn't completely trivialize enemy encounters: the combination of a decent variety of enemies and an aggressive enemy AI made for a mixed game experience Dark soulsmodern God of Warand even a splash Resident Evil– the winning combination, if there ever was one. RomeoThe combat is simple, but it doesn't suffer much.
Worth noting RomeoBosses: while there aren't many, they're almost all visually interesting and mechanically convincing, making them fun to fight, even multiple times.
Romeo is an unpolished man
I wish I could offer the same praise RomeoAnother mainstay of the game is its environmental puzzles. These puzzles are generally relegated to subspace, a sort of alternate dimension made of moving nondescript blocks. Navigating these areas can be a bit of a headache due to their lack of distinguishing features and because moving in and out of subspace, which you have to do often, is a loading screen experience; it is not a smooth transition as seen in similar ones Alan Wake 2 and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.
There are parts Romeo's gameplay formula that feels rushed and incomplete. For example, you can completely break the game's progression loop after unlocking a certain minigame that can be played indefinitely and provides a significant amount of resources to upgrade in a short amount of time, making traditional progression trivial. You unlock this minigame very early in the story. There's also a farming minigame that's pretty important for continued progression and building experimentation, but the process of harvesting, planting, and “fusing” (AKA crossbreeding) is incredibly slow and laborious. Basically, imagine Stardew Valleybut you have to watch a 10-15 second cutscene every time you harvest a plant and you'll have a good idea of what Romeo is a dead manThe farming minigame is similar.
That's all to say Romeo is dead Man it's loaded with stuff, but that stuff is often clumsily implemented or tacked on. Even the supporting cast, Romeo's colleagues in the Space-Time Police, feel disconnected from the core of the game and the narrative, despite having colorful personalities, compelling character designs, and well-defined roles on the team. These supporting characters, like RomeoThe various minigames seem to be forgotten at many points, so I often forgot about them as well.
Romeo is a dead man more than the sum of his parts
Like Suda51's other work, Romeo is a dead man he succeeds thanks to his unbridled creativity and flair. The game takes you through simple combat gauntlets that can transition into Lynchian cutscenes in a variety of art styles that can transition into surprisingly effective horror sections. On paper, there is a lot to defend against Romeo is a dead manbut Romeo is a dead man is not a work that can be captured on paper. It's a strange, delirious video game dream and must be experienced to be understood.
This is why despite my frustration RomeoIt's often disjointed and clunky mechanics, confusing narrative design, and minor gripes like the occasional amateur mixing and audio editing, I just can't help but like it. It is rare to see a play, or any work of contemporary art, born of pure, concentrated creative energy, rather than the dictates of the market or some other presiding entity. Romeo is a dead man is like Suda51's brain explosion, an unfortunate and irreverent vision beamed directly into our minds by Grasshopper Manufacture. There's no stuffy, responsible trade committee in the world to approve this game, which is exactly what makes it worth it.
- Released
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February 11, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Intense violence, Blood and gore, Obscene themes, Drug use, Strong language
- Fun, simple combat
- Great music and atmosphere
- Unpredictable gameplay and backdrops
- Charming, goofy characters and writing
- Systems, features and mini-games
- Frustrated environmental puzzles
- A general lack of polish, especially in cutscenes
Romeo is a dead man releases February 11, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Game Rant was provided with a Steam code for the purpose of this review.
