Overview

Romeo is a Deadman is a eclectic experience that is continuously breaking conventions in a way that almost feels jarring, especially given the level of resistance to those said norms is an absolute show of force that either sets Romeo is a Deadman apart for you, or the straw that breaks the camels back. It's eccentric nature is one that feels almost amateurish upon first inspection, but meticulous and fine-tuned on a deeper second look. It is unapologetically a Suda 51 experience, and one that feels made for those who enjoy that style of game.

It's unrestrained and made to tick in a peculiar way works for me, whilst broadly understanding that it may not tick for everyone, and that is absolutely fine. Because polarizing games that aren't made for everyone are games that create a special place for someone. But as a reviewer it posits an interesting question as to how I base the big question of "do you recommend this game?" Because in a lot of ways Romeo is a Deadman feels messy, unfocused and overall so bombastic with the break neck speeds it moves at that I wouldn't blame one for zoning out. It's a game that I equal parts love as much as I hate, and yet I can't stop thinking about it. The more I played it, the more this script evolved, and with it my thoughts and how I processed and reflected on this experience.

Coming from the world of No More Heroes to Romeo is a Deadman feels like a huge leap in terms of its bombastic opaque writing that can be charming and endearing, but combat that feels one-note, levels that feel archaic and controls that can at times feel unresponsive. It is a chaotic mess that feels like every time there is a semblance of a flow-state it immediately throws you out.

Despite all of these glaring issues, there is something here for someone, someone wanting the eccentric, unapologetic energy of these games that were prominent in the late 2000's and early 2010's. I feel like this game has really given me perspective as a reviewer, a lot of the times we have a rubric and a set of standards to things that define what makes something good to us as we enjoy it. Romeo is a Deadman is an experience that has seen the script for this video go through the motions as each iteration has added a new frustration, a new insight, and a new aspect that I think provides a wealth of soul and personality to the experience.

Romeo is a Deadman is a game that has a myriad of obvious issues that are antithetical to what feels like a blueprint of what makes a good game on paper. But that very friction defines and shapes it into something unique and distinguished amongst the others. Romeo is a Dead Man is made for that type of person specifically, and at a point in time in this scripts iterations and revisions, I could have confidently told you that person, wasn't me. But Romeo is a Deadman found a way to sink itself into my mind, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since.

Story

Romeo is a Deadman is the latest from Goichi Suda also known under the moniker Suda51 as a writer and producer, and was directed Ren Yamazaki. The story follows Romeo Stargazer who one one faithful night winds getting attacked by a weird interdimensional creature and is revived by his Doc Brown inspired grandfather that leaves Romeo in a half-dead state, rendering him a Deadman. Romeo, I mean Deadman joins a galactic FBI force, closing dimensional tears created by Romeo's grandfather and defeating evil creatures that take rise to create these specific tears. Romeo's main objective is to find his lover Juliet who is also a person of interest related to these tears that are unfolding, and weirdly that is the starting point for a lot more of what is to come.

The story for Romeo is a Deadman has its charm and there is definitely some appeal to its break-neck storytelling that jumps and shifts all over the place. There are many different mechanisms and devices that are used to tell the story as well, you have cutscenes, there are text-conversations on the ship, there are comic style panels that feel like something out of Max Payne for some scenes, and a lot of different shifts and jumps. The game deliberately withholds clarity, forcing interpretation rather than comprehension. But if you're looking for something more akin to No More Heroes I feel that Romeo is a Dead Man, feels a bit more messy and intentionally paced and structured in a manner to spur confusion, which for those unfamiliar with this studio and their methods of storytelling, may put people off.

There is an abundance of references that correspond to video games, movies, anime and comicbooks. From Deadman feeling like a stand-in for Ultraman, things like detecting new areas on the spaceship through a pong-like mini-game, levelling up through an arcade machine that resembles Pacman, and a mini-farming simulator game that feels like Pokemon-like in its monster tamer nature, with fusion mechanics that resemble an SMT game a little. Not to mention forth-wall breaks and more on the nose references back to the future / Rick and Morty with the relationship that Romeo and his grandfather Ben share. Then there is the obvious references to Shakespeare with Romeo and Juliet, being a major influence on the characters name and roles, along with the different sort of plot points that unfold.

Romeo's Path often collides with a mysterious woman to who may be the love of his life of the most evil villain of all time. So Suda mentioned that this was a source of influence for him, but given the fact that the Japanese translation of Romeo and Juliet was as Suda described to Edge "really old and crusty feeling", a lot of his influence then turned to the 1996 Baz Luhrmann film. Suda expressed that "I felt it would at least give me enough base knowledge for what I need for the story".

For me, I felt intrigued to see how all these different threads collide and weaved together, and overall I still have questions if I'm being honest. I think this intrigue was what kept me interested in the narrative. Initially I felt disappointed thinking to myself, characters really did feel one-note in nature and the story feels like it goes to a lot of crazy places. But much like its gameplay, it's narrative doesn't follow conventions. There was a moment of realization, I started to enjoy the ride, the more I took the story for what it was, the characters and their archetypes and roles for what they were and let it all play out. I think that Romeo is a Deadman is very much an orthodox narrative, that positions itself as a game with an artistic vision littered with references and metaphors, and a narrative that plays second fiddle, and weirdly it works, if you're looking for that kind of thing.

Gameplay

Combat

Grasshopper and Suda both live by a motto "Punk's not dead". This notion is essential and it carries a lot of weight in the context of the gameplay for Romeo is a Deadman. It helped me to better understand the roughness and almost amateurish like approaches in areas, that are the double-edged sword that makes Romeo is a Deadman such a frustrating to play, but also unique experience that is in a lane of their own. Despite all of my criticisms I had with this game, I can confidently say that I haven't played anything like it.

Now to the gameplay itself which was initially the weakest component of the overall package, for me. It is a gameplay loop that has all the trappings of something that looks solid. There is a plethora of weapons both melee and ranged, there are companions you can summon called Basterds, who all have unique abilities and a special attack that can also heal you. It has moments where you can see glimmers of these different weapons and systems shining, but it feels like it hollows out the more that you play the game. Grasshopper's games are generally known for having some level of jank and it is an aspect that tends to add to the rough around the edges charm, that makes their games appealing. But I do feel like Romeo is a Deadman's combat does fall victim to janky combat, basic controls and overall messy encounters that feel like multiple different systems clashing head-on at once, rather than neatly weaving together into one symbiotic loop. Even simple tasks like switching weapons are nested in a sub-menu and feel clunky to switch between in the heat of battle. But whilst it does have these issues it does come with different weapons, stylish kills and decent level of enemy variety.

Now I understand that these games, are designed in such a way that they're supposed to be artistic, more than functioning in a way that can provide a fluid power fantasy. I can acknowledge that the jank the battle of friction I can understand is more than likely an intentional mechanism, and it's weird, I started to in some ways warm up to the combat and the loop towards the later half of the story. But I do feel that Romeo is a Deadman's combat will be one of the make or break components along with level design, which will filter out those who aren't up for controls and hack-n-slash combat that feels dated.

Bosses

Now I want to discuss the bosses in Romeo is a Deadman, which were designed with uniqueness being a core component of the design. Yamazaki expressed to Edge "We wanted to make sure that each boss battle felt unique, and different from the type of bosses you see in other games". The boss encounters do fare better than the regular enemy encounters, with many of them looking grotesque with distinct designs, and weak spots, that make the weak points that clearly signpost the way to bring them down. Each of these bosses, also come with a plethora of moves respective mechanics to match. There are some interesting boss fights here that do a good job at bringing out the sense of spectacle of these encounters that close out a level, and ultimately the spectacle of the encounter feels like more of the goal, than the structure and mechanical prowess of the challenge. These boss fights are varied in how they look and play, but even with different abilities and patterns, each boss fight does ultimately feel like it ends up playing the same in terms of how you bring these foes down. I do think that these fights do feel bombastic with a sense of spectacle to the whole encounter which is nice, but after two or three bosses, if you're looking beyond the sheer spectacle of it all, these fights can ring to a similar tune which can feel relatively familiar.

Level Design

The last component I'd like to touch on is the overall level design for each of the main chapters for Romeo is a Deadman, which will see you travelling to different periods in time which provide a backdrop to the atmosphere of these locations. But in terms of the level structure each of these levels do end up becoming fairly similar with you exploring rooms, to unlock doors or turn on a generator to get until you get to a boss encounter which closes out the level. There is one thing that a lot of different levels are broken up through, and that is the use of these sub-levels or areas that are called Subspaces. These wireframe looking locations are bright and vibrant and serve to be an alternative world of the main-space that you're exploring where you can jump in a tv on one end and out on the other to get through roadblocks, along with picking up items that can unblock areas. It is something that is interesting on paper, but after doing it for two or three levels, it really does start to become quite repetitive and when you couple this with combat that feels middling, boss encounters that all blend together it really does start to weigh down the experience, even as someone who was intrigued narratively and with the underlying systems and mini-games on show.

There was one level that completely shifts the tone into a horror theme where it strips you of all your weapons and has your needing to stealth around an enemy, which was a nice change of pace, even it isn't the most complex stealth system. But it is a nice change of pace to the level structure compared to the previous levels in some respects and I feel like even if half the level like in this instance for more of these levels, had something that would differentiate the levels, we'd be having a different conversation. However, I do think that the later levels do feel more enjoyable and interesting compared to the first half. They have a bit more interesting locations and interesting plot points, compared to the earlier levels. But overall level-design and objectives feel like the biggest weak-point in Romeo is a Deadman.

To close of the section about gameplay, I want to link back to the sentiments about "Punk's not Dead". It is not just a motto, it is something emblematic of breaking conventions, defying rules, and yes in a lot of ways Romeo is a Deadman does break conventions with its combat and gameplay, to mixed results in my view. I think Suda stated it best himself when talking about what is punk when he said to Edge "I feel like there are various definitions of punk, that we closely align with breaking the rules. When making a game, people say there are set parameters you're supposed to stay within. Why do we have to listen to that?". Suda talks about how his lifestyle doesn't mirror the life you would associate with punk, but expresses that a slice of that mentality that you define as punk runs through Romeo is a Deadman, and if there is one area where this can't be more apparent, it is in its gameplay.

Game Systems

The Multitude Game Systems

Romeo is a Deadman is filled to the brim with mini-games on the side that tie into different forms of progressions. You have a cooking game where you make Katsu Curry and the better the curry you cook, the better the buff that you get in battle. Another mini-game is through the side monsters that you can call upon in battle, called Basterds. You're able to attain these through seeds, pull them out, and you can even fuse these different creatures together to make stronger bastards and these serve as a pseudo equivalent of spells.

On top of this there is things like a 100 question quiz that you can jump through the hoops for if you're up for that battle of attrition, there is flying through space to previously visited levels, along with these tears called Athene's which are essentially the same dungeon on varying difficulties, littered across this star system and a whole host of other little one offs that are used for a gag or as a throw away, which shows a sense of haphazard charm and chaos that I feel like if one thing, this game absolutely oozes.

The Multitude of Progression Systems

One element that I do absolutely do think is a breath of fresh air in an interesting way is the way that Romeo is a Deadman handles its progression. You can upgrade weapons with items which is par for the course. But there is an arcade like machine that feels like pac-man where you can move using your experience as fuel to move towards its that are upgrades to Romeo's key stats. I found unlocking all the weapons was something that came rather naturally and early on in the experience. It isn't anything with insane or complicated depth, but I do feel like the flare and approach to progression here does feel somewhat intriguing and like a mini-game within the more broader game here.

Visuals, Sound and Performance

Visuals

I would like to now talk about the visual and sound presentation for Romeo is a Deadman, along with the performance, and I can say that at least two out of these three are absolutely incredible. I'll start with the visuals, Romeo is a Deadman, has an incredible sense of visual design, and it is one area of this game that I can't really fault. There are plenty of different types of art-styles at play here and the game hops between different forms of presentation, whether it is 2D pixel art, 3D cutscenes, comic-book inspired cutscenes, they all look absolutely awesome and work in regards to creating this sense of multi-media as you hop between time and space, along with the intentional tonal whiplash that the game is trying to make you feel. Romeo is a Deadman has one of the coolest game over screens I do feel like I have seen in a video game, with a short animation Romeo's face rapidly melting off and text flashing on screen saying "Romeo is Dead", before triggering a roulette where you gain a bonus and then see the game over screen flash in reverse. Yamazaki states that the inspiration for this screen came from the scene in Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark when the Nazi's face is melted off. The way that this was accomplished in game is through the use of practical effects, which was used on a figure that they set alight with a blow torch over greenscreen.

According to Yamazaki in the early stages of development Romeo is a Deadman was being designed with the vision of the game being an open-world, before the decision to scale down and with it came the ability to make something that felt more realistic in its look. The realism serving as a contrast to many of the different art-styles on display here, with comic-book art-styles that have different comic book art-styles in of themselves, 2D animation that both feels like an 8-bit game and something from the SNES era at different times, along with anime inspired scenes as well to match. One thing that is mentioned is that there was a lot of different talent on the art team, who have different skillsets which were assigned to different aspects of this game to create something that accentuates the talent at Grasshopper. Suda stated to Edge "They have their own areas that they're really strong in, as far as skills and creativity go. I wanted to take advantage of that and draw out as much variety as I could".

Sound

Romeo is a Deadman's soundtrack is one element that I do think also is a strong point for the game with a lot of different types of musical choices, that fit both the themes and atmosphere's of the locations along with the switch-ups in terms of visual style. The sound design does sound nice with making weapons sound chunky and match the stylized gorefest that is the visuals of combat. The overall sound presentation is mostly great, the dialog in this game can come across campy and a little wacky, which I think can make some dialog and line delivery sound a little random, but I personally like these kinds of things in games.

Performance

Lastly, sore spot for Romeo is a Deadman, is that there is a multitude of different issues that have been reported such as corrupted save files, falling through the floors on particular levels and issues that will soft-lock progression for players. For me personally Romeo is a Deadman ran well, I was fortunate enough to not run into these issues, but it is an area that I would recommend consulting with other reviews, and being cautious of before purchasing.

Conclusion

In conclusion Romeo is a Deadman is a game that weaponizes dissonance. Its combat lacks elegance, its levels repeat themselves, and its pacing constantly disrupts momentum but that instability feels deliberate. It’s less concerned with delivering satisfaction and more interested in challenging the player’s desire for it. That makes it uneven, abrasive, and at times exhausting but also uniquely compelling. I don’t think it’s mechanically successful in the traditional sense. But I do think it’s artistically intentional. And that distinction is the difference between calling it broken… and calling it bold.

Romeo is a Deadman felt for me that the further I got it, and the more I sat and reflected on the chaos the lack of clarity and understanding, I began to think less about trying to make sense of it, and simply take on its face what it is presenting, and with this approach, I did feel a shift weirdly in the way I began to enjoy and get into a rhythm with what this game was going for.

To me Romeo is a Deadman is an incredible Art Piece, with a lot to show in terms of underlying references, symbols, metaphors and critiques through systems, that those acquainted with his work will absolutely adore.. It demands you enjoy it on its terms, as an art-piece with a statement to make, and ultimately winds up feeling dated, messy and hard to recommend to anyone not already invested in these types of games. It's what makes it such a difficult game to recommend, as someone who went through multiple different emotions and script revisions, to just get all my thoughts of this game down. It's one you have to take the gamble on, it isn't a game that will be for everyone, but the people that it is for, will absolutely love everything that it does, and everything that it is. Because Romeo is a Deadman underneath this polarizing experience, is a game that will be special to some, and is special to me.

Thanks for watching.