Romeo Is A Dead Man Review: Punk Will Never Die Thanks To Suda51
Steve Boxer, Star GoldStar GoldStar GoldStar GoldStar Grey Steve Boxer Published February 11, 2026 1:00am
Suda51, the visionary behind cult classics like Lollipop Chainsaw and Shadows Of The Damned, makes a triumphant return with his weirdest and most entertaining creation in several years. Romeo Is A Dead Man marks a significant comeback for Grasshopper Interactive founder Goichi ‘Suda51’ Suda, whose three-decade career has been defined by injecting a rebellious punk aesthetic into video game design.
A Return To Form
After a period of less celebrated releases, this new title represents a powerful return to form for the developer. It’s quirky, deliberately rule-breaking, and feels like it shouldn’t work – yet, against all odds, it succeeds brilliantly. Above all, Romeo Is A Dead Man is utterly distinctive. You would never mistake its hard-boiled, ultraviolent, and cynically humorous world for a game made by anyone else.
A Visual Blizzard Of Styles
The game immediately commands attention by employing a blizzard of vastly differing art styles rather than settling for a single cohesive look. Within the first hour, players encounter:
- A diorama-style introductory sequence.
- Comic book-style framed cutscenes that themselves showcase different comic art traditions.
- Conventional third-person 3D gameplay that warps into a Tron-inspired, blocky, neon version of itself.
- A pixel art hub paying homage to 16-bit era classics.
- Psychedelic, fractal-like transition screens.
- Further retro homages reaching back to the primitive days of Pong.
This visually arresting approach would likely result in a horrible mishmash in less capable hands. That it coheres is a testament to Suda51’s unique vision and the sheer off-the-wall nature of the storyline, which forces players to suspend disbelief and journey into the outer reaches of preposterousness.
An Absurd, Time-Twisting Narrative
The plot centres on Romeo Stargazer, a deputy sheriff in a dead-end American town who is mauled and killed by a monster while investigating a body on the road. His salvation comes from his grandfather, Benjamin, a time-travelling boffin who arrives with a life-support system. Benjamin dies in the process but is reincarnated as a sentient patch on the back of Romeo’s jacket.
Empowered by this bizarre resurrection, Romeo is recruited by the FBI’s Space-Time Division. His mission: to hunt down the universe’s most nefarious space-time criminals, who lurk in different historical periods and cause anomalies that destroy various multiverse versions of Earth. Among these villains is Juliet, Romeo’s ex-girlfriend, whose story is told in flashbacks throughout the game. Romeo’s puppyish longing for her leads to disaster whenever he encounters one of her variants.
Gameplay On The Spaceship And Beyond
Romeo, along with his mother, sister, and a cast of weird alien allies, is headquartered on the FBI’s Space-Time spaceship. This hub serves as a tempo-altering oasis from the relentless gore and violence of each chapter. Activities here include:
- Upgrading Romeo’s abilities via a clever Pac-Man pastiche.
- Growing zombie-like allies for summoning in battle.
- Listening to shaggy dog stories from the eclectic cast of characters.
When embarking on a mission, each chapter transports Romeo to a different time period. Combat, which involves both melee weapons and guns, is reminiscent of No More Heroes and represents the game’s most conventional aspect. It’s gory and fun, but the true flavour comes from the inventive set pieces, locations, and enemies. A notable frustration is the inability to change weapons without returning to the main menu.
The Subspace Dimension And Varied Challenges
Each chapter features a ‘subspace’ dimension, accessed via TVs where a mysterious philosophical Svengali appears. Subspace contains no combat (until the latter stages) but offers puzzles that unlock new areas, staircases, and key items necessary to reach the chapter boss. The surface world also contains puzzles—some quite decent but never overly obscure—and significant gameplay variation between chapters.
One chapter focuses on stealth within a creepy abandoned hospital, evoking classic horror games. Another, set in the 1970s, sees Romeo acquire a zombie assistant named Jenny, who survives despite being dismembered. Dark humour abounds, as is customary for a Suda51 production.
A Crescendo Of Bizarre Creativity
As the game builds to its climax, players are treated to an 8-bit style point-and-click interlude that morphs into a full Japanese hip-hop musical number. By this stage, Romeo seems to exist outside space and time itself. Each chapter begins with an Oscar Wilde quote, and it’s a safe bet that no other game this year will be so densely packed with literary references.
Final Verdict
If you’ve worried that modern games are becoming generic and safe, Romeo Is A Dead Man will thoroughly allay those fears. It is completely out there, both visually and narratively, delightfully experimental, very funny, and satisfying to play—even if its combat remains its most conventional element. The game isn’t polished to within an inch of its life, which for some will be part of its punk charm.
It’s not the longest game—exploring every nook of subspace for collectibles might yield around 20 hours—but it never overstays its welcome. It makes little sense by conventional logic, but as pure escapism, it’s off the charts, creating the absolute antithesis of anything corporate or bland. Romeo Is A Dead Man offers glorious proof that Suda51’s punk ethos is vibrantly alive. It won’t appeal to everyone, but that’s precisely the point.
In Short: Suda51’s punk attitude results in another uniquely bizarre third-person action game, but this one possesses more life and originality than most of his recent titles.
Pros: Arresting mix of art styles, an outlandish storyline, and a great sense of humour. Enjoyable third-person action and an excellent soundtrack.
Cons: The combat isn’t especially original, bosses can feel samey, and the overall presentation lacks polish.
Score: 8/10
Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PC
Price: £41.99
Publisher: NatEase Games
Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture
Release Date: 11th February 2026
Age Rating: 18
