After a decade-long wait, legendary Japanese game director Suda51 returns with Romeo Is a Dead Man, but the result is a misfire. The game, available on PlayStation 5, Xbox, and PC, marks Suda's first original title since 2012's Lollipop Chainsaw. Despite initial excitement, the game delivers an incoherent story and technical shortcomings that undermine its potential.
The narrative follows Romeo Stargazer, a zombie resurrected by his scientist grandfather, who becomes a 'deadman' recruited by the FBI's space time police. The plot is bogged down by impenetrable jargon and confusing elements, such as zombies called 'bastards' and a woman named Juliet appearing in different dimensions. Suda cited Rick and Morty as an influence, but even after completing the 20-hour campaign, the story remains bewildering.
Gameplay initially shows promise, with stylish lightsaber-like combat against waves of enemies, reminiscent of the No More Heroes series. Boss fights are fun and chaotic. However, the experience is marred by severe frame rate drops, even on a PS5 Pro, making later levels nearly unplayable. The hub world, an FBI spaceship rendered in 16-bit pixel art, features quirky characters like a Roman god, a talking cat, and a Jamaican journalist, but the overall presentation feels disjointed.
Visually, the game is a collage of styles—from fully animated cartoons to PS2-era polygons—but the result is less auteur-led and more like a child's messy toybox. While it can elicit confused smiles, Romeo Is a Dead Man lacks the direction and charm of Suda's earlier works, leaving it as a disappointing entry from a storied provocateur.
