Romeo is a dead man preview
To be honest, I'm not entirely sure I understand what's going on in the upcoming Romeo Is Dead. However, in fairness, Grasshopper Manufacture and Court51 aren't exactly known for coherent narratives. They are known for their amazing games that push boundaries, bridge genres, and surprise players. All of these things are largely true for Romeo is a dead man. I had the opportunity to practice the game and came away intrigued, a little confused, and definitely interested in seeing where this was going.
Why are you, Romeo?
Okay, here's the story as I understand it. You play as Romeo Stargazer, a young sheriff of the American West. Romeo dies in a fight, but is resurrected using technology invented by his grandfather. Romeo wears Dead Gear, a high-tech helmet that keeps him alive. Since this is Romeo's story, there must be a Juliet too. In this case, it's Juliet Dendrobium, who was Romeo's girlfriend until she mysteriously disappeared.
Romeo is recruited by the FBI Time-Space Police to hunt down enemies across multiple dimensions of time and space, many of whom have taken the form of Juliet. At your side are your grandfather Benjamin, your half-sister Luna, and your mother, each serving functions aboard the interstellar FBI spaceship that is your base.
Space jumps
Romeo is a Dead Man can best be described as an action RPG. After all, there's third-person combat, leveling, and a lot of the mechanics we've come to expect from the genre. On the other hand, there are also first-person scenes, and the spaceship is made in the style of pixelated retro games with a top-down view. For example, scanning various space-time anomalies means playing a simple game similar to Pong. There is a certain logic to the madness of genres. Romeo is a child of the 2000s, so it makes sense to make Romeo Dead an encyclopedic collection of classic games.
On the spaceship, Romeo bonds with the crew, learns recipes from his mother, and Luna teaches him how to grow crops. During combat in the game, Romeo collects items that can be used on the ship to create upgrades.
In a game like Romeo Is Dead, I usually say it's all about combat. I'm not sure that's true in this case. Rather, combat is a co-equal branch of government. The third-person action sequences feature fast and bloody hand-to-hand combat. Romeo has light and heavy attacks, as well as special, destructive attacks that gradually get stronger. From time to time, he encounters television screens that optionally transport him to Tron-like wireframe arenas for bonus fights and rewards.
Stop making sense
Suda51's games are known for being bold and messy. Romeo is a Dead Man switches between genres and styles so often that it sometimes feels disconnected. From the first hours of the game, you get the feeling that not everything is given equal attention. At least at the beginning, the missions aboard the retro spaceship are boring, with skippable dialogue. Having to do some cozy gaming creativity in the middle of the action didn't help Romeo.
Red flags aside, the combat is fast, fun and enjoyable, although the game's dodging mechanics aren't exactly fluid. Romeo Is Dead perfectly captures the visual spirit of a variety of genres, backed by an equally diverse soundtrack.
More than anything else, Romeo is Dead feels like a game that worries that the player will get bored if they do one thing for too long. Changing genres and visual styles can be exciting and a little disjointed at the same time. After getting through the first chapter, things calm down a bit and I'm curious to see where Romeo, the character, and the game as a whole ends up. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet didn't end well for anyone. Let's hope the game learns this lesson.
***Preview code provided by publisher***
