If you’ve ever played a Grasshopper Manufacture game, you know the drill: expect the unexpected, prepare for a lot of blood, and don’t try too hard to make sense of the plot. Romeo is a Dead Man, the latest brainchild of the legendary Goichi “Suda51” Suda, is finally here on Xbox Series X|S, and it is exactly the kind of beautiful, “bonkers” chaos fans have been waiting for.
After spending a dozen hours slicing through space-time fugitives, here is my deep dive into why this might be the most “Suda” game since No More Heroes.
The Plot: FBI Space-Time Police and a Heart of Glass
You step into the “Dead Gear” boots of Romeo Stargazer, a rookie sheriff’s deputy who—within the first five minutes—gets killed by a monster, has a device jammed into his eye by his eccentric scientist grandfather, and is resurrected as a “Dead Man.”
Before he can even process his own resurrection, Romeo is drafted into the FBI Space-Time Police. Stationed aboard a ship called The Last Night, you’re tasked with hunting down the universe’s most-wanted criminals who are exploiting a shattered space-time continuum. Oh, and your girlfriend Juliet is missing, and she might be a god-like being responsible for the whole mess.
It’s “villain-of-the-week” storytelling at its finest, dripping with 80s sci-fi references ranging from Blade Runner to Back to the Future. It’s often confusing and occasionally frustratingly cryptic, but it never stops being stylish.
Gameplay: Blood, Blades, and “Bastards”
The core loop is a high-octane blend of hack-and-slash and third-person shooting. Romeo can swap between swords and guns on the fly, and the combat feels snappy and visceral.
- Bloody Action: As you splatter enemies, you fill a “Bloody Summer” meter. Unleashing it triggers a devastating, screen-clearing special move that is as cathartic as it is gory.
- The “Bastard” System: This is where the game gets weirdly creative. Throughout the levels, you collect seeds that you plant on your ship. These grow into “Bastards”—zombie-like companions with unique skills (healing, lightning, decoys). You can fuse them to create hybrid versions, adding a surprising layer of strategy to the carnage.
- Subspace & Mini-games: Between missions, the game shifts gears. The Last Night hub is rendered like a top-down 16-bit RPG where you can cook curry or play arcade games to boost your stats. There are also “Subspace” segments—platforming puzzles accessed through televisions that act as a mental break from the sword-swinging.
Performance on Xbox Series X|S
On the Xbox Series X, the game targets 4K at 60fps. For the most part, it holds up, though the “Bloody Summer” attacks and heavy particle effects can cause the frame rate to dip momentarily.
The art style is the real winner here. It’s a mix of high-fidelity environments, 2D motion-comic panels, and 16-bit aesthetics. While some critics have pointed out “Grasshopper jank”—like slightly stiff movement and clunky menus—it feels like a deliberate part of the game’s punk-rock identity.
Final Verdict: Is It Worth It?
Romeo is a Dead Man isn’t for everyone. If you’re looking for a polished, linear AAA experience like God of War, you might find the “exuberant anarchy” of Suda51 a bit much. The difficulty spikes (especially the second boss in the 1980s Mall) are no joke, and the story will leave you scratching your head more than once.
However, if you miss the days when games were experimental, unapologetically violent, and dripping with personality, this is a must-play. It’s a love letter to cult sci-fi and a reminder that no one does “weird” better than Grasshopper Manufacture.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.