Romeo is a Dead Man is out now

Much like a mad oldman in a JJ Abrams sci-fi show set in Boston, some drugs make the world a happier and more colorful place that’s at least bearable. I think that’s at least the philosophy behind half of Goichi Suda’s ideas, better known as SUDA51, or that madman who made cult-classic Killer7, the No More Heroes series, Lolipop Chainsaw, Super Fire Pro Wrestling, Killer is Dead, Let It Die, Shadows of the Damned, and recently Hotel Barcelona with Swery 65. Suda’s latest insanity – which I’ve been playing, Romeo is a Dead Man, is out now.

A sci-fi take on Billy Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, albeit through the insane and wonderful mind of SUDA51 and co-writer and director, Ren Yamazaki. Yamazaki co-directed No More Heroes III as well as countless other works with Suda. Here is what the press release has to say about Romeo is a Dead Man: “Grasshopper Manufacture Inc. (GhM) has today unleashed bloody action adventure Romeo is a Dead Man for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam, alongside a funky launch trailer which includes music from legendary Japanese rap group Scha Dara Parr, whose music can also be heard throughout Romeo is a Dead Man.

Romeo is a Dead Man is the first self-published title by GhM, and the first brand-new IP from the studio and Goichi Suda, AKA SUDA51 (No More Heroes trilogy, The Silver Case, Shadows of the Damned) in more than five years. The game blends the iconic ultra-violent action gameplay for which the studio is acclaimed, with an original story of love, loss, and lots (and lots) of the gushing red stuff.

Snatched from the brink of death by his grandfather’s crazy hypertechnology, the ‘DeadGear,’ FBI Space-Time special agent, Romeo Stargazer, sets out to hunt the most wanted fugitives in existence across the fragmented universe, armed with a heady arsenal of guns and close-combat weapons. As if being stuck in a strange limbo between life and death as DeadMan and tasked with navigating a shattered space-time continuum isn’t enough, Romeo also has to contend with the sudden disappearance of his mysterious girlfriend, Juliet.”

SUDA51 said of the release, “Romeo is a Dead Man is our first original title in quite some time, and I believe we’ve managed to craft an experience that further elevates the action game standard Grasshopper Manufacture has built up over the years. Our protagonist, Romeo, is someone I wanted to leave a strong impression with [sic] fans, and not just in his physical strength. While our past works have produced various well-loved iconic characters, this time I really wanted to create a character who could be loved by game fans the world over.

When writing the scenario, I wrote the line ‘From here on out, you’re a dead man,’ and that just rang completely true to me – everything changed after that. I felt something in that moniker, which is why it became the title of the game itself. I hope players enjoy their time with Romeo, and even after finishing the game[,] they’ll want to return to this world, and continue the adventure aboard the lonely spaceship floating through space.”

As noted above, Romeo is a Dead Man is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam now. I also noted above that I’ve been playing it for the last couple of days, so in the next day or so, we should have that review ready too. I’ll save my opinions on Romeo is a Dead Man for the review, but what I will say is that it is the insanity you expect and feels like a classic SUDA51 game.