ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN

The game

Brought back to life by super technology, Romeo Stargazer is recruited by the space-time FBI. He travels the cosmos to arrest criminals while looking for clues about the disappearance of his girlfriend Juliet. He fights by switching between swords and guns, absorbs enemies’ blood to trigger a special attack and upgrades his weapons over the chapters. According to the PlayStation Blog, the game mixes several art styles. Text is available in French; voices are in English.

What the press says (PC reviews)

Reception is very positive. GamesRadar+ (4/5) calls it Suda51’s best in years: an oddly emotional game with entertaining combat and constant creativity. DualShockers (9/10) enjoys the clean dual-weapon combat and Suda’s signature bizarre story, and even recommends it as a starting point. Wccftech (8.7/10) calls it a brilliant fever dream and praises a seamless mix of 16-bit, anime and modern aesthetics. Tryhard Guides gives it 10/10, CGMagazine and RPG Site 9/10, Gameliner 4/5.

Reservations concern pacing and tech. GamesRadar+ finds the start somewhat flat. Tryhard Guides sees some side missions as filler. Wccftech warns that the narrative will baffle some players, that combat is fairly straightforward and easy to break, and that the experience is relatively short. DualShockers notes minor performance hiccups and difficulty spikes. Gameliner finds Romeo a little stiff at times and criticises dodging and PC performance.

Our reading

The seven PC reviews range from 8/10 to 10/10. ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN is for fans of Suda51’s offbeat worlds and very bloody action. The console versions are not covered by these reviews. The displayed average is computed by the site from the seven PC scores.