ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN

Bought this thinking that I would come out of it finally satisfied with the action gameplay loop of a SUDA 51 game. No More Heroes 3 was super close to cracking it and Romeo seemed like the final evolution of what they were trying to do. Maybe I'm missing something but this game is incredibly disappointing. I played on hard mode so it would force me to learn the combat system. And I did. It's just not very fun. Glad to support SUDA 51 and Grasshopper but man it's been 20+ years of character action games man. I was hoping this could have been something more.

Ruh roh "Aesthetically confident yet inextricably vapid" The actual visuals are unmatched. The menus alone, god, the menus. There is a genuine visual confidence here that most games don't come close to touching, and I mean that with no asterisk. Grasshopper can still build a stunning frame. But I scraped the walls for an ounce of character and there was nothing. Romeo gets no growth. The story is strewn together through pure tell-don't-show, resolved with a marvel-esque "yep, guess I win" that left me staring at the screen. ♥♥♥♥ happens and then it's over, ♥♥♥♥ you, is kind of my least favorite way to write a story, and this does that perfectly. Jenny was awesome. Jenny was, like, the only character. I talked to Midori every chance I got and got football facts. Which is cute! But there was nothing there. The rest of the cast is just kind of standing around being pretty, which, fine, they are pretty, but damn it, just have fun-written characters. Not even well-written. Fun-written. The GHM references don't feel tight or earned. They feel forced and lame. The pixel art section before the music video (which ruled, by the way, that kicked ass) was just TSA dressed up and called fanservice. Fanservice in service of nothing, because nothing was being built underneath it. Three hours in I caught myself thinking "I really hope this turns into No More Heroes." And I don't know if that's a good sign for your game. No More Heroes 3 has witty character moments, arcs, prose, childish immaturity and wrestling pageantry, influences worn proudly, constantly playing with its own stageplay format. There's a scene where Travis gets his ♥♥♥♥ chopped off and it means something. I wish I felt anything for these characters the way I feel things watching that. This is the first true disappointment out of Grasshopper for me. I don't hate it as a game on its own terms. But the weight of expectation makes me never want to touch this again. I want to play No More Heroes 3. I'm sad.

Being a huge suda fan i was excited to finally play a new game made by him. After finally playing and finishing the game i cant recommend this game at all unless its at $20 even then that is still too much money for this game. Chapter 5 7 8 are all completely unbearable in their own ways 5 and 7 being a tie for the absolute worst. Fighting the same six enemies over and over again with each chapter adding more and more of them to the point during chapter 7 and 8 there were a few times where i literally got trapped in a corner due to the amount of them and ended up dying. The bosses are also complete aids and are unbalanced as ♥♥♥♥. Chapter 5 having the most unbearable and unbalanced boss in the game. Over all i cant recommend this game at all, if your a fan of Suda51 then give it a try. I do appreciate the trainspotting reference made in chapter 7, probably the highlight of the game for me.

[h1] 須田51よ、もうアクションゲームを作るな。あなたの長所はそこじゃない[/h1] [h2]素晴らしいアート・演出！…それを台無しにするゲーム性[/h2] やはりビジュアル・演出・アートは唯一無二。一気にゲームに引き込まれる！これぞゲーム体験！没入感！　…が、いざゲームが始まると現実に戻される。 須田ゲーはアクションがクソ。もう20年近く言われてるが改善の余地無し。操作性が悪すぎる。ダンジョンもクソ。謎解きも面白くない。 ボスがHP8割削る攻撃をいきなりしてくる不条理さ。適当に作ってるとしか思えない。やる気なくすだけだから止めろや。回避アクションのぎこちなさはいつになったら改善するんだ…。 ボスの男3人もキャラが立ってない。変身したらよくいる洋ゲークリーチャー。OPのマルチバースジュリエット達のが遥かに魅力的だった。そっちをボスにしろよ… 須田さん…あんたのアート・演出は最高なのに、これじゃ宝の持ち腐れだよ… やりたいことじゃなくて自分の長所で勝負してくれよ…　　20年以上の須田ファンより

I think it's important to start this review by admitting that I am a die-hard suda51 fangirl, I love the silver case trilogy quite a bit and enjoy everything else (nmh, sotd, kid, even kurayami) Its also important to state that you **SHOULD NOT PICK HARD MODE** I REPEAT **DO NOT PICK HARD MODE** **DONT DO IT, ITS NOT WORTH IT.** My experience with this game was completely ruined by hard mode, I am almost 100% certain my opinion on the game would be different if I just picked normal. Hard is not balanced for a non ng+ playthrough. Everything hits like a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ truck and you do NOTHING to even touch boss health bars, I have about 5-6 hours unaccounted for on my save file due to constant deaths during bosses and I really wish I could have that time back, I did not feel rewarded I was just happy that it was over. When the game was first getting footage shown by reviewers, the fact that shiroyabu, sumio, and midori midorikawa were in this game made me so excited for the reference-shlock.... but they do nothing, don't really add anything and could be completely removed from the game and it wouldnt be that different. Speaking of removed from the game, it is so incredibly obvious that this game switched directions multiple times, suda even said so in interviews- the game feels like a patchwork and it's so weakened from it, to the point that it even destroyed my immersion a few times. Suda doesn't seem to get what his diehard fans like about his games, i can tell you for sure its not his ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ gameplay!! its the way he presents his art, the way he writes his characters and the stories he tells!! And what there is, I really enjoyed! But just like NMH3, I just wanted more, and there wasn't nearly enough of it. The enemy design in this game is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ laughable, the weakpoints turn enemies that would be a fun challenge to punch through and interact with into "ok, let me get distance, pull out my gun/rocket, and shoot at the weakpoint so they die." That's not fun. Sometimes the weakpoints are incredibly annoying to hit, and then I just dread whenever they're there. I feel like I could type sooo much more about this game, but now that I'm finally ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ done with it I just want to forget it exists and never think about it again.

I hope Suda51 never stops making videogames. When his style clicks for you it's just incredible.

[h2]須田51率いるGRASSHOPPER MANUFACTUREの、自社パブリッシング完全新作。[/h2] 過去の須田作品をプレイしている人に対しては、シルバー・Killer7・花太陽雨の方面ではなくNO MORE HEROESの系譜と言えば伝わりやすいかもしれない。血みどろ3Dアクションゲーム。 [h2]ハイセンスさと荒唐無稽さが同居している上に、整合性は破棄がデフォルト。[/h2] 例えば、息を飲む美しいカットシーンの次には、脈絡のない他作品からの引用。 例えば、遊び始めてすぐ、当たり前のように差し込まれる「知らない」既知の粗筋。 例えば、章ごとに執拗に流れるスタッフロール。 押し寄せる驚愕と呆然の余韻に浸る前に次々と口に直接供される須田51味。 そこに整合性は無い。熱意と美学と遊び心がある。 ここまで人を選ぶゲームも無いだろう。 整合性のないストーリー・演出に反して、ゲーム部分はGHMのアクションとしては比較的素直。 もしあなたが、このゲームに挑むつもりならば、初回の難易度はミルク(ノーマル)かホワイト(イージー)が良い。 混沌としたこの作品を最後まで見届けようと思うのであれば。 (より詳しい遊びの個人的なガイドは下記に隠しておきます。) [spoiler]・ブラッディサマーは出し惜しむな！ ・武器は沢山あるけどパワーアップアイテムは渋いので、浮気せずに少数をしっかり育てよう。 ・弱点(花のつぼみみたいなもの)がある敵は弱点を撃つと楽に倒せるぞ。 ・後半の敵は弱点を攻撃することが難しい。ブラッディサマーとバスターズを使いながら押し切ろう。 ・エメラルドフロウジョンはデッドギア・キャノンボールでロミオの強化に使うのが良いかも。 ・デッドギア・キャノンボールはリセットが可能！苦戦する時はリセットしてビルドを考え直すのもいいかも？ [/spoiler] [h1]支離滅裂 掴めるのはほとばしる熱意[/h1] 言葉では説明できない今作の魅力は、そのまま「体験した人だけが感じられる熱意」、と言い換えられる気がする。 言うなれば、脚本家の趣味棚をそのまま頭に流し込まれるようだった。 プロレスガンダム美味しんぼ The Smithsにホラー映画 自身の過去作品、出演作品(スキタイのムスメか)もひいき目なく容赦なく引用していく。支離滅裂としか言いようがない。 客演音楽等、最新の作品にも目を向けているのがとても印象的である。 過去に固執しているわけではなく、自信の興味や好みに(意識を散逸しながら)手を伸ばしまくっている。 散逸しているのは確かだけど、ある意味で一貫しているのも確かだよ。 つまり、「自分の好き」に殉じている。 ここまで「好き」なものに振り切った作品が世に出たことを、とても嬉しく思う。 俺が人生や世界にまだまだ失望できない理由はそりゃもう沢山ある。書ききれないぐらい。 ただ、その理由の一つがこのゲームなんだ。 須田51とGHMがゲームを世の中に出しているからだよ！ パンクス！

Just in time for Valentine's Day 2026: ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN. Even if you've never heard of Suda51, a title as striking as this is going to stand out with its in-your-face caps and description that boldly (and quite aptly) declares itself as "ULTRA-VIOLENT SCIENCE FICTION." This game certainly has a lot of gore and some gruesome moments, but it's also balanced out with constant absurdity. Most of all, ROMEO never takes itself too seriously which is refreshing. Sure the story is weird but it's miles away from being pretentious. Additionally, it feels like a game rooted in the current time rather than one that chases the past and relies on evoking nostalgia as a crutch to carry player interest. I absolutely love this game and can say I've never experienced anything quite like it. So many games nowadays are extremely bloated with content or grueling tasks that they stop being fun and actually become a chore. I took my time to complete ROMEO over the course of ten days and never did it overstay its welcome. It became a ritual for me to boot up ROMEO and to leave the menu screen open and listen on my wireless headphones as I'd make a coffee or tea in the other room. Each time I heard the main menu cycle through different variations, I formed a deeper appreciation for them. At the risk of sounding pretentious myself, it felt like I was preparing myself for an experience rather than to play a game. However, ROMEO is clearly a game but it still feels different from others. Even the game's difficulty selection menu, presented well after the introduction, disguises itself as a box of chocolates. While the rational part of my mind knew it was a difficulty selection screen, the depiction of the chocolates was so appealing that it made me pick what I would actually want to eat in real life. I ended up selecting the "hard" chocolate and as a result I got truly demoted over and over again on a few bosses. This forced me to really pay attention to boss attack patterns and come up with my own personal strategies. This made it feel even more rewarding once I actually got good and could emerge triumphant. There was also never a point in time where I thought I should restart on an easier difficulty. I felt like the harder difficulty was how I needed to experience the game and it was genuinely a pleasure to take the time needed, even if it meant dying over and over. Without giving away any spoilers, I will say that there are so many visual and aural treats awaiting players in ROMEO. Even if you're only a little interested in action games that deviate the norm, you should definitely pick it up sooner than later.