Romeo is a Dead Man is the newest original IP to be launched by Grasshopper Manufacture in 2026. The game was revealed during the PlayStation State of Play livestream, promising an unbridled explosion of ultra-violent sci-fi action reminiscent of the wackiness familiar to fans of Suda51’s No More Heroes and Dead Rising. Grasshopper Manufacture head Suda51 describes his vision of a “super bloody action” experience that is messy with “crazy twists and turns.”
The story revolves around Romeo Stargazer, a man caught tragically between life and death. The announcement trailer sets the scene with Romeo being fatally shot by a hideous creature zombie. But somehow, his life gets saved by his grandpa’s invention: the machine that converts him into a cyborg or “Dead man” by horrifically chopping and replacing his entire head with machinery.
Since it’s a time paradox, the act shatters the space-time continuum. Romeo is now functioning as an FBI Space Time Special Agent (I know, it’s kinda confusing), equipped with a rad mask called Dead Gear, on the hunt for the most perilous fugitives in countless universes and warped dimensions. Romeo’s mission is interwoven with the disappearance of his girlfriend Juliet, an obvious nod to the classic Shakespearean tragedy as well as to Suda51’s Lollipop Chainsaw.
The folks at Grasshopper Manufacture describe Romeo is a Dead Man as their bloodiest action game yet, which is saying something compared to Lollipop Chainsaw. The gameplay trailer showed Romeo, in his cyborg form, in gore-filled combat against hordes of zombies, reminiscent of Travis Touchdown’s iconic clashes in No More Heroes. Romeo can shoot monsters to hell with guns beside his blade, giving him much freedom in monster dispatching. The craziness that ensued was over the top with “hyper-violent combos” turning adversaries into red “mist”.
One of these sequences-showcasing Romeo in combat in a mall immediately draws parallels to the infamous zombie escapades of Frank West in Dead Rising. Players can expect “ridiculously clever level design”, “absurd twists”, and “white-hot battles cathartic enough to collapse the universe itself”, all sprinkled with that characteristic Suda51 surrealism and “old-school gimmicks”. The trailer further hints at possible minigames- possibilities include an arcade game from the days of yore-alongside 2D anime cutscenes further outlining the game’s greater plot and aesthetics.
Romeo is a Dead Man is officially slated for a 2026 launch. While initially unveiled during a PlayStation-focused event, the game has since been confirmed for a wider release, with a simultaneous release for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC through Steam and Windows. Grasshopper Manufacture, in collaboration with publisher NetEase Games, is hard at work trying to complete what they consider could become their most ambitious project to date. Suda51 paints a promise of a ruthless romp for long-time followers of his distinctive and occasionally warped work that embodies the frantic stylishness that has carried so many previous titles from the studio to success.
