As I doom-scrolled through YouTube, I came across someone playing a game unlike any I’d seen before. The player character weaved together combos and counters, fighting against enemies all to the tune of one of my favourite songs. I had discovered not only the demo for Dead as Disco, but also a sink for my free time over the next two weeks.
Dead as Disco is the first offering of Brain Jar Games, and is halfway between rhythm and action. Charlie Disco seeks revenge against his former band, though in the demo, he only gets the chance to do damage against a host of thugs. Combat is the key to the gameplay formula of Dead as Disco. Think of it like the Arkham games, but with the rhythm implementation and a little of the style of Hi-Fi Rush. You can see the Arkham elements in the basic attacks, dodges, and, of course, the counter ability. Even the Special Combo Takedown returns in the form of a meter that allows for an instant takedown when full. The moveset can feel a little limited after a while, but the main release promises skill trees and special moves galore.
The biggest addition to the giants Dead as Disco stands on the shoulders of is the Fever Rush, a separate meter that can be spent to enhance basic attacks. At first, it just seems like it gives you faster punches to do faster damage. However, it quickly becomes a very useful tool for moving between enemies with the greater distance it travels compared to regular attacks. The Fever Rush allows combos to feel far more fluid, especially after a take-down, as Charlie gets right back into the action.
Rather than reducing enemy health to zero, the goal is usually to put them into a stunned state, ready for a finisher. This can be achieved either through a counter (perfect counters give an immediate defeat, a nice reward) or through sustained damage. After a few seconds, the enemy recovers completely if they’re not finished off. It disincentivizes bouncing around the arena between enemies, which I find hinders the variety. Sometimes, I’m just mashing attack, then using a finisher on each enemy in turn.
The quick movement and snappy hits felt good to me, added to by splashes of colour with every impact. Unfortunately, it suffers a little from its requirements as a rhythm game. The speed of the action is adjusted based on the music’s BPM, which can lead to sluggish-feeling combat, or occasionally unsatisfying quick hits. Animation is seamless and slick for the most part, though I found the Combo Takedowns (there are only two) got stale. A strange issue, given the variety of in-combat finishers.
The UI uses the appropriate flashy colours that a game like this needs. I found health bars for enemies unnecessary and slightly intrusive, especially with their rapid health regeneration. Button prompts can similarly mar the visual experience, but are nearly required with all that’s going on on-screen and the speed with which it can take place.
The Dead as Disco demo only contains a part of the first level, but it’s a single level that I’ve played many times at this point. It’s an effective set-piece, starting simple with a few grunts in a small arena. Then, it suddenly switches up the lighting and the environment, both in a very effective way. It cuts off right before the first boss fight, leaving the basic fighting as all we can see so far.
With the more curated content limited, replay value is likely to be found in Dead as Disco‘s infinite mode. It allows for wave combat in a simple arena set to a variety of songs, either for the length of the song or until you die. Environments are limited and lack differentiation apart from the bright colour that makes up the background. The most exciting and beloved part of the game can be found in this mode, though: you can upload your own songs, creating endless possibilities for gameplay.
The songs included in Dead as Disco by default are mostly the sort of loud and fast tunes you’d expect from a game like this. The one that stuck with me was the mix of Maniac that plays over the first level. It works best in that context, with a stage custom-made to work with the song. As for uploading music, lists exist online of what works well, and the process of adding is very simple. I enjoy playing I Want You Back by the Jackson 5 and Machine Love by Jamie Page, songs with BPM of 180-200. On the flip side, a faster song can make combat easier, reducing the required strictness of the timing. It gives the game an additional appeal as a way to enjoy songs you love in a whole new way.
I’m interested in any demo that keeps me entertained for seven hours. Dead as Disco is available on Steam in early access now.
