As the resident rhythm game enjoyer, I’ve had my eye on Dead As Disco ever since its announcement. It’s a game that oozes with style and tries to find a spot in the “rhythm beat-em-up” genre alongside games like No Straight Roads and Hi-Fi Rush. While the idea isn’t new, it has come with various degrees of success. Blending a rhythm game, a genre that demands precision, with a beat-em up, a game that rewards mashing, is a difficult task. So, can Dead As Disco stay on beat, or is it out of step?
Dead as Disco – Review
Developer: Brain Jar Games
Genre: Action, Rhythm, Beat’em Up, Singeplayer and Co-op
Platforms & release dates: PC (Steam) – Early Access: May 5th 2026; Consoles: TBD
GAMEPLAY & STORY
Typically, I like to talk about these things separately, but since this game isn’t exactly deep on narrative, we can talk about it as we talk about the gameplay.
You’re Charlie Disco, a fallen icon/drummer who was betrayed and thought to be dead. After making a deal, he has one night to take back his ex-bandmates and bring the band back together. To be completely honest? The narrative is kind of window dressing. If you ask too many questions about it, you’re not going to get profound answers. This is here as a formality to get you into these boss fights and get you used to the game. That said, the bosses are pretty fun. Mostly.
You have Hemlock, the punk rocker who’s basically become a corporate shill after getting a big payday from selling Charlie’s hit song. Dax, an emo rocker who traded his humanity for power. Literally. He basically became a machine forced to play forever as a battery. Arora, the pop idol AI who’s basically become a god?? Finally Prophet, the music manager who’s now in charge of ending careers instead of making them. Four boss rush levels don’t sound like a lot (and may not be all you get in the end), but they aren’t the main attraction. That said, they are well worth talking about.
Each of them is distinct enough, but also follow a familiar formula. You’ll enter an arena, beat some goons, get into a section with a bit of a gimmick like reflecting comets or dodging cars, then the boss fight truly begins. Even after that, there are a few phases. Usually 3 as you wear the boss down. Sometimes other enemies interfere, but they’re more of a distraction than anything. While the variety of enemies isn’t super vast, it’s enough to keep you on your toes. Some shoot lasers, some can only be dodged, some can be countered with ease, and some hit harder than the normal fodder.
My only real complaint about the bosses is how long the battles are. I don’t expect it to be super quick or anything, but sometimes it can feel like you’re a mildly annoying mosquito rather than a martial arts disco man. This on its own isn’t so bad. However, this coupled with the checkpoint system can feel a little annoying if you keep dying. I haven’t tried easy mode, but normal can be a little challenging the first go around. Hard can get a little more tricky, but nothing you can’t handle with some practice. Other than that, the fights are pretty solid.
Now, earlier I mentioned how some games in this genre aren’t as engaging because they don’t commit to the genre. Namely, they don’t reward you for keeping with the beat. Dead As Disco doesn’t have that problem. Sure, you CAN mash out buttons and punch and kick outside the beat, but everything you do is improved when you stay on beat. Your dodge gets a strong follow up attack, your counter does more damage, and your attacks hit harder. Some parts of those fights require you to be on beat to reflect attacks or not get sucker punched, but that’s just the game committing to the genre, which I appreciate.
Now for the main event: the free play. The game has a pretty healthy amount of music, with a lot of it covered by the bosses of the game. Still sounds as good as the originals. You can do free play where you just survive the length of the song, or play through some challenges that range from using your movement a certain way, landing certain kinds of attacks, or defeating certain enemies. Not bad, but not the most inspired. It helps that the gameplay is fun and the music choices are pretty diverse. There’s also its standout feature: being able to add your own music. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to test this out. Since I’m on Linux, it doesn’t easily get to my music folder. Eventually, I gave up on it. Maybe there’s a way to jerry-rig it, but right now it doesn’t seem possible for Linux users.
AUDIO & VISUAL
The game’s art style is as stylish as the music. So many colors, and none of it gets too crazy or unreadable. From the menus to the character designs, this game had a clear goal to look and be as stylish as possible. My favorite is probably Prophet, whose style changes with every stage of the fight. Every now and then, you may find a bit of a jank animation, but those are few and far between. The only other small issue is that while the game is stylish and the bosses have been given a great deal of care, the mob enemies just look kinda…meh. Just kinda whatever.
CONCLUSION
Dead As Disco commits to being a rhythm beat-em-up in ways that other games in the space don’t. It actually rewards you for staying on beat instead of letting you mash through everything. The boss fights are distinct and fun even if they run long, the music is solid, and the style is undeniable. But it’s not without issues. The Linux custom music feature is basically unusable, some animations are jank, and the mob enemies look like they were made in a different game than the bosses. Still, if you want a rhythm game that actually makes you feel the beat while you punch things, this delivers. Just maybe check if your platform can actually use all the features before you buy.
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