Suppose No More Heroes ever collided with Rick and Morty and Aqua Teen Hunger Force inside a PlayStation 3 rental bin. In that case, you’d get something close to Grasshopper Manufacture’s newest fever dream: Romeo Is a Dead Man. Announced during the June State of Play stream, the game is set to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Steam sometime in 2026. A collaboration with Ren Yamazaki, writer of action side-scrolling Black Knight Sword, it’s already looking like Suda 51 at his most unhinged.
Romeo Is a Dead Man‘s story follows Romeo Stargazer, a dashing young man whose death was narrowly avoided thanks to his rogue-genius-scientist grandfather. Now donning a slick mask called Dead Gear, Romeo works as an FBI Space-Time special agent. Hunting down fugitives across multiple universes as the titular ‘Dead Man.’ Also, have we mentioned his grandpa now accompanies him as a living jacket patch? Yeah, that happens somehow.
Suda 51 promises Romeo Is a Dead Man to be Grasshopper Manufacture’s most brutal action yet. Players can freely swap between guns and swords while using enemy powers against them. Combat scenarios are said to be constantly ‘shifting’ between real-world subspace and chaotic multiverses. Once you’re locked in, over-the-top fights feel like they could collapse the entire universe at any moment.
When the going gets tough, Romeo Is a Dead Man gives players access to Bloody Summer. This skill is described as a ‘devastating instant-kill move’ powered by the blood of fallen enemies. Sounds like Ninja Gaiden 4‘s special crowd-clearing move.
But multiversal abominations and his wacky grandpa antics aren’t the only problem Romeo has to face. On top of the dimension-hopping carnage, the game weaves in a wild narrative as Romeo searches for his missing girlfriend, Juliet. Expect plenty of Suda 51’s trademark “wait, what?” moments and twists that may or may not make much sense, but will be absolutely entertaining.
With absurd storytelling, extreme violence, and pure Adult Swim energy, Romeo Is a Dead Man might be 2026’s weirdest — and highly anticipated — release. Suda 51 promises to showcase more details soon as the launch approaches.
