Romeo Is a Dead Man is a chaotic and funny sci-fi adventure

Oh Romeo's grandpa, wherefore shattered thou the space-time continuum?

For a dead man, Space-Time Special Agent Romeo sure leads an interesting life. Playing as a crazy scientist's grandson in the third-person action adventure game Romeo Is a Dead Man, fighting grotesque mutants, boarding FBI spaceships, and strolling through alternate dimensions is just your average workday.

It's not easy to explain Romeo Is a Dead Man's premise, but having played the game's first two chapters, I'll give it a shot: Starting life as a regular lad, Romeo meets a girl named Juliet (yes, really), and develops a crush. Then Romeo's grandpa shatters space-time, and Romeo becomes a nearly-dead man before Gramps jams a syringe in his eyeball, making him a (semi-)living man once again. In the meantime, however, Juliet has disappeared.

Now an upset man, Romeo joins the FBI as a Space-Time Agent, hunting down criminals under the nomer "Dead Man." While working as an intergalactic cop, Romeo continues the search for his girlfriend, but so far, he's only found alternate, mutated versions of Juliet who are way too eager to kill him. Oh, and Gramps died while saving Romeo, but that's okay, because he turned into Romeo's talking jacket, or something like that. Are you still following?

Rather than being told linearly, this info is drip-fed throughout the first chapter in the form of unexpected interruptions and cutscenes. This makes Romeo Is a Dead Man's storytelling just as chaotic as it sounds, and as a result, my opinion changed from "I don't get it" to a hesitant "like" before ultimately settling on "I love this" during the first hour of gameplay. The frequent changes of scenery and time-jumps took some getting used to, but also kept me on the edge of my seat.

What truly drew me in, though, wasn't the story itself but the way it's told, in its exceedingly humorous and flashy style. Between matter-of-fact statements like "The current president is controlled by a 5th-generation AI implanted by the Space-Time King" and "Romeo, listen up… You're gonna die in about 15 seconds," I've had more than a few laughs in the game's opening sequence alone.

Naturally, an excessive story must be supported by excessive visuals, and Romeo Is a Dead Man will plunge you into a dark, 3D dream sequence before switching to a trippy cubical dimension and back again, all while serving some edgy manga pages, colorful cartoons, retro comics, and 2D pixelated space ship visits on the side. My favorite part so far was a comic-style cutscene featuring a Juliet impostor, which showcased beautifully animated "moving" panels (think of a crackling campfire on an otherwise static page) before culminating in a boss fight.

Perhaps even more deserving of the term "excessive," however, is the game's combat. Romeo Is a Dead Man calls itself an "extremely bloody sci-fi action buffet," which is an accurate description, but blood and gore are always accompanied by sparkles, flashes, and even confetti effects. Combine that with swift movement options, various special attacks, and multiple melee and ranged weapon options, and you've got a blood-tingling party. But if that doesn't sound unique enough to you, take note of Romeo Is a Dead Man's so-called "bastards," which are space-grown minions (planted and harvested by you) whom you can use to perform special attacks on the enemy.

While the first minutes of gameplay had me wondering about Romeo Is a Dead Man's difficulty level, soon enough, I was presented with a box of chocolates and the request to pick one: White, milk, or orange-flavored. Assuming this was an item or passive buff, I'd almost grabbed one without a second thought, but as a pop-up warned me, the chocolates represent the game's difficulty level — and this choice is permanent. With white being the easiest and orange the hardest, milk chocolate seemed the wisest option, and I don't regret it; at "medium" difficulty, the first major boss fight was challenging enough without triggering feelings of frustration.

Admittedly, I only beat this boss (a gargantuan, wobbly creature who relied on stomping attacks and fiery blasts) on the third attempt. Having previously ignored my healing ability and ultimate attack, the boss swiftly demonstrated their importance by turning Romeo into a dead man within minutes. So in the next two fights, I quickly shot the boss's weak points and slashed its ankles one or two times before dashing away, slowly filling the ultimate attack gauge.

While learning attack patterns and careful timing form the key to victory, I was also given a bit of help; my first (and subsequent) death brought me to a wheel of fortune, which I could spin to obtain a random buff before respawning. I was lucky enough to draw "increased attack power," which made me instantly forgive Romeo Is a Dead Man for its rather disturbing death screen (molten faces make me a bit nauseous, you see).

Romeo Is a Dead Man keeps bombarding me with (un)welcome surprises and cheeky nonsense, and so far, I love it to death. I'm always up for some sci-fi action, but games featuring silly stories riddled with twists and turns are even better, and this one has both. Whether the game retains its unpredictable nature throughout its duration remains to be seen, but I've already pledged my support to Romeo — I'll help this semi-living, grandpa-wearing oddball find his Juliet if it's the last thing I'll do. Sad man no more!

Romeo Is a Dead Man is scheduled for release on PC (Steam), Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 on February 11.