Throughout Gamescom 2025 final week in Cologne, Germany, I went hands-on with No Extra Heroes developer Grasshopper Manufacture’s upcoming motion sport, Romeo Is A Lifeless Man, and got here away with extra questions than solutions (however in the easiest way doable). Fortuitously, I instantly transitioned from my hands-on preview to a sofa, the place I sat throughout from the sport’s director, Goichi Suda AKA Suda51, and his interpreter, and requested him the brand new questions I had.
However first, let me set the scene of my demo: earlier than gameplay started, I watched a fast intro you’ve possible seen within the sport’s reveal trailer that reveals Romeo die, then be resurrected and changed into an area cop/FBI agent/professional mercenary/cyborg hybrid. From right here, I used to be delivered to a display screen with three impeccably designed goodies. I forgot the title of the primary chocolate (and sadly didn’t write it down), nevertheless it represented the sport’s simple mode; the orange chocolate I selected represented regular, and the ginger-infused chocolate was the sport’s exhausting mode. I used to be then thrust proper into the motion.
I’m not fairly positive the place I used to be, nevertheless it was harking back to a junk yard; grey, foggy, and swarmed with zombies and different monstrous creatures Romeo wanted to kill. Doing so was a blast, due to a fight system that feels quick, fluid, and visceral, with a big number of weaponry to make use of. I used a machine gun, a pistol, a grasshopper-shaped rocket launcher, and a fusion rifle, of kinds, in addition to a katana-like sword, a colossal two-handed sword, and extra. All of them are simply accessible with a combo of buttons tied to the d-pad. I like that every gun has a unique really feel, and that every melee weapon options its personal moveset, all within the title of dismembering and beheading hordes of zombies and all the things else that stands in the way in which of Romeo.
Romeo Is A Lifeless Man was, by far, the bloodiest demo I noticed throughout Gamescom, and I previewed greater than two dozen video games, together with Resident Evil Requiem. Regardless of the gallons and gallons of blood, although, it comes off comedically slightly than horrifically, due to the sport’s visible aptitude.
After I mowed down sufficient enemies on this junkyard-like space, I warped into our on-line world, one other visually distinct a part of the sport with its personal narrative ties. There was a boss on the finish of this space, however I wasn’t capable of attain it as my time to interview Suda51 had arrived. Earlier than diving into what I discovered from my interview, I’ll shut out my preview ideas right here by saying I proceed to develop more and more intrigued by what the hell Romeo Is A Lifeless Man is doing every time I see and play it. It’s exhausting to clarify what this sport is, however that’s a part of its allure, and I can’t wait to learn how all its seemingly disparate items join when it launches subsequent 12 months.
Discussing Romeo Is A Lifeless Man And Grasshopper Manufacture With Suda51
Recreation Informer’s Wesley LeBlanc: There’s a lot happening in Romeo Is A Lifeless Man, however from a broad strategy, what are the inspirations behind the sport?
Suda51: You will have seen enjoying a little bit of the sport, however a couple of of the primary influences and inspirations for the sport are Again to the Future and Rick and Morty, which itself was impressed by Again to the Future. We needed to do one thing with house time and time journey, and the entire thing began off with seeking to these two properties.
There are such a lot of distinct artwork kinds in Romeo Is A Lifeless Man. What are among the inspirations behind that?
So far as the artwork and visible model go, that facet of the sport didn’t have a lot to do with the [Back to the Future and Rick and Morty] influences. The place that got here from was mainly, I needed to ensure all of the employees members engaged on the sport had been capable of do their greatest and what they’re greatest at.
For the artwork, if we have now one employees member good at Western-style comedian ebook artwork, I’d say, “I need you to attract this scene, it’d look actually nice together with your model.” Anyone else is admittedly good at a unique model, and I might consider a scene for that particular person specifically to work on. It was about discovering a correct rhythm for every scene, matching the content material of the scene and what the characters are doing, and the way it may very well be portrayed greatest.
I attempt to match up all of the members of the employees to a scene, allow them to do one of the best at what they do, and jamming all of it collectively.
That’s a really completely different director strategy from what I hear about studios within the West. What’s your philosophy behind that directorial model and letting folks do issues in their very own imaginative and prescient?
It’s fairly easy, actually. So far as my philosophy goes, I need it to be enjoyable. We wish to make enjoyable video games that individuals like enjoying, and we wish all the things about sport growth to be enjoyable, too. In sport growth, there’s plenty of heavy s*** to take care of, exhausting occasions to take care of, so I needed not simply enjoying the sport to be enjoyable, however the growth and creation of it to be as enjoyable as doable, too.
I lay out my concepts in conferences, and we would have some planning, however I let folks from any division discuss, tweak variations of concepts, and create a collaborative course of. Anybody can cross out concepts, mix one thing to make new concepts, or take separate concepts and switch them into various things. We attempt to make it as enjoyable as doable, and I need everybody to have as a lot enjoyable as they will creating the sport. We would like them to know their opinions are heard and revered.
Romeo Is A Lifeless Man director Suda51 and editor Wesley LeBlanc at Gamescom 2025
How do you think about sport steadiness with that strategy?
Lots of sport builders don’t like considering like this, as a result of it’d “destroy the steadiness of the sport” if there are too many concepts. I don’t care about that personally; I need the sport to be enjoyable and attention-grabbing. So far as steadiness goes, I’ll deal with that ultimately. When you’ve got a good suggestion, let all people know, and ultimately, I’ll be certain that all the things is as balanced as doable.
I believe the crew we’ve put collectively, they belief me to deal with that steadiness, which is why they be happy to place out completely different concepts they’ve. They’ll belief in me. Stability might be one of many issues I’m greatest at as a sport developer – taking all these concepts that may not appear associated, and balancing them.
Are you able to discuss to me concerning the course of behind the sport’s fight design?
So far as the fight goes, that was really primarily as much as certainly one of our lead programmers, Toru Hironaka, who has been at Grasshopper for years. I form of left the fight and normal motion as much as him as a result of I do know he is aware of what he’s doing.
From the start, I knew there have been going to be gun-type weapons and sword-type weapons, and I needed to make each interesting. I knew we needed to make them enjoyable to make use of and as attention-grabbing as some other weapon, so I talked with Hironaka and stated, ‘These are the techniques and motion I need, do what you do greatest.” I had different employees members give enter, too.
So far as the motion stuff goes, it’s primarily Hironaka main, however as an entire, [Romeo Is A Dead Man] got here collectively the way in which it did by the ability of teamwork. It’s by no means only one man doing all the things by himself.
The time between your final launch and Romeo Is A Lifeless Man [due out in 2026] is the longest in growth historical past at Grasshopper Manufacture. Why?
The primary cause it took so lengthy is timing, mainly. For instance, proper round once we began on Romeo Is A Lifeless Man, it was proper concerning the time we left GungHo Leisure and joined NetEase, and we elevated employees members, and it took them time to get used to how we do issues and vice versa. Additionally, up by No Extra Heroes III, we labored on Unreal Engine 4, however Romeo Is A Lifeless Man is being developed in Unreal Engine 5, so our first 12 months growing [Romeo Is A Dead Man], it was folks studying Unreal Engine 5, studying the right way to work with one another, studying how the corporate works, and everybody getting used to one another and all the things.
That’s the most important cause it took so lengthy. It’s not essentially that the sport is large, and it wasn’t the worst doable timing; all the things simply occurred on the cut-off date that will lead to us taking essentially the most time to get the sport finished.
Romeo Is A Lifeless Man launches someday subsequent 12 months on PlayStation 5, Xbox Sequence X/S, and PC.
Supply: Recreation Informer
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