A lot of action games are secretly rhythm games. You may not be fighting along to a beat in, say, Elden Ring, but you’re still very much following a tempo set by a boss and taking part in a carefully choreographed dance. Dead as Disco, a radical new musical action game that just launched into early access via Steam, is here to turn the volume up on that idea — and kick its ass into next week.
Developed by Brain Jar Games, Dead as Disco is a perfect fusion of a beat-’em-up and a rhythm game. As Charlie Disco, a hero on a quest to lay the smackdown on some evil idols, you pummel waves of enemies and fierce bosses to the beat of songs. It’s not unlike 2023’s fantastic Hi-Fi Rush, but placed into a high-score-chasing arcade game built for those who want to light up the leaderboards. While the early access version only feels like a sneak peek at what’s to come, the high-energy kung fu brawling already makes for one heck of a party.
Your main objective in Dead as Disco is to defeat each idol by beating their themed stage. (There’s even a bit of Mega Man DNA in how you gain new powers by defeating each boss.) You’ll fight through some enemies, dodge rogue train cars, and bask in some psychedelic visuals until you face off against the big boss in a tense showdown. There’s a story about Charlie trying to survive a musical cyberpunk world, but there’s not much to it yet in the early access build. The premise is mostly there to set up a neon-tinged world beat-’em-up where music is king.
The real draw is Dead as Disco’s combat, which brings the free-flowing brawls of the Batman: Arkham series into a rhythm game. The goal is to smack enemies on the beat as best you can, performing counters and takedowns in time with the music. One punch doesn’t just equate to a single beat, though. The action is dynamic, with your fists mapping to the music in multi-hit rhythmic sequences that turn you into a full-on percussionist. It doesn’t take long to get the hang of the basics, due to some generous timing windows and telegraphed counter prompts. So long as you can hit your moves quickly enough when prompted, you’ll get to see Charlie turn your inputs into musical kung fu.
Boss fights are the real test of those skills. You’ll need to dodge, counter, deflect missiles, and more during a long, visually dazzling battle that requires your full attention. It almost feels like a Dark Souls fight, considering how closely you’re paying attention to your enemy’s rhythm, but the clever trick is that you’re actually clearing a song like you would in any rhythm game. So long as you can keep up with the music, hit your marks, and lay in damage when you can, you can conquer each boss and make your mark on a global leaderboard.
There’s more depth to the combat, too. Each boss unlocks its own skill tree, giving Charlie more tools he can use in battle. You’ll get the ability to toss a drumstick and then zip to the enemy you threw it at, perform windmill kicks, and unleash an electrical blast that can stun a group of enemies. That progression loop gives you more incentive to go back and try a stage again, working in some new instruments in order to crank up your score.
It all feels snappy and satisfying so far, though I’ll be interested to see how it evolves on the road to its planned 1.0 launch in 2027. At the moment, Dead as Disco sports a killer combat system, but the narrative backbone is lacking. I don’t know much about who Charlie or his enemies are, nor do I have a sense of the wider world I’m in yet. The current roadmap promises that “more narrative arcs” are coming, so I’m hopeful that will fill in some of the gaps down the line.
The soundtrack could use some additional work, too. While there’s a fun stage built around a cover of Michael Sembello’s “Maniac,” the rest of the playlist in the main levels consists of standard electronic fare with a dash of K-pop and brassy hip-hop. None of it stands out too much, and the songs mostly serve as inoffensive backdrops to punch along to. Thankfully, Dead as Disco allows you to import your own songs into the game, which feels like the real appeal long-term. If Brain Jar Games can court the same kind of scene that helped give Rift of the NecroDancer some extra kick via Steam Workshop, it could have some long legs — and long legs are great for roundhouse kicking.
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