Early Access games are notoriously a mixed bag. You’ve got games that have a wealth of content that keeps players engaged long enough until the next major update that introduces even more comes around. However, with every one of those, you have two or more games that offer so little that buying into its Early Access state feels like a mistake. I’ve sunk well over 10 hours into one such game that I think strikes a balance -- Dead as Disco.
Brain Jar Games’ rhythm romp had me hooked the moment I saw a video of someone playing it a few days ahead of its launch. A little fact about me is I am a sucker for rhythm games. I’ve spent countless hours playing Guitar Hero and Rockband with my brother or just solo. I’ve tried -- and failed -- to get into Osu!, and to top it all off, I am already a music lover, as evidenced by my last review being Mixtape. On top of my love for rhythm games, I also have a love for combat akin to the Arkham line; smooth, fluid combat where you zip from one foe to another.
Dead as Disco blends rhythm and Arkham combat together in such a way that it’s almost synonymous with it. I hear basically everyone -- myself included -- compare it to Hi-Fi Rush and Arkham games. I did this with my co-workers, for example. Fact of the matter, the real elevator pitch Brain Jar uses is more broad, as they probably are using it expecting people who aren’t gamers to give it a shot. Their elevator pitch was “John Wick action meets the musical synchronicity of Baby Driver.” To counter that, my elevator pitch to the average gamer would be “Hi-Fi Rush’s focus on music mixed with Batman Arkham’s combat fluidity.”
Disco's Dead
Dead as Disco follows Charlie Disco, a revived music icon who wants to get the band back together, but to do that, he has to knock some sense into his ex-bandmates who sold out to mega music corp, Harmony. That’s the core of the story, which again, is totally fine as the game is still being developed. Right now, it’s just a handful of Idols -- Hemlock, Prophet, Dex, and Arora -- you can face in any order you’d like. They give you some tasks to complete like retrieving a spray paint can for Hemlock from an alley or a bonsai tree from a skyscraper for Arora. This stuff gives us a little more into the character of each bandmate.
The style of Dead as Disco is soaked in tons of neon and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The style is eye-catching and I think the transition from Unity to Unreal Engine really played to its benefit to give it that extra bit of “oomf.”
I talked about what the gameplay is like, but in practice, how do you actually play? So, you fight a slurry of different enemies ranging from standard goons to shield-bearing crowd control units to teleporting doll-like figures that snipe you if you’re not careful. You have two options -- beat the crap out of them or beat the crap out of them but to the beat. This gives you more score for those who like to chase leaderboards.
Standard goons will always be able to be countered, but shield-bearers or their less sci-fi little brothers who just have a shock stick, will sometimes attack you with a move that you can’t counter -- only dodge. But, if you dodge at the right time, you can stagger them and finish them out right then and there. There’s also the Moshers, which will run at you and tackle you unless you dodge out of their way. They’re a lot easier to handle as not only are they a little finicky, sometimes not even hitting you, but also they can sometimes be attacked while they’re running.
In terms of modes, you can select an Idol or you can choose the Infinite Disco. The latter allows you to either complete challenges, earning customization options or increasing your Fans, which allows you to upgrade your skill tree -- yes, it has a skill tree. Brain Jar has effectively made an infinitely playable game, offering up the ability to upload your own music or using their mixture of licensed and streamer-friendly tracks.
Okay, Maybe Disco's Not Dead
While I’ve sunk so much time and will continue to sink so much time into Dead as Disco, I think the one concern I have is the use of licensed music so tied to the game. Look, I understand this is a rhythm game, you need licensed tracks, etc., but if you are to turn the streamer-friendly option on, it’s clear the songs on the docket are mostly licensed and while the Idols all have songs to account for it -- Subway Asylum, Faith, Rhythm Drive, etc. -- that’s just a fraction. It’s missing a core part of it, which I fear if Brain Jar lapses on renewing a contract years down the line for one reason or another.
Other than that little personal gripe, there’s also some polishing that will need to be done, which I have no doubt Brain Jar will do. There were a number of times when foes would just skyrocket into the air when I performed a finisher or the camera would lock onto the wrong enemy -- or nothing at all -- and I would either get punched in the back of the head or would be swinging at the air, losing my combo.I also think they could’ve done better with the voice cast, as there were instances where mixing could’ve been a lot better, which for a game so tied to music and audio, it kind of takes me out of it when the wrong thing is louder than the other.
Dead as Disco has the makings of a fantastic full experience based on the 16~ish hours I’ve played, but they need to beef up its streamer-friendly soundtrack, better polish, and perhaps fix up the audio. Even as I rank it, I can say for sure that this game will be a continuous rotation game for me, which is a rare sight to behold.
The Verdict
Dead as Disco (Early Access) Score: 8/10
Developer: Brain Jar Games
Publisher: Brain Jar Games
Reviewed on: PC
Available on: PC