Stop Button Mashing and Start Dancing: Dead as Disco Reviewed
Dead as Disco drops you headfirst into a neon-soaked, cel-shaded world where silence is a death sentence. It’s a rhythmic brawler that demands you find the groove or find yourself face-down on the dance floor. The stakes are simple: beat down bosses, re-establish your bar, and make sure every punch lands exactly on the beat.
[Specs] [Gameplay] [Performance] [Settings]
Dead as Disco Steam Review: Specs & HUD
- Download Size: 5.87GB on Steam.
- Achievement Support: Currently no achievements, but they are confirmed as coming soon.
- Save Slots: 3 dedicated save slots available.
- Multiplayer: Currently single player only, but a locked multiplayer mode suggests it is in the works.
- HUD Customisation: Robust options to toggle indicator visuals, health bars, input impact text, and beat rings.
- BB Mode: Included in the options, though the game doesn’t explicitly explain what this is.
Gameplay Review & Mechanics Breakdown
Dead as Disco is a rhythm action battler that plays out in full 3D arenas with a 360-degree camera. You start with a tutorial section followed by ongoing pop-ups that keep you in the loop. The core of the game is playing to the beat; your punches, kicks, and special attacks all work in tandem to create the game’s noise. It’s got serious depth with a full moves list reminiscent of high-level fighting games, all accessible from the pause menu. You can chain attacks into massive combos, and you’ll need to master dodging and parrying to keep that counter climbing and avoid losing health, though you can find heart containers to patch yourself up.
Between the violence, you head back to your bar/club hub to spend the game’s currency (Fans) on upgrades and new items to re-establish the venue. You see these changes in real-time as you walk around the hub. There’s a skill tree where you can unlock new abilities, equipping up to four at a time. The game features six self-contained levels ending in big boss battles, which actually adds those bosses to your club area once defeated. While the built-in soundtrack is excellent, the real draw is importing your own music. You can edit the BPM and timing via simple menus to get it tight, but keep in mind that custom tracks are restricted to the “Infinite Disco” endless wave mode, which is a bit of a letdown compared to the base levels. There’s also a massive list of challenges to tackle for new music and rewards.
Dead as Disco Steam Review: Performance & Fidelity
- Visual Style: Amazing cel-shaded graphics with incredible style throughout.
- Technical Performance: The game runs smoothly and is very accessible.
- Responsiveness: Controls are very tight and responsive, which is vital for this genre.
- Camera: Full 360-degree camera control in 3D fight arenas.
- Handheld Support: Includes a specific “optimise for handheld mode” setting.
Settings, Customisation & Control Details
- Video Settings: Window mode, v-sync, auto set quality, and quality presets.
- Audio Options: Sliders for dialogue, SFX, music, and overall volume; includes mute in background and streamer safe mode.
- Controller Support: Full controller support with vibration toggle and button icon choices.
- Input Tweaks: Invert axis and sensitivity sliders for both camera and mouse, plus deadzone sliders and a camera shake strength slider.
- Control Mapping: Mouse and keyboard can be remapped, but you cannot remap the controller buttons.
- On-Screen Aids: Visual button prompts are available to help with dodging and parrying.
Related Gert Lush Gaming Reviews
Dead as Disco Steam Review
Summary
GOOD STUFF
The cel-shaded graphics are amazing and give the whole experience such an awesome style. I loved the rhythm action battler gameplay where your punches and kicks actually make the noise in the game, and the controls are tight enough to keep it feeling responsive. Being able to see your club hub change in real-time as you spend fans and upgrade the place is a great touch, and seeing defeated bosses hang out in your area is cool. The built-in soundtrack is excellent, but having the option to import your own tracks and tweak the BPM makes the “Infinite Disco” mode a huge win for replayability. Plus, the HUD customisation is deep, letting you pick exactly what visuals and beat rings you want on screen.
BAD STUFF
It’s definitely irritating that you can’t listen to your own music in the main base game levels, as it’s locked to the infinite mode. It also took me a while to really get into the combo flow and get my personal music synced up so it actually sounded right, and the menus don’t give you much help with that process. Not being able to remap the controller buttons is a bit of a miss for a game that relies so much on timing and comfort. Also, the BB mode is just sitting there in the menus without any explanation of what it actually does.
FINAL VERDICT
Dead as Disco is a stylish, punchy rhythm brawler that rewards players who can actually hold a beat. While the restriction on custom music in the main campaign is a bit of a letdown, the tight combat and fighting-game level move sets keep it engaging. It runs smoothly, looks incredible, and is very accessible for anyone looking to mix combat with a killer soundtrack. If you want a brawler with genuine grit and soul, this is a solid beat to follow.
