Stupid Never Dies Review Summary

Stylish art, fun gameplay, and excellent music shine through, but the missing lock-on, stiff combat, and repetitive loop hold it back.

Unique and stylish art direction: The art style is frequently praised as unique, gorgeous, and full of personality, with a punk aesthetic reminiscent of Suda51 and PS2-era vibes.

Overall fun and enjoyable: Many players find the game very fun and enjoyable overall, often describing it as a great and tightly knitted experience.

Excellent music and soundtrack: The music is amazing and considered among favorites, mixing 90s punk rock with No More Heroes style, and includes great BGM and theme songs.

Fun and smooth combat: Combat is frequently called fun, great, buttery smooth, and flexible, with satisfying parries and physics-based mechanics.

Absurd and campy story: The story is described as cute, silly, and fun, reminiscent of 2000s romcoms with campiness turned up to 10, and presented in a unique and cheeky way.

Missing lock-on system: Players repeatedly complain about the lack of lock-on, including active, directional, and Y-axis lock-on, which makes aiming and tracking enemies difficult. This is especially problematic for ranged combat and flying enemies.

Clunky and stiff combat: Combat feels clunky, stiff, and clumsy, especially in chaotic melees, and movement while fighting feels bad. Some describe it as mediocre or nothing special.

Repetitive gameplay loop: The game is repetitive, with a frustrating loop that repeats already-done tasks and feels designed to stretch limited content. The entire game can be seen in the first hour.

Roguelike nature undisclosed: The game is not open about being a roguelite; the roguelike nature is not mentioned in the description or tags, and store tags did not indicate it, leading to misleading advertising.

Limited content variety: The game offers limited variety in the longer scope: only 6 stages, 13 bosses, 11 styles, and repeats the same level over and over with a small hub in between. New settings and spectacles decrease rapidly after the mid-game.

Roguelike and roguelite classification: Many reviewers debate whether the game is a roguelike, roguelite, or dungeon crawler, often describing runs with roguelite elements.

Progression systems and build variety: Reviewers highlight multiple progression systems, including base XP multipliers, implants, talent resets, and build-forming elements that enrich future runs.

Repeating stages with new builds: The game follows a run-based structure with repeating levels, short quick runs, and new builds or areas unlocking as you progress.

Dungeon crawler exploration: It is described as a dungeon crawler with underground strata exploration to defeat monsters and a final boss, though some note map exploration is minimal.

Style transformations and switching: A core mechanic involves switching between different styles or transformations such as werewolf, lich, harpy, and cyclops, with skill variants available.

Strong PC performance reported: Multiple reviewers report the game runs smoothly with good optimization and zero issues. Performance is described as flawless and silky smooth at high settings.

High FPS at 1440p: Reviewers report high frame rates at 1440p, including around 100 FPS at native resolution with everything maxed and 99% GPU usage at 160-200+ FPS.

VRAM and smoothness concerns: One reviewer notes the full game does not run smoothly and states 8 GB of VRAM is required for smooth performance. This contrasts with other reports of flawless performance.

Try the demo first: Players recommend trying the demo before purchasing to see if the game suits them. This is especially advised for those hesitant about the price.

Wait for a discount: Several reviewers consider the game overpriced and advise waiting for a sale or deep discount before buying.

Overall positive recommendation: Many reviewers give a straightforward recommendation, expressing enjoyment and eagerness to continue playing.

Not for everyone: The game is not designed for all players, and those with higher standards for gaming might not enjoy it.

Niche appeal: zany story and style: The game is recommended for fans of eccentric characters, mischievous jokes, kitsch art, and a zany 2000s romcom vibe. Combat is fun but not deep.

Game completion: 20.0h.

Session length: 0.3h.

The game is reported to start slowly, with fun arriving once combat ramps up and progression steadiness helps. Repetition, short stages, and limited combat depth are recurring drags that can undercut the loop.

Friction: Slow opening before combat becomes fun; Repetitive dungeon structure; Short stages and combat spaces; Limited combat depth; Novelty wearing off into generic repetition.

Unlock drivers: Combat ramps up and becomes intense; Steady progression with no stuck feeling; Unlocking Julia's photos and posts provides a break after dives.

Combat Timing Tinkerer: Reactive defense, reading enemy tells, and testing combat timing. Motivation: Mastering parry, counter, and combo systems. Stance: buy.

Narrative Charm Seeker: Story-driven play centered on tone, humor, and narrative. Motivation: Enjoying silly writing and romance-focused story charm. Stance: buy.

Bombastic Action Spectacle Fan: Enthusiastic action play drawn to bombast and fun combat loops. Motivation: High-energy fun and familiar action-game spectacle. Stance: buy.

Action combat lacks depth: Combat is described as not deep, especially for genre veterans. It is compared to Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden but lacks their handling and lock-on.

Roguelike scope compared to Hades: The game's content scope is compared to Isaac and Hades, and it is not seen as a revolutionary entry. It is a half-roguelike, half-romance game full of charm.

Stylistic comparisons to Suda51: The game's style and vibe are compared to Lollipop Chainsaw and SUDA51, and its music to No More Heroes. The director is friends with Suda51.

PS2/PS3-era visual style: The art style and vibe are reminiscent of PS2 games and late 2000s PS3/360 titles. It has a 2000s aura and features kitsch art.

Developed by ex-Capcom veterans: The game is developed by studio GP Track 50, founded by former Capcom veterans and directed by Hiroyuki Kobayashi. It is published in partnership with SEGA.