The debut title from Brain Jar Games, Dead as Disco is a stylish beat ’em up where martial arts and rhythm go hand in hand. Here are our impressions based on what we’ve been able to try.
Dead as Disco immediately stands out as a game with a strong identity and visual style. Colorful and highly distinctive, it still draws from an aesthetic that has become well established across various artistic fields. Given these premises, the game shines through its personality and clear authorial vision, suggesting a well-structured and carefully planned project behind it.
How does the game present itself?
A mix of disco music (but not only that), blended with a neon cyberpunk aesthetic featuring extremely vibrant tones.
This also carries over into the gameplay: a beat ’em up that at times recalls Sifu, while at others it leans toward the tradition of stylish action games and classic side-scrollers.
To be clear, Dead as Disco doesn’t reach the same level of challenge as Sifu, but it still promises to be a very satisfying experience.
The game’s real strength lies in the fusion of martial arts and rhythm. Each track, with its BPM (beats per minute), affects the flow of gameplay (not its speed or responsiveness). Animations sync with the music, setting the pace for both combat and level progression.
A brief look at the developers and preview content
Brain Jar Games is a development studio founded in 2024 by AAA industry veterans from BioWare, Super Evil Megacorp, and Trion Worlds. The team aims to create high-adrenaline gameplay experiences designed to be shared with friends. This vision led to their first project: Dead as Disco.
The preview build allowed us to take on three boss fights from the game’s storyline, along with the Infinite Disco mode, a classic wave-based arena mode.
Is disco dead?
From a historical standpoint, if we’re referring to the disco scene of the ’70s and iconic clubs like Studio 54, the answer would be yes.
However, Brain Jar Games attempts to revive that spirit, reimagining it in a modern context.
Let’s start with the soundtrack: in the stages we played, each level is built around a full-fledged track. Music becomes a core gameplay element, shaping both the structure and the pacing of the experience.
While rooted in disco, the soundtrack incorporates elements of rap, hip hop, punk rock, soul, and neo-soul. Each genre helps define the atmosphere and complexity of the levels.
Visually, the game blends urban and suburban elements with neon cyberpunk influences, at times reaching abstract territory, especially during boss fights, without ever losing its visual coherence.
Combat system
Dead as Disco places a strong emphasis on hand-to-hand combat, featuring a scoring system typical of stylish action games. Animations are well crafted, and the protagonist’s moveset changes depending on the player’s timing.
Properly responding to enemy attacks at the right moment triggers different animations and varying damage outputs.
Controls are fairly simple:
- attack (for combos)
- parry
- dodge
- finisher
The system rewards perfect parries and dodges. Certain enemy attacks trigger an icon reminiscent of rhythm games: hitting it with proper timing results in spectacular actions. For instance, after a perfect dodge, pressing the attack button launches a powerful charged strike.
The finisher becomes available once an enemy’s health drops below a certain threshold.
Despite its accessibility, the system includes more advanced mechanics tied to two meters: Fever Rush and Execution.
Fever Rush allows players to chain together attacks while quickly closing the distance to enemies, maintaining combo flow.
Execution, once a skull-shaped meter is filled, enables players to instantly defeat standard or elite enemies (but not bosses), regardless of their remaining health.
Boss fights
One of the most impressive aspects of the preview is the boss fights, where both the artistic vision and the combat spectacle truly shine.
Bosses are charismatic figures, idolized by their audience to the point of appearing almost divine. Their designs are striking, and their movesets revolve around complex dodge and parry patterns, always aligned with the rhythm-based gameplay.
Executing actions with perfect timing triggers unique animations, further enhancing the sense of spectacle.
From a gameplay perspective, these encounters unfold across multiple phases. Progression between phases is tied to depleting a “strain” bar located beneath the health bar. Only in the final phase do players focus solely on reducing the boss’s health, leading up to a scripted finishing move.
My two cents
It’s worth noting that Dead as Disco was played in a preview build and is set to launch in early access on May 5, 2026.
Based on what we experienced, the overall impression is very positive. There’s still work to be done, but the foundation feels solid and well thought out.
The game strongly emphasizes spectacle, both visually and mechanically. The combat system, in particular, thrives on speed, rhythm, and BPM, and once mastered, it loosely resembles the free-flow combat seen in the Batman Arkham games. Each enemy requires a different approach, and perfect timing is consistently rewarded.
The soundtrack, featuring high-quality tracks (and including a streamer-friendly mode), integrates seamlessly with the gameplay. Even basic attacks, when performed in sync with the music, provide visual feedback and score bonuses, encouraging a more deliberate and less button-mashy playstyle.
Finally, the game includes a feature that allows players to import their own tracks into the Infinite Disco mode.
A small but exciting addition that opens the door to highly personalized experiences.
I can’t wait to fight to the beat of one of my own songs.
Dead as Disco will launch in early access on May 5, 2026.
A thank you to Brain Jar Games and Pirate PR for providing us with a key to create this preview.
