Dead as Disco is easily one of the best indie games I’ve ever played — and after 20 hours of demo, it beats the ‘brilliant’ Hi-Fi Rush in one major way

Beat 'em up games have come a long way over many decades of PC and console gaming, with a wide range of them delivering unique experiences.

Capcom, Sega, Konami, and several popular developers have helped define the genre with classic titles like God Hand, Streets of Rage, and Final Fight, many of which are lauded as the best beat 'em up games ever made.

Fortunately, the genre is still alive and kicking, notably in 2024's Hi-Fi Rush made by Tango Gameworks. It's a title that gained so much critical acclaim, as it channeled the spirit of beloved action games with a unique beat sync system that would follow the player's movements and attacks.

This made every single combat encounter fun, allowing you to jam to the game's music in style, while pulling off numerous combos that are very reminiscent of what Capcom's Devil May Cry had to offer — which might not be a surprise, considering the presence of Shinji Mikami, a former Capcom developer (and notably Resident Evil 4's creator), who approved creative director John Johanas' original pitch for the beat 'em up game.

Fast forward to 2026, and a new beat 'em up contender is in town, made by Brain Jar Games. It's a spiritual successor to Hi-Fi Rush called Dead as Disco.

Just like Tango Gameworks' surprise hit, Dead as Disco is a fast-paced, stylish, and beautiful action-rhythm game, with combat syncing to every single beat as the music thumps through speakers.

It's launching in early access on May 5 on Steam, and having put 20 hours of playtime solely into its demo, Dead as Disco is shaping up to be a complete step up from Hi-Fi Rush, and it's all because of one big factor...

You can add your playlist to the game

Yes, you read that right. Brain Jar Games has quite literally implemented a system that allows players to upload their favorite tracks and edit the beats per minute (BPM) of each song to play them in game. The BPM of songs can be easily found using SongBPM, or if you prefer to find the BPM of your custom MP3, Tunebat is your best friend.

Every arena combat encounter will have music almost perfectly synced (if edited correctly) with the main character Charlie Disco's attacks, and this mechanic alone should be enough to let Dead as Disco surpass Hi-Fi Rush.

Custom songs effectively create infinite replay value, as there will always be new music to add and test, and feel every beat with each move. When playing songs with a low BPM, you'll feel the slow and groovy beat through combat. Find a song with a very high BPM, and the speed of combat skyrockets.

It also helps that there are numerous dance moves and taunts already available, providing extra style on the dance floor, and the modding community has taken it a step further with different character models to choose from.

Whether or not a song syncs well with combat will entirely depend on the player's timing of attacks, which can be helped by using the optional beat indicator, also found in Hi-Fi Rush. It's also worth noting that some songs are nearly impossible to sync perfectly, notably those that constantly change rhythm (especially Michael Jackson's greatest hits).

Fortunately, though, there are tools already available in the demo that allow players to fine-tune songs via offset adjustments, or even alter the chosen BPM if the genuine one isn't flowing well.

The demo has received updates over time since its May 2025 release, and I have no doubts that the developers will strive to make many adjustments to perfect the audio editing system once early access is underway.

Dead as Disco is easily one of the most promising indie games this generation, and the best indie game of the year so far in my books. It's already stacking up rave reviews on Steam with an 'overwhelmingly positive' score for its demo, a feat that's notably reserved for the highest tier of games on the platform.

At this rate, it's poised to be one of the biggest releases this year, and frankly, deserves far more recognition than it currently has.

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