Developed by former Capcom veterans at GPTRACK50, Stupid Never Dies looks to be a promising action RPG that combines the fast-paced combat of games like Devil May Cry with the addictive randomness of roguelike titles such as Dead Cells and Hades. While its First Bite Demo showcases a good chunk of what’s in store, some players may find its slow opening and occasionally awkward combat take some getting used to.
The demo’s intro helps set the scene, but it takes some time to get to the gameplay
The first 30 minutes of the demo move at a relatively slow pace, with several cutscenes and dialogue establishing the world’s tone, art style, and story. These initial sections are broken up by short bursts of linear, scripted combat sequences, meaning there’s relatively little opportunity to freely engage with the game’s core mechanics. Players eager to get straight into the action may find the amount of exposition at the start a little lengthy. However, those looking to sink their teeth into the lore will appreciate what is essentially the entire intro of the full release, presened through a mix of in-game cutscenes and what appears to be handmade artistic videos.
To put things into perspective, there are two points early on where you have to slowly shuffle to an objective in the Shopping Mall hub area. There is no way to skip these sections, as you’re require to take in your surroundings while simply holding the movement input. While these moments help establish the setting, they do temporarily take the focus away from the game’s sense of urgency and leave little room for players to move on at their own pace.
After getting past the initial tutorial and a flashback with some more exposition, the demo gradually starts to open up. You are given pretty much an unlimited number of runs to put the combat system through its paces, with progress carrying through to the full game.
Multiple attack options let you choose how you want to fight enemies
Davy has seven offense options: regular attack, special attack, Bite, Style Skill, Instant Skill, Davy Burst, and OT Active Skill. The first six options are tied to Davy’s ability to Bite enemy cores, which spawn after dealing enough damage to foes.
Biting cores restores health from recoverable damage (more on that later) and grants access to abilities. While biting weak enemy cores only gives you access to a one-time-use Instant Skill (which can be upgraded by biting more cores of the same type), biting elite enemy cores yields a Style that allows you to transform into them for a limited number of dungeon layers. You always have access to zombie style.
While transformed, you can use enemies’ regular and special attacks, as well as their Style Skills. For example, biting a harpy core gives you access to the harpy style, which allows you to fire ranged projectiles, execute quick dashes, and shoot a storm of barbs.
Gameplay incentivizes you to bite as many enemies as you can. Not only does it restore health from recoverable damage and give you access to enemy abilities, but biting enough enemies grants access to Davy Burst, which allows you to enter a super-powered state for a short time. Davy Burst only becomes available towards the end of the demo.
Lastly, the OT Active Skill is a supplementary attack that can be equipped and upgraded from the hub area. Most of them have long cooldowns to offset their power, but they’re still useful additions to weave into combat.
Defensive options are deliberately limited
When it comes to defense, the Stupid Parry is the only option available to you at all times (the demo doesn’t provide a dodge unless you’re using the harpy style’s quick dashes). Given that the developers intentionally set out to design an offense-heavy battle system (being an undead zombie doesn’t give you much incentive to defend yourself), parrying and biting enemies to restore health are the main ways to stay alive.
Stupid Parries don’t prevent all damage from enemy attacks, though your health will never reach zero when performing them. Rather, they deflect most damage and convert it into recoverable damage, which can be restored by biting enemies. Recoverable damage slowly turns to real damage over time, encouraging you to keep biting enemies to maintain your health (just like a zombie). Successful Stupid Parries against enemy Heat Attacks (colored yellow) also allow for Stupid Impacts, which give you a chance to counterattack.
Despite their importance to the combat system, however, Stupid Parries don’t always feel as satisfying or responsive in the demo as their role might suggest. They have little to no startup animation, but the overall feel of the combat can make it difficult to tell when you’ve successfully performed one.
Combat can take some getting used to
Given the game’s focus on combat, the overall feel of its action may take some adjustment. The style meter shown in an early trailer is nowhere to be found in the demo, while lengthy attack animations can sometimes make attacks feel less responsive than you’d like them to be. This is more noticeable when fighting airborne enemies, as you’ll often need to jump toward them and time your attacks so that the enemy is still within range when the animation finishes.
One of the more significant limitations of the demo’s combat is the lack of a lock-on feature. With no way to single out enemies, you have to manually steer Davy in the direction you want your attacks and parries to land. This works reasonably well against bosses or smaller groups of enemies, but many stages place multiple enemies across different areas, making it easier to miss attacks or take hits.
Understandably, Stupid Never Dies appears to be drawing from the appeal of 2000-2010-era action games. However, the precision required for some of its attacks and parries (including the ranged projectiles available through the aforementioned harpy style), combined with its somewhat unforgiving health system, means the combat would benefit from a little more responsiveness and accuracy than the demo currently offers.
Roguelike elements are woven into nearly every part of gameplay
On a positive note, the roguelike elements that set Stupid Never Dies apart from other action RPGs are on full display. From the zombie skills you choose when reaching certain levels to the stages you visit, each aspect of a run is different and incentivizes you to adapt accordingly. While the power-ups you obtain during a run disappear when you die, the currencies and crafting materials acquired upon visiting a Landing Area (a randomized rest area where you can swap OT gear, replenish your health and Bite gauge, and obtain limited buffs)carry over when you return to the Shopping Mall hub.
The First Bite Demo has a surprising amount of replayable content once make it through its slower opening. While the combat can feel cumbersome at times (especially without a lock-on feature), those looking to get a head start on the full game will find plenty to upgrade and experiment with.
Stupid Never Dies is set to release on October 22 for Windows (Steam) and PlayStation 5. The First Bite demo is available on both platforms.
