Dead As Disco Early Access Review

Dead as Disco is a rhythm-action beat ’em up where you play as Charlie Disco, a deceased drummer with only one night to track down his former bandmates and uncover the truth behind his death. It’s a neon-soaked revenge story built around music, style, and face-first chaos, and the concept alone already sells the fantasy. Framed as a fallen icon trying to reclaim the spotlight from his former bandmates (aka “the Idols”) the story leans into themes of fame, betrayal, and identity in a world literally shaped by music. I love the whole vibe here, but the cool presentation should not fool anyone into thinking this is easy… some of these levels can be genuinely HARD to clear.

Dead as Disco is developed by Brain Jar Games. You can really feel that the team knows exactly what kind of game they want this to be, because the personality comes through in the combat, the soundtrack, and the presentation all at once. Even in Early Access, it already feels confident in its identity, especially with how tightly it commits to its core idea: every punch, kick, and combo syncing seamlessly to the music, turning each fight into what feels like a playable music video.

Charlie Disco is the heart of the game, and he has that “underdog with unfinished business” energy that makes him easy to root for. 

The Idols:

• Arora is my favorite purely off vibe: she feels like a glossy, AI-pop idol from another dimension, and the space-themed stage only makes her even cooler.
• Hemlock has that harsh punk-rock edge.
• Dex leans into full cybernetic heavy-metal menace.
• Prophet brings a more showy, lyrical swagger that makes every fight feel like a performance. Visually, his stage was my fave.

Each of these encounters feels like an “epic boss” moment, with their own signature tracks and styles. They’re former legends you’re taking down one by one, and personally I enjoyed every minute of it. There are other interesting characters sprinkled throughout as well, that add a tone of attitude and personality to the game.

This game is aesthetically pleasing in a way that makes you want to keep playing just to look at it. The neon-heavy art, flashy stage design, and music-video presentation all work together to make every fight feel like an event. I especially like how the soundtrack mixes original tracks with licensed songs and genres, including artists like i(dle) and bbno$, which helps the whole thing feel more alive and more varied. The original OST being streamer-safe is also a nice touch, especially if you’re thinking about content creation. It really leans into that multi-genre approach, so every level feels distinct instead of repetitive.

The combat is built around rhythm timing, which means your attacks, dodges, counters, and special moves all feel best when they land on the beat. That makes the game feel rhythmically satisfying in a way that hits hard if you love music games, especially because it keeps your hands and ears working together. It’s very much a “music + melee” system at its core, and when you’re in sync, it genuinely feels like you’re choreographing a fight. I also found it easy to play on keyboard and mouse, which is honestly my preference, though controller support would work well too.

Progression in levels adds another layer to that satisfaction. You can upgrade Charlie through a skill tree, unlocking new stylish attacks as you move through the story, and even start incorporating the signature moves of the Idols you defeat. It’s a cool feedback loop… Every victory not only pushes the story forward but also expands how you play, making Charlie feel stronger and more expressive over time. With Infinite Disco, there re dozens of fresh takes to songs and battles, keeping the replayability there. To fully complete the storyline, you'll definitely have to dabble in some challenges.

The current build includes a story mode that takes roughly four hours to reach the "end", with four main boss stages in place right now. If you dig into everything, there’s said to be about 15 hours of content through exploration, outfit unlocks, and skill purchases, so there’s already a decent amount to do beyond the main route. While the game currently doesn't feel like it has an end, more of a pause, that is on purpose... The roadmap is extensive! See the deets below. The customization side is surprisingly robust too: you can collect over-the-top fashion from across the Disco world and really lean into that “rockstar” identity. There’s also a hub space, called the Dive Bar, that you can personalize with memorabilia you collect, which slowly reveals more about what actually happened to the band.

I also really like that you can add your own music to the game, because that gives it a little Beat Saber energy in the best possible way. But it goes a bit further than that — you can actually edit music videos and shape your own gameplay spectacle around your tracks, which makes the whole thing feel like a user-generated content playground. It has that “UGC mosh pit” energy where modding and personalization feel like a natural extension of the experience, not just a bonus feature.

Dead as Disco already feels like a game that knows exactly who it is. The vibe is excellent, the combat feels good, and when everything locks together on beat, it gives that exact satisfied feeling rhythm game fans chase. It is not a walk in the park, though, and that difficulty actually works in its favor because it makes the victories feel earned. Even in Early Access, this is the kind of game I’d keep coming back to because the style, music, and gameplay loop all hit the right note. With so much more on the developer timeline, I am DOWN for some more disco.