Stupid Never Dies Review: Stupendous Ambitions of an Undead Loverboy

Headed by renowned former Capcom veteran Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Stupid Never Dies is a bold and rare venture in today’s gaming landscape. In an era where corporate funding favors only foolproof projects, experimental titles are scarce. Few are willing to risk multi-million-dollar investments on entirely new ideas. Stupid Never Dies is one such concept—quirky and unusual—but despite its ambition, the execution falls short of fully delivering on its promise.

Stupid Never Dies is an action-RPG with roguelike elements, developed by GPTRACK50, the studio founded by former Capcom producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi. It was published by GPTRACK50 and Sega for PlayStation 5 and Steam on October 21, 2026.

Weak, Stupid, Dead and In-Love

Stupid Never Dies puts you in the shoes of a weak-ass dim-witted zombie named `Davy’ who is hopelessly in love with a girl named ‘Julia’ who is frozen and mostly likely dead. In this world, a catastrophic “Great War” between humans and monsters wiped out 98% of humanity and erased human knowledge. Monsters now rule the surface, with zombies sitting at the very bottom of the social hierarchy.

Runt of the survival race, Davy’s fortunes change when he encounters Dr. Frank Steiner, who is genuinely astonished that, unlike other zombies, Davy refuses to consume humans despite their dependence on him for sustenance. By accident, Davy devours a bizarre and repulsive phoenix egg, granting him the unique “Style Eat” ability to absorb the cores of defeated elite monsters, acquire their powers, and transform. The doctor proposes a deal: if Davy helps defeat KOM (King of Monsters)—the villain responsible for humanity’s destruction—by venturing into a constantly evolving, monster-infested underworld dungeon, he will aid in bringing Julia back to life.

Overall, it’s a delightfully irreverent take on hopeless romantic comedy, presented as a wacky B-grade movie satire. It has its moments; it attempts to captivate the audience feels more like an indulgent journey down a rabbit hole, devouring monsters for their power and exploring the newly established hierarchy. The opening pace is quite slow, and at times I almost gave up, but fortunately, later sections introduce changes that make the game more manageable.

Flushed in the Toilet, Down the Rabbit Hole

At its core, Stupid Never Dies is a dungeon crawler that turns a dimwitted zombie into a formidable monster hunter in the underground. Its roguelike loop is straightforward: Davy, who moves as slowly as a sloth on the surface and requires a remote vacuum cleaner to navigate the mall, becomes an entirely different creature when flushed down the toilet and thrust into the monsters’ domain. His trips to the underground are runs where he must complete specific objectives within a time limit to avoid permanent death, even though he’s technically already dead.

As Davy progresses through more floors and defeats additional bosses, unlocking significant XP boosts and new weapons that he can attach to his limbs. There is also another zombie waitress who can provide consumables to help you survive each run, along with a chihuahua that can craft new gear and weapons. Like Davy, all these characters are quirky and add a distinct flavor to the game. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the flawed combat system and loops, which can feel highly repetitive at times.

Unlike other aspects of the game, the combat and its timer-based system for each level fall short. The combat in particular lacks impact and weight, feeling floaty and loose. It could have been much tighter, especially considering it draws inspiration from a franchise known for its challenging combat and intricate combos—Devil May Cry. Here, that intensity is largely missing, leaving the player with a less satisfying experience.

The transformation mechanic, where Davy can turn into a werewolf, harpy, and several other creatures, adds some variety but ultimately falls short. Whether facing boss fights or standard enemies, the combat never quite succeeds. Additionally, the timer pressures you to finish each level quickly, threatening your progress. Overall, it feels like a collection of ideas competing against each other, never fully realizing the potential of the combat system.

A Flawed Beauty

In an era of oversaturated AI-generated visual styles, *Stupid Never Dies* stands out with its hand-drawn visuals. From its comical cameos to lawless dungeons, each frame exudes a distinct, humorous charm. The art is simple yet utterly appealing, perfectly capturing the perspective of a hopeless romantic and their stupendous dreams. The voice acting is solid, though there are moments when the monologues may feel a bit tiresome.

But when it comes to its soundtracks, the game mostly feels generic. There are some cool sound effects, completion screens, and quirky one-liners, but overall it doesn’t stand out in this regard. Technically, the game runs very well, though CPU usage can spike in certain areas for unknown reasons. Nevertheless, I was able to achieve 110 fps on maxed-out settings with an RTX 5070 paired with a Ryzen 7600X. Considering the level of polish, this number could likely reach a stable 144 fps if the game were better optimized.

Real Talk

Stupid Never Dies has a really unconventional premise with some really cool and quirky ideas up its sleeve. However, it is let down by its floaty combat system and repetitive loop that doesn’t do much during its opening hours. It has great hand-drawn visuals and some crazy one-liners that might spook you, but it does not do much to address some of the questionable design choices surrounding its roguelike gameplay loop. 

Final Score: 70/100