The premise of Stupid Never Dies, the first game from Gptrack50, is a weak zombie fighting for his frozen true love against the King of Monsters. It's a completely bonkers, offbeat action-adventure game.
Stupid Never Dies is a quirky action RPG with a 2000s aesthetic, roguelite elements and a pop-punk soundtrack. The plot is deliberately absurd and never takes itself too seriously. Set in a world on the brink of destruction and overrun by monsters, players take on the role of Davy: a weak and pathetic zombie who, following a fateful 'snackcident', must step up and venture into the underworld to defeat the King of Monsters, save the world, and rescue the woman he loves. The woman in question is the frozen corpse of a young woman named Julia, whom Davy discovered in an abandoned shopping centre. Initially intending to eat her, he then falls head over heels in love with her. His new goal in life is to defeat the King of Monsters, defrost or revive Julia and take her on a date. Fortunately, thanks to the 'snackcident', he gains the ability to rise above himself in battle and plunges into a dungeon.
Stupid Never Dies © Gptrack50
Visually and aurally, the game is a vibrant mix of colourful cel-shading, quirky character designs, and a driving soundtrack that blends pop-punk, rock, metal, and electronic beats. Added to this are completely exaggerated characters. This colourful, pop-punk aesthetic, coupled with the energetic soundtrack, sets the game apart from run-of-the-mill fare, much like classics such as God Hand or No More Heroes.
Stupid Never Dies breaks with the traditional conventions of modern action games. Since Davy is already dead, self-preservation is not a priority. Rather than relying on blocking, parrying or dodging, players must attack relentlessly. To survive, players must remain on the offensive in battle. Davy tears his opponents to shreds with targeted bites and devours their cores. Normal enemies grant powerful one-off abilities, while stronger monsters unlock entirely new combat styles. By consuming certain monster cores, Davy can change his form. For instance, the sluggish basic zombie can transform into a nimble werewolf (ideal for fast claw combos and area-of-effect damage), a harpy for aerial combat, a vampire that can control a swarm of bats, or a cyclops that can perform big, all-or-nothing attacks. In total, there are 11 different styles.
Styles shown in screenshots: Harpy, Snow Fairy, Lich, Cyclops, and Werewolf © Gptrack50
Additionally, Davy's body parts can be replaced with powerful Overtech. Players can swap his head, arms and legs directly for new equipment and absurd modifications, altering his stats and attacks. Everything is exaggerated, wild and packed with lovely details. However, despite the good ideas and fast pace, the combat is somewhat imprecise and clunky, probably because the developers deliberately opted not to include a lock-on system.
The structure follows a run-based action RPG/roguelite loop. Starting from the shopping centre hub area, Davy embarks on time-limited dungeon runs to collect loot. Upon returning, he gradually unlocks permanent upgrades, resulting in a faster and more intense experience. However, the dungeon runs lose their appeal over time and there could be more variety. This is particularly true given that the pacing of the roguelite loop could be better balanced, especially at the start, when there are far too many tutorials pop-ups.
Stupid Never Dies © Gptrack50
"After nearly three years bringing life (or should that be death?) to Davy, we couldn’t be happier to finally share Stupid Never Dies with the world. As a new studio that has come together out of our passion and love for action games, being able to bring the genre we love to fellow action game fans is an achievement we hold in high esteem. We are truly grateful to everyone who has wishlisted the game, played the demo, and left feedback to help us improve the experience – we couldn’t have done it without you. We hope you enjoy Davy’s story, and have a stupid amount of fun!" - Hiroyuki Kobayashi, President of Gptrack50
It is the first game from the Gptrack50 studio, led by former Capcom veteran Hiroyuki Kobayashi (producer of Devil May Cry 4, Resident Evil 4 and Dragon's Dogma). The company was established in Osaka, Japan, in October 2022, on a mission to create new entertainment IPs, primarily through developing consumer video games for a global audience. They aim to expand their original IPs beyond games by exploring cross-media opportunities such as live-action films and animation. The game's publisher is Sega, which is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company develops, publishes and distributes a variety of games for consoles, PCs and wireless devices, as well as character products and other merchandise. Furthermore, Sega distributes gaming content developed by its domestic and overseas studios worldwide via its global publishing bases.
Stupid Never Dies was released on 22 October 2026 for PC via Steam and PlayStation 5. The game is available to purchase as a Standard Edition for $49.99/€49.99, or as part of the Stupid Never Dies: Glorious Idiot Edition for $59.99/€59.99. The Glorious Idiot Edition includes the TickTock Teddies: Nonsense Overload Pack DLC - a pack of TickTock Teddies that can be used in the base game with exclusive special effects.
Stupid Never Dies is a playable B-movie that oozes personality. Sadly, games this wacky are less common these days.
