Better Than Dead – Review

I had the pleasure of playing Better Than Dead yesterday, and I was genuinely blown away. It has been a long time since a game impressed me this much right from the start.

After years of waiting for the hyper-realistic FPS Unrecorded and being disappointed by Bodycam, Better Than Dead arrived as a fantastic surprise. It delivers exactly what fans of the genre have been hoping for.

The game masterfully captures a gritty 80s Asian action movie aesthetic — think Hard Boiled levels of violence and style — which suited me perfectly. The fisheye-style camera effect further enhances the immersion, making every moment feel even more raw and realistic.

The environments are outstanding in their sleaze and atmosphere: seedy nightclubs tucked into favelas, shady massage parlors, outright brothels, filthy and foul-smelling Chinese restaurants, derelict warehouses, abandoned construction sites, and various other rundown, degraded locations. Everything feels dangerously lived-in and authentic.

Gameplay is divided into three main mission types: kill everyone, eliminate a specific target, and rescue missions. Levels are short, fast-paced, and intense, typically lasting between 2 and 10 minutes. This is not a run-and-gun game like Call of Duty — you cannot afford to tank multiple shots. The ideal is to avoid taking any damage at all. At most, you can survive a single hit; anything more and you die instantly, forcing you to restart the mission. This high lethality makes every encounter tense and rewarding.

The action is relentlessly frenetic and brutally violent, delivering satisfying gunplay in compact, high-intensity bursts.Visually, the game is excellent. Playing on an RTX 5070, the lighting and reflections gave a strong impression of ray tracing. Audio is equally outstanding — the sound design shines especially during combat, with disturbingly realistic agonizing screams, paired with an excellent soundtrack that perfectly complements the retro action vibe.

Points of Criticism
As an Early Access title, the game still has several bugs. NPCs occasionally get stuck in doorways, doors open on their own, and other minor issues appear. None of these significantly impacted my enjoyment. I completed the game in just a few hours.

Many players have criticized the gunplay and aiming system. I personally loved it. The shaky, realistic hand sway and the resulting difficulty in landing shots added real tension and satisfaction to every encounter. While long-range engagements can be challenging, successfully hitting distant targets feels incredibly rewarding.

Final Verdict
Better Than Dead is a raw, stylish, and extremely fun throwback to 80s action cinema wrapped in modern bodycam-style presentation. It’s violent, atmospheric, and addictive.

A very pleasant surprise and easily one of the most enjoyable shooters I’ve played in recent years. Highly recommended if you enjoy intense, no-nonsense, and stylish FPS action.