Resident Evil developer returns with slick new RPG that's free to try on PS5

Beloved developer Hiroyuki Kobayashi is perhaps best known to gamers for his work on the Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, and Devil May Cry series.

In 1996, Kobayashi secured his first job as a programmer on Resident Evil, also going on to work on Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil - Code: Veronica X, Resident Evil Zero, and Resident Evil 4, before serving as an executive producer on Resident Evil 6.

In more recent years, Kobayashi established a new studio, GPTRACK50, which is soon set to release its debut game, Stupid Never Dies.

Launching on PC and PlayStation 5 on October 21, Stupid Never Dies is a zombie RPG with a difference, as you’re actually the zombie.

You play as “weak zombie David,” whom you have to make strong in this fast-paced action experience.

“Control Davy, the weakest zombie imaginable, and battle through a mysterious dungeon to defeat KOM, the King of Monsters,” the synopsis reads.

“Every dive makes Davy grow stronger faster. Customise his body, devour powerful monsters, steal their abilities, and race against time to conquer the dungeon.”

GPTRACK50

The game boasts a really nice, vibrant art style; it’s almost Borderlands-esque but it definitely has its own unique feel.

As for why David is going after KOM, he wants to rescue college girl Julia who, for whatever reason, froze to death and can only be brought back if KOM is dead.

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When David depletes a monster's health, he can consume them, absorbing their powers with Stupid Never Dies boasting 11 key transformations including werewolf, harpy, golem, and vampire.

You can also replace David’s body parts with overtech gear to improve his stats, plus he can pull off a move known as a Davy Burst, which temporarily transforms reality.

If you want to try out the game ahead of launch, a free demo has landed on PS5 via the PlayStation Store; it’s already readily available on Steam, having landed several days prior.

The demo grants you access to around two hours of Stupid Never Dies and essentially just follows the game’s opening, introducing you to the world and combat.

Save data will indeed carry on over if you decide to purchase the full title. At the time of writing, the demo has a decent rating of 4.14 on the PlayStation Store.

We can actually tell you all about how the gameplay feels as we’ve been hands-on.

We went hands-on with Stupid Never Dies at Gamescom 2026

“By the end of my hands-on session, I’d done two runs,” GAMINGbible’s Sam Cawley said.

“The first ended with me running out of time, and the second ended with me taking on one of the game’s several bosses. Together I had about half an hour with the game.

“In that short timeframe though, I felt like I’d accomplished a lot. The jarring Stupid Parry took some time to get used to, but once I’d noted the timing, it became my favourite part of the session.

“Despite ending my second run with such an exciting final encounter, I was still eager to keep exploring, which is exactly the feeling you’d want from a roguelike.”