Batman Arkham combat is reimagined as a disco nightmare in this Steam Next Fest demo – and yes, you can already import your own songs

Playing the Dead as Disco demo during Steam Next Fest, I feel like I'm kindred spirits with developer Brain Jar Games. Just like me, they must have understood that while Batman Arkham City and the rest of the series deliver sublime action, the timing-based brawls are also just as much rhythm games, hours and hours spent in the game's challenge maps scored by the thwacks of punches rather than music. Dead as Disco simply asks – well, what if these scraps were scored by some incredibly cool tunes?

That's as much as I needed to know about the premise to click the download button with expert precision and get Dead as Disco hooked into my SSD (and if you want to know more about this sizzling demo season, check out our Steam Next Fest guide). With a simple to understand combat system very much inspired by Batman Arkham, these fights aren't just a thrill to clear but have me chasing high scores already.

Feel the beatdown

The Dead as Disco demo begins with a quick tutorial confirming that – yes – if you've played Batman Arkham you'll understand the fundamentals. There's a button for attacks, a counter button that hovers over the heads of those attempting incoming strikes, a dodge – even a double-button press for finishers once you've built enough energy.

The big difference is the timing of the attacks automatically matches the playing song's BPM and, importantly, pressing counter when there's no attack to respond to doesn't do a weird looking fumble animation but instead has Charlie Disco – the resurrected hero of the game who's looking to take down his Idol rivals – do a little taunt, like pushing his hand through his hair. Now that's stylish.

You get a taste of the story mode with the Hemlock level – marked as an alpha build of the stage. Scored to a cover of Maniac, these fights against all manner of enemies from regular goons to shield-wielding hulks chop-and-change location to keep you on your toes. Stage hazards are introduced, seeing subway trains mow down both Charlie and enemies if they stand in the wrong place. From there action moves inside a subway car, side-on action mimicking the style of Streets of Rage and other beat 'em ups while maintaining Dead as Disco's regular control scheme. The action gets the blood pumping, but ends with a tease before the boss fight proper.

Outside of the almost Mega Man-like grid of levels teased on the demo's menu is Infinite Disco. It's here I've spent the most time with Dead as Disco, as this generous demo proves to be essentially endless. Brawls in this mode take place in a disco-themed ring, with waves of enemies that get tougher the longer you fight, able to keep going as you please or see how much score you can accumulate over the course of the length of a song. Plenty are included, presumably from the full game to come.

But what lets you go even further is the option to import your own songs, setting the BPM to match your tune of choice. Undertale's Megalovania? A bit of Carly Rae Jepsen? It's all up to you, able to test out the super satisfying combat of Dead as Disco with the playlist of your choice. Still, I can't wait to see what more the full levels bring. But for now, I'm happy to keep spinning new tracks over and over. Dead as Disco releases for PC at some point to be confirmed.

I thought only needing two buttons would make this Steam Next Fest rhythm demo easier... I couldn't have been more wrong