Really impressed right off the bat - Stop Dead has a killer aesthetic, great feeling parkour (which is good, cos if you stop moving at any point you will die). For those Mirror’s Edge sickos out there looking for their next fix - though in truth is more predicated on its on the fly combat puzzles. You force pull weapons, objects, RED BARRELS toward you, then dish them out strategically against the much stronger, more numerous baddies.

You will die, over and over, best to just accept it as part of its rhythm. Initially struggled with this, the cool self made set pieces are a destination not the journey. Short, distinct levels and scenarios - could be a race to the finish, could be a wave survival - the basic ingredients work whatever their configuration. At time of writing it is in Early Access, which presumably amounts to a few more levels being still in the pipeline. The only real telltale in my experience is how it almost completely eschews context & narrative framing - neither a strength or a weakness, honestly - it just is what it is, a perfect pick up title (specially on Steam Deck). Stop Dead only got on my radar because of a PC Gamer winter sale reccomendation list, and thank fuck for that - passing on the good will here 🤌