Stupid Never Dies Removes Dodge and Lock On to Make Chaos Its Combat Identity

Stupid Never Dies is taking an unusually aggressive approach to action RPG combat. GPTRACK50, the studio founded by former CAPCOM producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi and staffed by developers with experience across Devil May Cry, Dragon's Dogma, and Resident Evil, has deliberately removed both a conventional dodge button and enemy lock on system. Following its Gamescom 2026 playable demonstration, those choices are becoming central to a combat philosophy built around relentless offense, large enemy groups, rapid character growth, and controlled chaos rather than the precision focused encounters common across modern action RPGs.

The decision is particularly notable given the team's history. Director Eiichiro Sasaki previously worked on Resident Evil 6 and the Resident Evil Outbreak games, while Kobayashi contributed to franchises including Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma. Instead of reproducing those systems, GPTRACK50 wants its debut game to behave very differently. Sasaki has described the philosophy behind Stupid Never Dies as simple: players control a zombie who is already dead, so survival should be less important than continuously attacking whatever stands in front of them.

"Attack, attack, attack."
— Quote by: Eiichiro Sasaki

That philosophy explains why Davy does not receive a standard dodge or guard command. He instead uses a forward step that also functions as a parry. Successfully timing the movement against an incoming attack can immediately create an opportunity for a powerful counterattack, allowing players to remain aggressive without constantly disengaging from combat. The timing window is intentionally forgiving because enemies can attack simultaneously from several directions, making the system less about perfect defensive execution and more about maintaining offensive momentum.

Removing lock on is an equally deliberate decision. Stupid Never Dies regularly fills the battlefield with groups of enemies, and Sasaki explained that the combat system was designed around fighting those crowds without forcing players to constantly select individual targets. Adding conventional lock on would have reduced the intensity GPTRACK50 wanted from these encounters. The camera instead provides a broad view of the battlefield, allowing players to reposition, attack groups, and react to threats while keeping combat moving.

The other major component is Style Eat, which lets Davy consume the cores of elite monsters and steal their abilities. Players can transform between 11 Styles, including Werewolf, Harpy, Golem, Vampire, Cyclops, Snow Fairy, Merfolk, Lich, and Demon. Each fundamentally changes Davy's capabilities, with the Werewolf providing greater mobility, the Golem emphasizing power, and the Harpy introducing aerial combat. Players can switch between these forms during battle, creating an alternative to the elaborate combo systems found in many character action games.

Progression follows the same accelerated philosophy. Each procedurally generated dungeon run makes Davy stronger, while subsequent attempts require progressively less experience to level up. GPTRACK50 has previously explained that it wanted players to experience the type of progression normally spread across dozens of hours within individual sessions lasting approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Body Hack adds another layer by allowing players to replace Davy's body parts with Overtech equipment that modifies statistics while unlocking active and passive skills.

The unusual combat design sits alongside an equally unconventional premise. Davy is the weakest zombie in a world where monsters dominate what remains after humanity's destruction. After discovering Julia, a college student who froze to death inside a shopping mall freezer, he becomes determined to revive her. Reaching that goal means descending through a dangerous dungeon, defeating the King of Monsters, and recovering humanity's lost knowledge.

We previously covered how Stupid Never Dies will launch October 21 alongside an increasingly competitive release calendar, including Final Fantasy Resonance arriving immediately afterward. The game launches for PlayStation 5 and PC through Steam at 49.99$, while the PlayStation version is also listed as PS5 Pro Enhanced. GPTRACK50 has now released the free First Bite Demo, providing approximately the first 2 hours of the game with save data transferable into the full release.

Removing dodge and lock on from an action RPG sounds risky until the rest of Stupid Never Dies is considered. GPTRACK50 is not trying to build another precision focused combat system where players circle a boss, wait for an animation, dodge through an attack, and repeat. The studio wants players surrounded, constantly moving forward, transforming between monsters, and responding through aggression.

The real test will be whether the camera and targeting remain reliable when the screen becomes crowded. Without lock on, even small inconsistencies could quickly become frustrating. If GPTRACK50 gets that foundation right, however, Stupid Never Dies could distinguish itself precisely because it refuses to follow many of the conventions that now dominate the action RPG genre.

Do you think an action RPG can work better without a traditional dodge button and lock on system, or are those mechanics too important to remove from modern combat?