Dead Take Review (PC)

In somewhat of a departure from debut action adventure game Tales of Kenzara: Zau, Surgent Studios follow up lays on the psychological horror in Dead Take, a biting look at the…nastier…side of the entertainment industry, and what it can do to people. It achieves this through genuine scares and tension, and while short, is an exhilarating ride and a great example of how to do this type of horror effectively.

We follow the story of actors Vinny and Chase as they vie for the same role in legendary (fictional) director Duke Cain’s next movie, The Last Voyage. As we pick up with Chase, it appears Vinny has gone quiet on him, and indeed, the whole film has a decidedly unnerving stink on it, so Chase heads to the mansion of Cain to find out what’s going on. 

What follows is 5-6 hours of dark twists and turns, jump scares, and more than a few Resident Evil-like puzzles as the mansion slowly unravels and reveals its secrets. There’s a constant sense of dread and foreboding as we explore the estate, occasionally punctuated by well used psychological horror themes and imagery; blood smears suddenly appearing on the walls; split second flashes of an apparition as we open a door; shadows of unseen terrors that disappear as we turn around. What makes Dead Take’s, well, take on these work is that they balance them perfectly between teases and genuine frights, and throughout my playthrough Surgent Studios certainly got more than a few audible jumps out of me. 

For all the prerelease focus on the fantastic cast that was gathered for this title, I feel that the actual exploration and atmosphere of the mansion is equally excellent throughout. It’s not a big place, but there are layers to it, and each new room is another reason to cautiously enter to see what twist or revelation we may discover next. 

The puzzles devised in Dead Take range from simple logic types to ones that require a bit more intricate thinking. I’ll not ruin any here of course, but it was recommended to play with a pen and paper for good reason. Certain small details may come back into play much later on, and it’s essential to pay attention to every word both written and spoken in order to solve the mysteries in the mansion. I really enjoyed the level of challenge here – it was described to us as a ‘reverse escape room’ as we’re trying to delve into the mansion, not escape – and players familiar with the likes of early Resident Evil will feel right at home here.

Of course, the focus on the cast pre-launch is for good reason. Ben Starr (this generations Nolan North it seems such is his ubiquity (and for good reason too)) and Neil Newbon are the lead players as Vinny and Chase respectively. As we explore, we find USB sticks that have video files on them from both actors that can be played in the directors theatre. Each put some fantastically captivating performances out here. I was hooked on every word both for puzzles and because they were so compelling. The supporting cast, including Jane Perry, Allanah Pearce and several others are equally great with their limited screen time, and play just as an important role in the story thanks to splaice technology.

An in-game bit of kit, this AI software can take two compatible video files and splice them together to create something new. In practice, what this means for us is that when we have two files that can be merged we get more exposition and clues about what has happened at the Cain mansion. Mixing two separate interviews for example might give the questions and answers a completely different, more revealing context, or it might make a whole new scene with one of Dead Take’s guest stars. It’s not quite as in-depth as I was hoping for – only certain scenes can be combined, and if we try to merge wrong ones it simply won’t let us – but it is a fascinating way to dish out lore and clues that I hope to see used again should Surgent follow this up with another similar title. 

As for the commentary on the entertainment industries transgressions and tribulations? Well, in director Cain’s mannerisms and well-known overbearing perfectionism they certainly paint a picture of an industry that will chew up and spit out anyone who isn’t ‘perfect’ from the off. What we get to see Vinny and Chase go through, as well as the rest of the cast, is tough, and to know that outside of this fictional mansion there are very real people facing this sort of thing is eye-opening. Of course, the jump scares and horror vibes might be less prevalent in the real world, but I’ve no doubt it’s just as frightening when you’re on the other side of the camera and director. 

Conclusion

A fantastic cast brings a very real light to harsh realities of the entertainment industry, accompanied by some brilliantly realised puzzle/horror gameplay that oozes tension and atmosphere throughout the entire story.

This game was tested and reviewed on PC (via Steam). All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by the publisher.