Dead Take

The surrealistic nature of Dead Take reaches a fever pitch in the game's final half hour, and it loses me a bit there. Overall, however, this is a great game, and I would have loved to chase down more USB drives and watch many more FMV recordings--these performances left me rapt and I was always eager to search out more. But even beyond this gameplay loop, Chase's efforts to delve deeper into a bizarre mansion and splice together corrupted recordings of people is rewardingly symbolic in a narrative sense. You're going into a person's twisted and guarded psyche and unearthing the painful truths hidden within to not only beat a video game, but also witness, as Cain so often puts it, "something real." Those truths are sickening and scary and it propels the experience of Dead Take into one of the most harrowing I've experienced this year. These are not five hours I'll easily forget.

Great performances all around in a game that doesn't try to be perfect. Dead Take is about the imperfections in art, acting and the movie industry, so it's fitting that there's a few hiccups here and there. Things may not make sense and you’ll probably have a lot of questions when the credits start rolling, but the vibes are immaculate, and that's what matters.

Dead Take is a solid four or five hours of classic horror puzzle fun, mixed with some excellent (and some mediocre) live-action scenes. It isn’t looking to break any ground, instead targeting a good, scary time, and nailing it.

Dead Take is a decent puzzle game, an enjoyable horror title, and an excellent narrative adventure that intrigues us with its characters, all perfectly portrayed in high-quality FMV sequences, and captivates us with a parable about the world of cinema and the pain felt by those who create art, which we all feed on, crying out for more and more, regardless of the cost to those behind the cameras. It's a shame that the puzzles don't hit the mark and that the horror sometimes takes the wrong direction, but considering that it only costs €14 and a few hours of our time, we suggest that anyone who is intrigued give it a try.

I have no doubt that the more players share their experiences after finishing the game, the more different approaches to their journey and its conclusion will be seen. If you don't mind having to deal with a tense scenario and perhaps facing your own inner demons, Dead Take offers you an all-star cast in their roles and a story that grips you from start to finish.