Surgent Studios, founded by actor Abubakar Salim, made a heartfelt debut with the Metroidvania Tales of Kenzera: ZAU. For their newest outing, the studio pivots sharply into psychological horror with Dead Take. Published by Pocketpair Publishing, this first-person narrative adventure trades the colorful, mythological landscapes of Kenzera for the sterile, shadowed halls of a Hollywood mansion. It is a bold genre shift that aims to critique the very industry its creators hail from, blending traditional exploration with full-motion video (FMV) mechanics. Featuring a prestigious cast including Neil Newbon and Ben Starr, Dead Take promises a cinematic descent into madness, asking just how far an actor will go for the role of a lifetime.
The Final Cut
The narrative of Dead Take is its biggest selling point. You play as Chase Lowry, a struggling actor who follows his successful friend, Vinny Monroe, to an after-party at the home of legendary producer Duke Cain. Upon arrival, the party is over, the house is empty, and Vinny is missing. What ensues is a surreal investigation into the film Vinny was set to star in.
The writing delivers a harsh satire of Hollywood’s power dynamics, exploring themes of exploitation and jealousy. The tone oscillates between grounded industry drama and scenes straight out of a David Lynch film. The story is linear, driven by the discovery of video clips that you must reconstruct to uncover the truth.
Neil Newbon’s performance as Chase is desperate and grounding, providing a human anchor to the world around him. Ben Starr’s Vinny, seen mostly through the FMV clips, offers a tragic contrast. The relationship between the two feels lived-in and authentic. While the horror elements are effective, the true dread comes from the narrative’s reflection of real-world artistic desperation. It is a focused, intimate story that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Splicing the Truth
Dead Take describes itself as a “reverse escape room,” where the goal is to burrow deeper into the mansion rather than leave. The gameplay loop revolves almost entirely around exploration and puzzle-solving. You move room to room, scouring for keys, codes, and objects needed to unlock the next narrative beat. The puzzles range from standard inventory-combining tasks to more environmental riddles that require paying close attention to the mansion’s decor.
The unique hook is the ‘SPLAICE’ system. Throughout the mansion, you collect fragmented video files on USB drives. Using a dedicated editing interface, you must stitch these clips together to form coherent scenes. When it works, it feels like detective work; however, the interface can be inconsistent, and the logic for matching clips is occasionally obscure, leading to trial-and-error. Despite this, the lack of combat allows the pacing to remain tense but controlled, letting the atmosphere do the heavy lifting.
Lights, Camera, Unreal
Built on Unreal Engine 5, Dead Take is a visual stunner. The mansion is rendered with photorealistic fidelity. The transition between the in-game 3D environment and the FMV sequences is surprisingly seamless, avoiding the jarring quality capability gap often seen in similar titles. The art direction leans heavily into the uncanny valley of luxury. The house feels too clean, too big, and sometimes even hostile.
Audio design is equally important. The musical environment is sparse, relying on the hum of air conditioning or distant, unidentifiable creaks to build tension. When the jump scares do come, they are often auditory. The voice acting, as expected from this cast, is industry-leading, elevating the script and lending gravity to even the wildest supernatural twists.
A Play for Almost Everyone
Accessibility is a mixed bag, which is surprising given the studio’s previous focus on inclusive design. On the positive side, the game features a robust subtitle system. You can adjust size, background opacity, and even speaker color, which is essential for a game so reliant on dialogue.
However, the puzzle design can create barriers. Many puzzles rely heavily on audio cues. While there are visual indicators for some sounds, they aren’t consistent, potentially alienating players who are hard of hearing. Controller remapping is fully supported, allowing for comfortable play on both gamepad or mouse and keyboard.
Dead Take Delivers a Killer Performance
Dead Take is a confident, atmospheric thriller that proves Surgent Studios is not a one-hit wonder. It successfully satirizes the Hollywood machine while delivering a genuinely creeping horror experience. The reliance on FMV is a nostalgic gamble that largely pays off thanks to the caliber of the cast, turning what could have been a gimmick into the game’s narrative backbone. However, the ‘SPLAICE’ mechanics don’t quite reach their full potential, often feeling like busywork between story moments.
Despite these flaws, the game’s vibe is immaculate. It captures the specific, hollow anxiety of the entertainment industry perfectly. It is a game for those who enjoy narrative-first horror like Layers of Fear or The Bunker, where the scares are thoughtful and the story is the main attraction. It might not revolutionize the genre, but it is a polished, well-acted horror film worth the ticket price.
Dead Take
Summary
Dead Take combines stellar acting and a sharp, satirical script to create a memorable, if short, psychological horror experience. While the puzzle mechanics and video editing features can feel shallow, the atmosphere and visual presentation are top-tier. It is a must-play for fans of narrative horror and FMV games.
Played on PC.
As always, remember to follow us on our social media platforms (e.g., Threads, X (Twitter), Bluesky, YouTube, and Facebook) to stay up-to-date with the latest news. This website contains affiliate links. We may receive a commission when you click on these links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. We are an independent site, and the opinions expressed here are our own.
