The idea of “horror” can manifest in a lot of different ways. Sure, monsters and aliens are scary, but what about the creeping dread of a failing career? Or committing yourself so entirely to creating art that you lose everything else in life in the process? Those kinds of subtle elements can oftentimes feel more horrifying than the supernatural, because it’s something nearly everyone can identify with. Dead Take is a game that embraces those ideas, weaving a fascinating tale about the nature of art, creation, and the dark, exploitation-ridden underbelly of Hollywood. It transposes those ideas through a horror video game framework, and loops in full-motion video with some truly chilling performances from some of gaming’s best actors. It’s a game that’s a bit messy, but undoubtedly one of the most fascinating experiences of the year.
Dead Take is the second game from Surgent Studios, following last year’s debut title from the developer, the Metroidvania Tales of Kenzera: Zau. But interestingly, Dead Take is a similarly personal game for the studio’s head, Abubakar Salim, an actor best known for roles like Alyn of Hull in House of the Dragon and Bayek in Assassin’s Creed Origins. Dead Take is pretty openly billed as a game about the “dark side” of Hollywood, and it’s pretty easy to see how the personal experiences of the actors behind it have shaped the game’s narrative.
