Most video games in the horror genre go for the old staples: ghosts, zombies, axe murderers, etc. Dead Take is going for a different approach, being a psychological horror that focuses on the world of the entertainment industry, where dark deeds are very real, but happen behind closed doors.
In Dead Take, the player explores the mansion of a famous Hollywood big shot in search of a missing friend. While journeying through this strange crypt of memorabilia, they find USB sticks filled with clips of actor audition tapes, which they must splice together in order to progress.
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Dead Take has already grabbed a lot of attention for its star-studded cast, with Neil Newbon and Ben Starr in the lead roles. The game mixes FMV sequences with its 3D game world, with the player witnessing the story unfold through their tapes.
DualShockers recently spoke to Dead Take creative director Abubakar Salim (Assassin’s Creed Origins, Tales of Kenzera: Zau) about the game ahead of its July 31 release on Steam, learning more about how it plans to scare players with its unique take on horror.
Creating Real Cinematic Horror With Abubakar Salim
Q – Your previous title, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, dealt with themes of grief. What would you say the central driving theme of Dead Take is?
A – Dead Take is about success. What we’ll do to achieve it, and how far we’ll go to keep it. It gets to the heart of a question that I keep hearing over and over again: when it comes down to it, can you actually separate the art from the artist?
Q – Dead Take deals with power and corruption in the entertainment industry. What inspired you to make this game? Did your own experiences as an actor drive the project?
A – Absolutely. Acting is a bizarre world. You’re always on the brink of something that could change your life forever: landing the perfect role, meeting the perfect person. It creates this strong sense of anticipation that feels suspiciously like dread. That tension, along with the uneven distribution of power in the industry, is what inspired the core of this game.
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Q – Why does Dead Take go for a hybrid real-life footage/video game world over a fully computerized approach? Have you faced any significant technical hurdles with this approach?
A – We made sure that every live-action video materially contributes to the gameplay experience. But even though Dead Take is upwards of 90% first-person gameplay, we saw a unique opportunity to lock in on an actor’s number one asset: their face. While adding live action clips definitely brought its own technical challenges, it also provided a really unique way to flesh out the storyworld and make it feel uncomfortably real.
Q – Psychological horror can manifest in various forms in video games. How will Dead Take scare the player? Are there enemies in the game? Does the horror stem from tangible threats to the protagonist, or is it firmly embedded within the narrative?
A – Without giving away too much, the chief source of horror in Dead Take will be a growing sense of trepidation and dread. Our goal was to make sure each puzzle blends seamlessly into the narrative, and the result is an experience that feels horrifying without throwing wave after wave of enemies at you.
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Q – Neil Newbon and Ben Starr have played huge roles in some of the biggest video games of the past few years. What drew you to cast them specifically for these roles, and what did each of them bring to the game?
A – I wrote the characters of Chase and Vinny with Neil and Ben in mind, actually. From previous experience, I knew that those two would be able to throw out new ideas on the spot to help push the story to its furthest extent. They completely transformed the game with their performances.
Q – Was there a particular psychological lens and/or underlying philosophy that formed the foundation of the project?
A – We kept coming back to the idea that success as an artist is so much about luck, but that the remainder of it is down to how hard you’re willing to work. And that work isn’t always just honing your craft. In entertainment, the work can look like schmoozing, like being in the right place at the right time, like letting a little snippet of information drop to a certain person. It’s ugly at times. And we wanted to make sure we weren’t shying away from that ugliness.
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Q – The marketing for Dead Take has hinted at a lot but has shown very little. Do you have any final thoughts to share about the game?
A – Now that we’ve revealed the entire cast and a bit more about the setting and gameplay, all that’s left is to let the game speak for itself. Luckily, with the release happening at the end of this month, you won’t have to wait long.
Q – Thank you for your time. Good luck with the game!
Dead Take comes out on PC on July 31st, and is published by Pocketpair.
Dead Take
Systems
- Developer(s)
- Surgent Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Pocketpair Publishing
