Alright gamers, hold onto your controllers because Surgent Studios, the masterminds behind such *hits* as Tales of Kenzera: ZAU (yeah, I had to Google it too) and the publisher of Palworld (because, let’s be real, they just published it, they didn’t *make* it), are gracing us with a new psychological horror game called Dead Take. And guess what? They roped in some actors! 🎭 Because apparently, horror games need actors now? 🤷♀️
Surgent Studios, in their infinite wisdom (or maybe just a desperate attempt for attention), announced that Ben Starr, who you might remember from his *riveting* performance as Clive in Final Fantasy XVI (where he mostly just brooded and yelled) and Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (another game I’m sure everyone knows and loves 😉), and Neil Newbon, the guy who played Elijah Kamski and Gavin Reed in Detroit: Become Human (the one game where your choices actually mattered…kinda) and Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3 (oh look, a game people actually played!), will be gracing us with their presence in Dead Take. So, get ready for some serious overacting and dramatic monologues, folks! 🎬
But wait, there’s more! Surgent Studios, bless their cotton socks, even released a teaser trailer for Dead Take. Prepare to be amazed…or mildly confused. It’s a teaser, so don’t expect any actual gameplay or, you know, anything remotely interesting. Just some moody lighting and vague promises of horror. 👻
“As actors in games and beyond, Neil, Ben, and I have leaned on each other through some extremely gruelling times,” said Abubakar Salim, the Creative Director of Dead Take. “In those moments, we exchanged some of the horror stories that built the foundations of this game.” Oh, so they just sat around and complained about their day jobs? Riveting! 🙄 He went on to say, “Not only do they bring considerable talent to the project, but they also helped create a space in which we could all be truly raw and honest. I can’t wait for you to see the calibre of their performances in Dead Take.” Translation: “We needed some recognizable names to get people to notice our game.” 💯
The plot? Oh, it’s a real doozy. You play as an actor (because meta, am I right?) searching for his friend who went missing after a lavish Hollywood party (because Hollywood is always evil, duh!). You’ll be navigating “escape-room-style puzzles” (because that’s what everyone wants in a horror game) and splicing together videos (because who needs a coherent narrative?) to uncover the darkest secrets behind the entertainment industry’s glittering facade (because we haven’t seen that before…ever). 🕵️♂️
Surgent Studios, established in 2020 by Salim, apparently aims to bring a “pioneering philosophy” to storytelling. I’m not entirely sure what that means, but it sounds fancy. They’ve also produced several “award-winning” short films (that I’ve definitely never heard of) and their first video game, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, was nominated for some awards (probably because they paid someone off). 🏆
So, when can you experience this masterpiece of psychological horror? Well, they haven’t announced a release date yet, but it’s “set to launch this year” on PC via Steam. So, keep your eyes peeled for another generic horror game that will probably be forgotten in a week. 🎉
Pixel P. Snarkbyte, widely regarded as the “Shakespeare of Sh*tposts,” is a video game expert with a unique knack for turning pixels into punchlines.
Born in the small town of Respawn, Pennsylvania, Pixel grew up mashing buttons on an ancient NES controller, firmly believing that “blowing into the cartridge” was a sacred ritual passed down through generations.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte: proving that life, much like a buggy open-world game, is better with a little lag-induced chaos.
