Following the success of its debut title, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Surgent Studios has opted to explore an entirely different genre with its next game: psychological horror. With Dead Take, the studio sets its sights on creating a tense and atmospheric experience that tasks players with splicing together live-action footage as they explore a Hollywood mansion and the dark side of fame. It’s a hard pivot and a tall order, but a first look at the game’s lead actors stepping into their roles definitely inspires some confidence.
GameSpot can exclusively share a look at lead actors Ben Starr (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Final Fantasy XVI) and Neil Newbon (Baldur’s Gate 3, Detroit: Become Human) as seen in the game’s live-action segments. Both clips are presented as footage from audition tapes, and see the characters nervously introduce themselves before disturbing supernatural elements cut in. As someone who has, yet again, fallen into a major Baldur’s Gate 3 pit, hearing our beloved Astarion put on a deep American accent definitely surprised me–but not as much as the clips’ final moments.
In Dead Take, players take on the role of Chase Lowry (Newbon) as he tries to uncover what happened to his close friend Vinny Monroe (Starr). As Chase explores the luxurious-yet-eerie Los Angeles mansion Vinny was last seen at, he is forced to wade through footage of the pair in an attempt to make sense of what happened. It’s worth noting, however, that prior to Vinny’s disappearance, both he and Chase were auditioning for the same role in a critically-acclaimed filmmaker’s next movie, hinting that there might have been a bit of animosity between the pair. And yet, jealousy isn’t the only dark force at work, as there seems to be a strange supernatural element to the game as well.
