In early June, Surgent Studios announced Dead Take, a first-person horror game that plunges players into the deranged underbelly of the entertainment industry.
Playable in a vertical slice demo, Dead Take casts you as an investigative reporter drawn to a decaying soundstage where rumors whisper of brutal “cover-ups” and grotesque sacrifices.
The environment—strewn with rotten props, flickering lights, and the distant wails of something inhuman—immediately conjures a cinematic nightmare.
Key gameplay loops revolve around stealth, environmental puzzles, and audio-based navigation. The sound design team crafted a dynamic audio engine: whispers may lure you toward traps, while the soft click of a camera shutter can momentarily stun unseen horrors. This focus on auditory immersion aims to keep players off-balance—never quite sure if what they hear is a hint or a harbinger of death.
Narratively, Dead Take leverages real-world parallels to create discomfort: reimagined Hollywood landmarks bear subtle nods to industry scandals, and NPCs recite eerily familiar celebrity soundbites twisted into sinister prayer. Surgent Studios claims this meta-commentary is central, forcing players to confront the thin line between performance and monstrosity.
Set for “late 2025” release on PC and consoles, Dead Take has already drawn comparisons to Blair Witch and The Dark Pictures Anthology. Its blend of investigative horror and social critique positions it as a potential breakout indie hit—if it can sustain tension without leaning too heavily on cliches.
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