Review: Recommended

[TheBeak]

For some dumb reason, my review feature jams up alot of the times and I'm forced to leave behind my reviews on the discussion boards. Since I spent the time to write it, I want to make sure it goes somewhere! Steam has provided little help as to why sometimes I can post the reviews easy peasy and other times the feature just jams up. Anyways, I highly enjoyed this little slice of mystery and here's why:

Dead Secret was a huge surprise for me as a huge fan of mystery/whodunnit games/movies. The premise sounded interesting and though I was worried that 14.99 was a bit of a steep price tag for something that had the potential to be supert short AND just downright suck like a Dirt Devil. In the end I was greeted by an intriguing mystery with multiple suspects, puzzle solving with some thought required, the option of uncovering 5 different endings, creepy horror elements, sequences that involve some Clocktower/Outlast/Amnesia-esque hide n' seek, secret passageways, an in-depth back story told by notes and the main characters musings and the just the right amount of length.

Though meant to be played as a VR tie-in game, I found that Dead Secret didn't lose any impact when played the old fashioned way. You play as Patricia Gable, a journalist who investigates the suicide/murder of the eccentric Professor Bullard on his rustic Kansas City home circa 1965. The professor had a fascination with eerie Japanese mythology and using his research, began conducting strange experiments on his property. It's a simple yet effective set-up that takes darker and darker turns as the game stomps along at a well-paced trudge to its freaky conclusion(s).

You begin by entering the house and immediately start hunting for clues, items/keys/note/combinations/etc. to progress to the next part of your investigation. The sparse but solidly detailed graphics and general desolate atmosphere eschew hard to see pixel hunts for puzzles that make sense in context of the property's layout. While you'll probably never get lost, there's a decent amount of backtracking to do alongside some warping into flashbacks and delve into underground laboratories, explore portions of the outside, etc. While the puzzle solving isn't unfair or illogical, you'll find yourself thinking and experimenting on a few of them, making the reveals of further plot information quite satisfying.

The gameplay is alot of fun and executed with nice controls, intuitive menus and a well-designed notebook system for easy access to clues. In alot of ways this game reminds me heavily of Scratches. Scratches was a cool game but due to cluttered pixels, awkward movement and generally ugly/sloppy atmospheres, it failed in the execution department. Don't get me wrong, it was still a good game but Dead Secret takes that general formula and expands on it. You move by selecting locations marked with "footsteps" and then clicking to advance. You can explore nearly every nook and cranny of your environment; opening drawers, examiniing items in closer detail, manipulating objects, etc. None of the actions are a royal pain in the a**, therefore making progression a pleasure to uncover.

SPOILER: You're not alone in your mission as a secret mask you assemble early on in the game reveals eerie demons, devils and Bullards ghost casually stalking your movements around the household while giving clues as to what to do next in the process. These passive yet uncertain revenants are the least of your worries as you explore, because the murderer who goes by the name of "Woodcutter" is out to end your adventure permanently and you'll need to find ways to hide, escape and dodge him whenever he blocks your path. The evasion tactics are similar to Clocktower, Haunting Ground, Amnesia and Outlast. Once he spots you, he's relentless in his attack so you'll have to act quickly in order to survive. You have no means to defend yourself, so you may as well forget about making a final stand.

Though not an overly choice based game, you are fairly free to tackle your objectives how you see fit and certain mental logistics will have you facing an ending that you might not have expected. The game saves and checkpoints progress very competently, so you can always right the course of your wrongs without losing any progress. Contributing to the game's bleak, desperate atmosphere the freaky droning sounds, gusting outside winds, haunting room ambience, tense soundtrack when in the face of iminent danger and decently done voice-acting go a long way in bringing the game's supernatural atmosphere to life. The graphics solidly mix barren detail with an opaque selection of colors. The animation is a bit stiff but I've seen far worse and overall the developer did alot of good with an isolated setting and lots of minimalism. It probably will look even better when combined with its intended VR but the presentation was fine all around. Here's a few Cliff Note pros and cons since my reviews are pretty long!

Pros:

-Intriguing whodunnit mystery with an engrossing storyline
-Fun gameplay mixes exploration, heavily story driven segments, puzzle solving and light survival horror touches.
-Superb isolated setting with the graphical presentation adding to creepiness.
-Excellent sound design with gothic ambience, above par voice acting, trippy music and more.
-The often used system of note gathering is exceptional here and helps to tie in an awesome story.
-A few tense segments of cat n' mouse against a cunning killer.
-Decent length which took me about 5 hours to complete with earning 100% achievements and finding all notes.
-Logical puzzles require thought instead of ridiculously obtuse solutions.

Cons:

-Even at 5 hours or gameplay (give or take), it's still a bit on the short side and the quality of the mystery leaves you wanting more.
-Graphics do have their rough edges.
-Though the controls are solid, they can be a bit clunky in a few situations.
-A couple of more encounters with the killer would have been fun.
-Despite having multiple endings, once you've completed everything there's not much reason to go back and play again (though I could see it getting another playthrough on a rainy day).
-Price tag is a bit high. I don't regret what I paid or played in the least, but you might want to wait till a sale.

Overall: 8/10

Despite a few shortcomings Dead Secret really sucks you in once you start getting further and further into the mystery. The multiple angles to the storytelling, logical puzzles, creepy atmospheres and authentic detective vibe made for one of the most enjoyable modern mystery games I've played since Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened. I didn't need a walkthrough to complete the game but it provided enoug natural, organic challenge and sleuthing that completing puzzles is an enjoyable task. Personally, I'd wait till a discount to pick it up but once I started playing the game I literally couldn't put it down. The supernatural elements and are also well-implemented and although it lacks the polish and action of Clive Barker's Undying, the "Scrye" like mask ability Patricia finds early on in the game makes for some similarly skin crawling visions of the past ala Clive Barker's criminally forgotten gem. I say this one is worth a purchase!

[Robot Invader Chris]

Wow, thanks for the in-depth review! So glad you enjoyed DEAD SECRET!

[TheBeak]

I loved it Chris! Great job on the development of it and I find the story sticking with me long after I finished the game. I guarantee I will play it again sometime down the line to experience the story once more. Do you have any new projects in the works? I definitely will keep my eye out for them and will help with backing if you end up doing any fundraising.