Dead by Daylight: Scream — The Ghost Face Review (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch & PC)

“What’s your favorite Ghostface cameo?” Obviously, I’m without the luxury of a fully-fledged catalog to help answer that question, mainly due to the fact that Scream, as universally beloved as it is, isn’t all that common in the video game world. A tabletop card game, perhaps — but there’s nothing really concrete, nothing sacred, and nothing that truly immortalizes the masked killer in a purely digitalized vessel. This isn’t to say that the blood barren of Woodsboro is without a platform, mind you. Oh, you can spot the silhouette of Billy Loomis’ looming shadow in various spots, if, of course, you tread deep enough into the back alleys of Behaviour Interactive’s Dead by Daylight. But even then, there isn’t much at the end of that tunnel other than an outfit and something of a dead phone line.

Dead by Daylight screams love letter to a cult classic, true, but it also lacks the depth of a well-versed piece of commemorative scripture. It has the antagonist, and it has the “look”—the blade, the slashing effect, and the general essence of Scream’s memorialized aura. Yet, like so many other Killers that came before, the DLC also remains somewhat short-sighted and without the full weight of its core elements. But that’s Dead by Daylight for you, I suppose. Alas, The Ghost Face DLC isn’t the standalone video game that you want; it’s the consolation prize that proves that there are countless possibilities for Scream to lean into its own narrative.

A Killer is a Killer, and Dead by Daylight, being a fan of tradition and a familiar format, makes no exception for its The Ghost Face expansion when it comes to porting the usual facets that make a Killer, well, a Killer. Like the DLC that has come before, it grants existing players the opportunity to don the mask and blade as the titular antagonist and step into the shoes of one of horror’s most prolific characters. Armed with the signature knife and a webbing of classic slasher-like abilities, The Ghost Face allows VIP access to a world where Ghostface, of all people, plays the leading role in a self-contained interactive slasher flick.

Here’s the downside: The Ghost Face DLC isn’t with the weight of the original lore or characters. Sadly, the expansion, which more or less serves as a simple skin add-on than anything else, contains its own namesake and narrative elements. In other words, it has little to do with Sidney Prescott or the Woodsboro massacres. Due to this, you don’t have a true representation of the Scream saga, but rather, a simple cosmetic that acknowledges the character and basically mimics its core traits and mannerisms. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go any deeper than that, which, again, further fuels the argument that Scream, being one of the most popular horror franchises of all time, should have a standalone video game. Heck, if Art the Clown can have one, then who’s to say Ghostface can’t?

With all of the above said, what you see here is what you get: a simple, run-of-the-blade add-on for Dead by Daylight. If you’re familiar with the asymmetrical horror, then there isn’t a lot else that you need to know before jumping into the DLC. If you’re relatively new to the PvP platform, however, then be sure to check out our original review of Dead by Daylight for a deeper dive into its boroughs, lore, and gameplay.

Verdict

While Scream is yet to take the helm in a full-fledged video game, Dead by Daylight does at least manage to fill a small gap with its knife-sized addition of The Ghost Face and several of the cult franchise’s most notable elements. It isn’t much, but, at least at the time of writing, it is the best thing that we currently have to throw our paycheck at. And for a few dollars, I suppose that it is worth the investment, especially if you’re a die-hard fan of the anthology and its slasher roots. Granted, it still leaves a tremendous amount to be desired, what with it cutting out most of the meat and bones from the primordial carcass. But, it’s Dead by Daylight, so you can take it or leave it. Besides, it isn’t as if you have that much choice, annoyingly.

Whilst we continue to cross our fingers and hold out for Scream to finally find a foothold on the gaming ladder and become its own encapsulated reality, Dead by Daylight will, as something of a brand ambassador for the world of horror and all of its oddly lovable villains, continue to hold its promise as the glue between two mediums. It might not be the ode to Woodsboro that we need it to be, but hey — one playable Ghostface is better than none at all. Count your blessings, basically.