Deadcam Review (PC)

It’s our last chance to push The Ghoul Hunters into the top of the TV rankings. One abandoned home; three struggling paranormal investigators; and one twisted deity who has manipulated Margo to hunt us down to the ends of the earth. A carcass for an estate; a puzzle for a blueprint; and a head cam, still fastened to the forehead of our once-faithful companion. It’s do or die, and Margo, it seems, will stop at nothing till we’re all dead and buried.

One of the three investigators has fled to the comfort of a barricade, but not before sealing the exit and leaving behind the team. It’s me, and Margo. There’s a raccoon, a labyrinth, and an alluring sense that something is following me around the house. It isn’t the raccoon; it’s Margo, and something is very, very wrong with her. It’s the way she openly gazes through the lens of her head cam, almost as if she’s craving a trail to follow. A creaking floorboard; the squeaking of an old cupboard drawer; a brittle object struggling to find its balance. It seems that, if I so much as tiptoe in the wrong direction, that trail will be illuminated. But I can’t let that happen. I need to get out before Margo finds me.

Getting Ahead

In case you haven’t put two and two together yet, we are, of course, talking about Deadcam, Alien Big Cat’s latest first-person psychological body horror. And yes, it is a game that utilizes head cam footage to construct its narrative. However, in this case, it isn’t you who wields the camera; it’s the antagonist—Margo—who actively seeks to uncover your whereabouts as you gradually sift through the inner workings of an old decrepit estate. The rest, as you can imagine, is black and white. Simply put, a seemingly possessed ghoul hunter stalks the corridors, and a defenseless hero is tasked with finding an exit. It isn’t a premise that we haven’t already digested a hundred times before, but it is one that we know to be palatable, at least.

The game unravels itself in a similar manner as a lot of your B-list corridor rompers, with the task being to navigate a gloomy estate in which dank quarters emit hiding places that coerce you to explore them. Except, in this game, you have both a blessing and a curse to juggle: Margo, the possessed hunter, who is always present, if not in the flesh, then in a small portion of your screen via the conduit of a live camera feed.

See, where most horrors would typically rely on sound and the occasional jump scare to elevate the suspense, Deadcam instead focuses on Margo’s footage, which allows you, the player, the opportunity to examine their whereabouts and movements as you explore the estate. It’s a niche idea, yet, under the circumstances, one that carries a huge amount of emotional baggage, all things considered. It’s tense, harrowing, and, in all honesty, a bit of a pain in the backside. But I won’t dwell on that too much.

The Price of Fame

To give credit where it’s due, Deadcam does foster some great little features of its own, including a useful playback system that responds to your actions. For example, if you accidentally traipse on a floorboard that creaks, Margo will respond accordingly. To add, the game hosts a “Receiver” option, which allows you the chance to emit a brief cone of light from Margo’s head cam. It isn’t always a safe option I’ll admit, though it does make the process of skirting around the house that much more terrifying.

With all of the above said, Deadcam is still a short and to-the-point excursion that leans towards the usual trappings that make up an ironclad horror. Story-wise, there isn’t much for you to pick at, and there aren’t all that many challenges for you to overcome other than the fact that you have a menacing stalker on your heels to outmaneuver and squash. But maybe that’s enough. It doesn’t check all of the boxes, though it does make good use of the few elements that it does bring to the table by implementing an extra layer of immersion in its head cam system.

For the most part I’d say that Deadcam comes across as a smooth and straightforward experience, despite it being shackled to a rather liminal world that coughs up little to no memorable landmarks or locations of interest. The house is, well, it’s spooky and bursting at the seams with all of the traditional derelict heirlooms and set pieces. But that’s about it. Don’t get me wrong, the concept is on point, but I’d also be lying if I said that it compliments its strongest nodes with an even greater setting. A bit of nitpicking here, though it’s nothing to complain about.

Verdict

Deadcam strikes true with a compelling concept that is both fundamentally antagonizing and harrowingly appealing in the best way possible. It’s still a textbook psychological horror that possesses a lot of the same iron crosses and hooks, but it’s also one that, through the power of body cam techniques, adds an additional layer to an otherwise traditional formula. And it works well with its chosen ingredients, too. Granted, it still pays homage to a ton of flat ideas, and it doesn’t really do anything extraordinary to revitalize the cauldron of modern thrillers, but it does make good use of that head cam element to conceive a genuinely terrifying stealth-based horror.

Let it be said that, if you do enjoy tiptoeing through the crags and crevices of old stately homes and subjecting yourself to barbaric cat-and-mouse games, then you’ll more than likely find a good place to test your endurance and patience here. However, if it’s a story-driven psychological horror that you want, then you might be better suited for another dimension. Either way, you should consider adding Deadcam to your to-do list if you’re an avid fan of body cam or found footage horrors as, frankly, there are some brilliant bones to pick at here.