Since The Blair Witch Project, ‘found footage’ is an alternative spin on a POV, giving it an element of menace as if it were fact, that these events actually happened. DEADCAM | ANALOG • SURVIVAL • HORROR is one of those games that uses this as a mechanic to put yourself in the shoes of an ill-fated protagonist trying to make sense of things, but confidently pointing the camera in the direction of the action and not once considering the option of dropping it and running the hell away. If you were hearing voices, and making the assumption you are of relatively sound mind, and that inner dialogue is coaxing you into exploring an abandoned Japanese high school when there’s blood splashed about, eerie noises, and that person speaking to you is dead, don’t you think most people would say, “Bollocks to this, I’m going home”? That’s what I’d do, but Kenji the Naive believes it’d be better to keep exploring and pull at that curiosity thread.
That’s what happened in Onryō, the first chapter in a series of J-horror-like tales or files like World of Horror, encompassed in the Early Access DEADCAM | ANALOG • SURVIVAL • HORROR. Kenji hears the voice of former schoolmate Hitomi, luring him back to the location of their untimely death, hearing firsthand how the victim has now become the supernatural aggressor. From a first-person perspective, we see what Kenji sees through a VHS camera, as this is set in the 90s, as evidenced by the boxy monitors scattered throughout. He’ll wander through the familiar corridors without much in the way of interactions, but listening to the dulcet tones of Hitomi and a few slamming doors. Initially, this ‘world-building’ is a locked door after locked door and a few Sixth Sense red lights insinuating the direction he needs to go, and unlike any other walking simulator, there are next-to-no items to pick up and examine.

Pace in a horror game is subjective, and as a self-declared scaredy cat in the world of horror-based games, I cautiously took my time in fear of filling my pants. This went on for about 45 minutes, at a guess, and it became apparent that I’d developed an iron skin and equally strong bowels as I was no longer apprehensive, but lapping up the atmosphere, even if there wasn’t much to do. Then, getting relatively comfortable, some (dead) school girls show up and are keen to invite me to their undead club. Running and hiding is common in games like these, but DEADCAM | ANALOG • SURVIVAL • HORROR introduces a katana, then a shotgun, a chainsaw, as well as a serviceable pistol. Taking into account the difficulty level selected, the combat is fine and needn’t be a Resident Evil ammo thrift-fest; however, the katana was best, and it doesn’t cost to slash. Enemies will spawn on a time-based design (I think), as those slain beforehand would appear when backtracking down a corridor – something that happens a lot.
I opted to cover DEADCAM | ANALOG • SURVIVAL • HORROR, so it’s my fault for being both mildly on the edge of my seat and potentially bored through hide and seek gameplay, but the truth is I enjoyed it quite a bit. Not so much the end boss encounter, or the subtle paths missed, or nuanced solutions that required a lot of wandering around and being harassed by schoolgirls, but still, I was thoroughly engaged. As a Japanophile (and yes, we’ve established that this doesn’t involve being on a register), I was initially smug at pointing out how ‘that’s not what Japan is like’, but putting aside the supernatural element and violence, it kind of is. I didn’t teach in schools as grotty as this one, but certainly got lost in the labyrinth of corridors and classrooms and got overwhelmed by the echoey acoustics. DEADCAM | ANALOG • SURVIVAL • HORROR captures this pretty well, and for a solo developer, Joure Visser has smashed it, in my opinion.

First comparisons were towards Chilla’s Art like The Convenience Store and The Karaoke, with the ominous storytelling and noise filters. However, DEADCAM | ANALOG • SURVIVAL • HORROR looks so much more realistic, built using the Unreal Engine 5, and featuring some excellent lighting effects and animations. I have no idea about the development process and whether Joure created from scratch or used assets, but what I do know is about composition and editing, and all the elements are marinated into a grungey J-horror experience that was enjoyable from start to finish. I was debating whether to use screenshots from my experience or grab official ones, and while searching, found some mixed reviews. Sure, Onryō isn’t anything innovative, but I don’t believe that’s the purpose and instead that cliche ‘homage’ to 80s/90s Japanese pop culture. Additionally, the combat isn’t a dedicated FPS and can be sloppy, but it’s good enough, as I’m sick of hiding in cupboards. The melee combat is perfectly serviceable, with the guns as a fun bonus.
Playing exclusively on the Steam Deck, as always, was fine for me, with Kenji’s Ducati turning circles when running. I didn’t adjust any of the default settings, and it played out well, though when there are more than a couple of enemies on screen, there was an abundance of frame dropping, and the keybinding isn’t the most welcoming on the Steam Deck either, with slight changes ballsing up the rest of the buttons. But I’m a low-maintenance gamer and don’t believe the world revolves around me, and can live with this, especially as it’s Early Access. If I want to beef things up, I’d play on my gaming laptop, though I had a good experience on the Deck. DEADCAM | ANALOG • SURVIVAL • HORROR caters to a lot of my tastes, and for that reason, I have to say I’m quite excited for its continued development.
