
Dead Format is a survival horror game set in iconic film eras. It's 1990s Scotland, and your brother has gone missing after becoming obsessed with a mysterious new VHS format. Follow his trail through the tapes and uncover why the government wants to ban "Video Ghastlies".
Modeled estimate, not a reported figure. How we estimate →
Media

About
A lost brother. A cursed VHS format. A government cover-up.
Dead Format is a survival horror game that takes you on a nightmarish journey through iconic eras of film. Set in 1990s Scotland, you play as a desperate sibling searching for their missing brother who was last seen obsessing over a mysterious VHS format. Dive into the tapes, fight your way through cinematic worlds, and find your brother before it’s too late.
Your apartment is the hub. Here you can review clues, catch your breath, and prepare for the journey ahead. Use the Television set and insert VHS tapes to open the door to new worlds, each one with its own inspiration. Search for clues and face the nightmares in universes inspired by Silent Era Cinema, Italian Giallo films, and 80s Body Horror.
Search for supplies to stay alive and uncover key items to solve puzzles, unlocking your path forward.
Arm yourself with weapons and tools inspired by the film worlds you’ll explore.
Discover homemade VHS footage that blurs the line between fiction and reality.
Your apartment is the only place you can save the game. Find shortcuts and new paths to progress on your journey.
Each world comes with its own enemies, puzzles, and unique areas to explore.
Everything in Dead Format is created just for the game. This includes the VHS footage, which is recorded and edited by Katanalevy. Each tape provides a nostalgic window into the worlds players will explore.
Chris Evry (Katanalevy) is a Scottish solo developer drawn to creating experiences that are a blend of the darkly visceral and gothic sublime. He is the creator of Cardiac, Symphony of Seven Souls and Daemonologie.
Genres
Stats
All-time low is the lowest price we've recorded for this game since we started tracking it.
Languages: English
Engagement
Hours played at review time, across 41 reviews with recorded playtime.
Reviews
Themes across 40 recent reviews and how positive each mention is. A keyword signal, not full sentiment analysis.
positive critical· bar length = how often the theme comes up
Reviews
For me this is a true gem. What a weird and pleasant surprise! I bought this game on a whim, because I was in the mood for a short and unconventional indie horror game, and I was not disappointed. Far from it! Gameplay-wise it is nothing special. Walk around, solve some puzzles, hide from a stalker... Usually I do not like games like this, because they all seem the same to me, but this one oozes personality and creativity on another level. This was obviously made by a person who loves classic as well as goofy and so-bad-it's-good horror movies. The game is filled with nods to a lot of movies, which I personally love. Seeing the teleporter made me grin from ear to ear, because it's from one of my favorite movies, which I (saw way too early as a child and) still adore to this day. The stalker thing can be a bit annoying at times, but there are always enough hiding spots nearby, and it usually disappears after 30 seconds. Also, I would have preferred the stalker to be the Giallo killer from one of the tapes in the game and not a separate entity, but in the end it did not really matter to me. If you prefer your games to be full of gore and jump scares and like horror movies that take themselves way too seriously, this one is probably NOT for you. But, if you want to play something unique that was made with a lot of love, has deep knowledge of the genre's classics, and understands the fun aspects of horror, you might enjoy this game as much as I have.
game is sooooo boring 15min+ to do things
Such an awesome idea. This game is really unique and fun throughout. I'm excited to buy anything this developer releases in the future.
В эпоху, когда слишком много инди-ужастиков пытаются пойти дешевыми путями, у нее есть то, что встречается не особо часто: собственное лицо и упрямость .И под хорошее железо.
I would recommend this game.
Che bella idea per un gioco che non da nulla sotto tutti i punti di vista. La trama all'inizio mi stava intrigando tantissimo, con quest'atmosfera davvero carina fusa a queste aree di gioco nate da GHL(VHS) fan made abbastanza carini. Il gioco in se per se nel complesso è abbastanza bruttino e non porta a nulla per un gameplay che ho trovato estremamente banale e facile, e con una meccanica puzzle SUPER lineare. Unica cosa "carina" per me è stato il finale, che anche li potevano farlo finire direttamente quando vedevi "quella cosa", e invece ci hanno messo una pessima animazione di saprete cosa quando ci giocherete e lo finirete. Sconsiglio, ma metto il pollice in su perché sono degli indie developer che nonostante tutto si sono impegnati davvero tanto e si vede.
氛围不错,艺术造诣很高,以血肉左轮和小提琴作为武器,用复古B级片录像带作为物资和穿越不同区域的手段也很有创意,但这也导致几个区域基本没什么关联性,经常拿了个道具然后就忘了该用在哪或者不知道该用在哪,有些道具甚至跟使用的场景很难关联(比如用蜡烛烧绳子,按常理来说都是剪断),并且子物资分配也很不平衡,一堆子弹但是怪却少得可怜,唯一的大怪还没法杀,感觉去掉武器系统都没问题,游戏结尾更是结束得非常突兀,像是编不下去了,总体差强人意吧
Honest this is a really solid love letter to horror movies. The threats tho not the best and not that hard to get around. I had a heap of healing tapes and barely used any. Not really much use for the weapons there are time you do NEED then but not much. Over all still a solid game with great feel to those old movies and I guess the RE series (never played the Res games before). Worth your time if you like stuffs like that.
I watched the trailers and had a pretty good idea I would be interested. I thought it was a very creative idea for a game and would like to see it get updated with more tapes as I really think this idea itself has a lot of potential. I will say though , the stalker enemy needs adjustment. I think it might be better off it you can outrun it or is only in certain areas. I say that because once you get used to it, it only slows the game down and makes it less exciting. Other than that I can say I had an enjoyable time with game. This idea has a lot of potential with how much horror movies we have out there.
Related
Related
Trends
Concurrent players on Steam, sampled daily since tracking started.
Audience
Estimated from the language of this game's reviews — a proxy for where players are, not official Steam demographics.
Related
| Doomsday Robot Girl | $39.4K | 231 | 84% | $5.48 |
| Moses & Plato - Last Train to Clawville | $39.4K | 120 | 90% | $15.99 |
| Wild Animals Transporter | $39.4K | 57 | 89% | $19.99 |
| Extraneum | $39.4K | 114 | 95% | $14.99 |
| Lutnak·Quest | $39.4K | 90 | 71% | $18.99 |
| Raptor: Call of The Shadows - 2015 Edition | $39.4K | 616 | 72% | $2.99 |