Dead Reset

It's a Switch release, although those playing on Switch 2 will need to, uh… consider not for now. The game frequently freezes, sometimes indefinitely, and although Wales Interactive is fully aware of this, the team is currently unable to apply a fix thanks to the lack of dev kits. Performance on Switch 1, mind you, is mostly fine. I experienced one of the aforementioned freezes, but it wasn’t a particularly lengthy one.

Dead Reset is worth experiencing for its performances, its tense atmosphere built on strong lighting and sound design choices, and a well-paced story that makes you want to keep finding out what will happen next, but its entertainment value wanes after you've hit the credits. It's less enticing on replays or 'resets,' and its worst attributes don't help carry the experience beyond a single play through.

The initial concept of Dead Reset envisioned a choice system with far-reaching and partially irreversible consequences, even after «resetting». In practice, the game turns out to be an overly linear FMV adventure, the outcome of which feels predetermined.

Although Dead Reset is an incredible FMV (definitely one of the more noteworthy ones) with top-tier acting and cinematic properties, I wasn’t overly impressed with the choices element, gore, or scare factor. As an avid horror fan, perhaps I anticipated too much, but I do believe improvements could have been made.

Wales Interactive continues its crusade by releasing interactive movies turned into video games. It is clear that the studio has gained experience over the years, and Dead Reset may well be the crowning achievement of its career.

Dead Reset is a strange game to pin down. On the one hand, it’s fun for brief periods of time and was obviously produced by a group of people who adore sci-fi horror. It works as a setting, there is suspense, and for $10–15, it gives you a few hours of pleasure. It’s also extremely generic, however, since it borrows a lot from Alien without contributing anything new.

Whether or not to recommend the interactive film Dead Reset is not a simple task, because enjoying it depends on whether you're willing to accept certain questionable tastes. If you're expecting a production with cinematic standards, this is definitely not the place to visit. But if you're looking for fun with typical 1980s B-movie performances, a delightfully cliché narrative, and increasingly absurd choices, there's a gem to be discovered here.

In the end, Dead Reset is a fun romp despite its limitations. The acting is quite good and does a good job of carrying a story that contains a few plot holes. The major branching points don't happen until the very end, but this game is enjoyable, and the experience doesn't overstay its welcome . While this isn't the type of game to change anyone's mind about the limitations of the interactive movie, it's fun enough that you'll want to complete at least one run before thinking about moving on to something else.

Is this the best game in the DETECTIVE series so far? I personally like the ones that have a connecting narrative or an overarching story. But what DETECTIVE – Scene Crime does is give you a solid detective experience, challenging your mind and leaving you to make notes as you try to work out everything from the scene.

Dead Reset is an enjoyable sci-fi horror story, with fun characters, great b-movie effects and gruesome deaths, and is ripe for several playthroughs to see how different we can make the outcomes of the crew. The time loop addition means we even get a small sliver of experimentation in our choices, as a bad one means we can try again almost without penalty - a rarity in these types of games.