Dead Format Review: VHS Nightmares Across Horror Eras – Worth Buying in 2025?

Explore Dead Format, the indie survival horror plunging players into cursed VHS tapes across film eras like Silent Cinema and 80s Body Horror.
Dead Format Review: VHS Nightmares Across Horror Eras – Worth Buying in 2025?
Dead Format thrusts players into a 1990s Scotland survival horror where a missing brother obsesses over banned GHL VHS tapes called "Video Ghastlies," pulling users into live-action infused nightmares from iconic film styles. Developed solo by katanalevy using Unreal Engine 5, it blends first-person exploration, puzzles, and combat across twisted worlds accessed via apartment-hub tapes. Full release hits Steam December 10, 2025, following a demo hailed for atmosphere and innovation.​ Cursed Tapes and Scottish Mystery Plot Set in late 90s Scotland, players scour a cluttered apartment for clues about a sibling vanished amid GHL tape fixation, sparking a government ban probe. Inserting tapes warps reality into horror homages—Silent Era shadows, Italian Giallo intrigue, 80s body mutations, found footage dread—each with unique enemies, bosses, and lore tying to the brother's fate. Live-action VHS previews (shot with practical effects like stop-motion, puppets, latex masks) fore…