Dead Reset

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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 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.”

“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 has horror, it can gross you out, and the choices and their deviating paths encourage experimentation-but its low-budget thrills quickly decay into rot as it fails to hold your attention or invigorate you in surprising new ways.”

“Thanks to a gripping story, good actors who give their all, and fantastic, old-school effects, this isn't a negative. If you don't like that and need more interactivity, you should definitely steer clear of "Dead Reset." On the other hand, if you're looking for a horror film with a lot of heart where you have some influence over the story, you should definitely get the game!”

“One of the best FMV games out there, Dead Reset blends body horror, timeloops and foreign entities to create a sci-fi narrative that's as entertaining as it is ridiculous. More player choice and input would be nice, but thanks to great acting and high-quality production values, you likely won't mind too much.”

“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.”

“Dead Reset is a confined, blood-stained, interactive movie with some appealing practical effects and a unique atmosphere. What's there is a very solid FMV game carried by a story that greatly benefits from its leading characters, as well as its superb sound design. But it suffers from frequent freezes and crashes that drastically ruin its pacing, a lack of weight in player decisions and variations in the story responding to them, and an ensemble cast where half the characters are forgettable, and even worse, forgotten within their own narrative.”

“Dead Reset has something of a consistency problem when it relates to special effects, storylines, and acting — though I need to commend Daniel Thrace for a very strong performance as Cole — but that all comes together to nail the feeling of a B-grade horror film. Again, that’s a compliment; it’s giving off a pre-Disney Doctor Who vibe.”

“Clearly influenced by sci-fi legends like The Thing and Alien, Dead Reset will have you neck deep in body horror, blood, and time-looping shenanigans. Mixed bag performances and a lack of consequences to your actions are a drawback, but the atmosphere and audio will draw you back in. The completionists will love the tracker available, and no matter the ending, you’ll always be wondering if you could have done something differently.”

“Dead Reset is a delightful sci-fi romp full of practical effects and gruesome sights, and works wonderfully as an FMV game.”