Horror puzzle Slasher horror Horror Mystery and detective horror

Dead Secret

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Solve a professor's murder in 1965 Kansas before his masked killer finds you.

Platforms: PC, Mac, VR, PlayStation
Stores: Steam
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (81% of 599 reviews); 3.75 of 5 on the PlayStation Store (180 ratings) and 4.0 of 5 on Meta's Rift store (113 ratings)
Length: 5 to 8 hours, by the maker's play testers
Players: 1
Made by: Robot Invader
Released: 2016

On PlayStation: one of the PlayStation horror games.

Get it on Steam PlayStation Store (PS4 and PS VR)Meta (Rift)

What frightens You search a dead professor's farmhouse in 1965 Kansas for clues to his murder, while a masked killer who wants his secrets kept buried hunts you through the house; let him corner you and it is over.
Content: violence, you can be caught and killed by the masked figure, a murder scene with a body outline, alcohol and tobacco references, suggestive themes, mild bad language.

Dead Secret is a first-person horror mystery by Robot Invader. In rural Kansas in 1965 you search a dead professor's farmhouse for clues to his murder while a masked figure stalks you, with no way to fight back. It can be played on a normal screen or in VR.

About Dead Secret

Dead Secret is a first-person horror mystery by Robot Invader. It began on Samsung Gear VR in October 2015, came to Steam and Oculus Rift in March 2016 and gained HTC Vive support that August, then reached PS4 and PlayStation VR in April 2018, published there by Frame Interactive. It is built for both ways of playing: on PC, Mac and PS4 you can play it on a normal screen, and on SteamVR, Rift and PS VR you can play it in a headset. Steam marks VR as supported, not required.

It is 1965 in rural Kansas. Harris Bullard, a reclusive scholar of Japanese mythology, is dead, and you play a reporter after a big story who comes to his farmhouse suspecting murder. The house has two floors and a basement, and many rooms start locked: you open the place up room by room, uncover secret documents about his past, find items, solve puzzles and put the evidence together to name the killer.

You move by pointing at where you want to go rather than walking freely, which keeps it comfortable in a headset; there is also a comfort mode that skips the travel. Much of the play is reading: manuscripts, newspapers and your own journal, which sums up what you have learned.

The house is not empty. A figure in robes and a mask stalks you, and there is no combat: when he comes, you run and hide, and if he corners you it is over. The professor also left strange devices behind that take you into the depths of your own subconscious. Reviewers note that it builds dread slowly rather than leaning on jump scares.

There are five endings, and many of them end with you murdered; finding all the notes and clues is what leads to the right one. It suits players who like a careful detective case with a threat closing in, and those who want a story-heavy horror game that works with or without a headset. A follow-up, Dead Secret Circle, came out in 2018.

How to play Dead Secret

Buy it on Steam for Windows or Mac, on Meta's store for Rift, or on the PlayStation Store for PS4.
Choose to play on a normal screen or in a VR headset; both are supported, and in VR you can switch on comfort mode for instant moves.
Point at where you want to go to move through Bullard's house, pick up items and read the documents you find.
Solve the puzzles to open locked rooms, and collect the evidence that points to the killer.
When the masked figure comes for you, run and hide; there is no combat. Then name the killer to reach an ending.

Screenshots

The professor's study: a chalk body outline on the floor, a desk with a typewriter and green lamp, Japanese masks on the wall and bookshelves

A white farmhouse and red barn with a windmill on a bare farm under a stormy red sky, with crows on the ground

A dark wooden staircase leading up to a closed white door under a single bare bulb

A dim cellar passage of wooden beams and broken brick, lit by one hanging bulb

A pale bathroom with a checkered floor, a shower curtain drawn around the tub and a window onto bare fields

A 1960s kitchen with a checkered floor, blue stove, green cabinets, a wooden table and moving boxes

Tips

Read every document and check your journal; tracking down all the notes and clues is what leads to the right ending.
There is no way to fight the masked figure, so know where you can run and hide before he finds you.
In VR, a swivel chair makes it easier to look around the rooms, as one reviewer advises.
There are five endings, so a second case with what you know can show you more.

Questions

Can I play Dead Secret without VR?

Yes. It is designed for both traditional and VR play: on PC, Mac and PS4 you can play on a normal screen, and VR is optional. The Mac version has no VR.

How many endings does Dead Secret have?

The store lists five different endings, and many of them end with you being killed.

How long is Dead Secret?

The maker says its play testers averaged five to eight hours. Steam reviewers had played a median of about three hours when they wrote their reviews, so a quick first run can be shorter.

How scary is Dead Secret?

It is tense rather than full of shocks: a masked figure stalks you and can kill you, but reviewers say it relies on slowly building dread more than jump scares. It is rated Teen by the ESRB and PEGI 12.