Dead Secret Circle

I played this forever ago and don't understand how this game still has mixed reviews, I thought it was great. It actually became one of my favorite smaller indie games. It makes me nostalgic for a type of game in the past that just isn't really made anymore... (Barrow Hill, Nancy Drew, and the Darkness Within games come to mind.) I honestly really hope the devs make another game in this universe, I'll definitely purchase for sure and hopefully maybe they'll upload the soundtrack to the steam page as well.

Do not play this game! ESPECIALLY ON THE INDEX!!!!
This game was unwinnable on the Index. The mask that reveals things did not reveal anything. There is one puzzle that relies entirely on this mask to solve it and so I had to cheat to look up the solution. Also, the controls on the Index knuckles were atrocious. The snap-turn button was, for some infuriating reason, also the interact/exit-menu button so yet another puzzle was unsolvable as it required you to "swipe left or right to rotate the pieces". Unfortunately, as soon as the piece rotates, you are kicked out of the menu. I had to boot the game in desktop mode just to solve that particular puzzle.
Even if I don't consider the horrible control scheme (it wasn't built for Index, fair enough), the game was not as good as the first Dead Secret. The puzzles were not as fun or challenging (and sometimes impossible in my particular case), the story was not as interesting, and the mystery was not as engaging. The addition of other talking characters was a neat evolution of the game, but did not save it from being terrible. A big disappointment and waste of time and money. I'm fairly certain I bought this game on sale and got it relatively cheap and yet I still wish I could get a refund. Unfortunately it would be hard to argue for that after playing and beating it after 6 hours of game play. DO NOT MAKE MY SAME MISTAKE. PLAY THE ORIGINAL DEAD SECRET AND NOT THIS ONE!

The moon shines over the mountain

If you are interested in this game, please do yourself a favor and play the original game first.

Being a direct and divisive sequel to 2016 Dead Secret, this short investigation thriller now proudly features WASD movement, and can be rightfully deemed a detective walking sim. Gameplay is mostly the same, point-and-click adventure-esque mystery with simple puzzles.

This is a review for non-VR version.


PROS: story, music and ambience, voice acting, atmosphere

This sequel still retains most of the charm of the original. Writing is definitely stronger (up until the ending, but more on that later); there is a tonal shift into the darker, bitter inner state, and it fits beautifully. With all the dreamworld shenanigans, the narrative continues to lean uncomfortably further into bizarre, grim territory.

The events of the first game have left their mark on our protagonist; she is not the same person anymore. Not even a reporter now, she was fired a year before the game takes place. She is investigating this case, because the process makes her feel alive and helps combat her depression. It's the only thing that feels worthwhile to her. I can relate to that mindset.

She is not completely alone when poking around; now we have a small cast of characters to add to the bizarre. Yeah, they are not that likeable, but do they have to be? They are a colorful, quirky bunch within their archetypes, exaggerated, but interesting, with decent dialogues and little stories. They are so charming in their own way. Their facial animation is hilariously uncanny, and their (and the protagonist's) voice acting is really good, a vast improvement from the original.

It's still so wonderfully haunting. Books, notes and tapes you find, paintings and movie posters you see, are all so eerie. The snow and the cold, winter chill seeping in from behind the windows. Dingy corridors of a condemned apartment building - still inhabited - are oozing with secrets. Mundane or disgusting, they spill out of every doorframe. I can't help but feel like an eavesdropper listening to people talking behind thin walls of their rooms, cuddled within their false safety.

The details are still great. At main menu your virtual table fills with all kinds of unnerving stuff, evidence and memorabilia. There is this subtle thing with descriptions, that is quite disturbing - when you notice it. Investigation is still heavily gamified and operates on adventure logic, with simple dialogue/interrogation system added to the mix. There are optional puzzles now, and they can be a little harder, though completely unrelated.

And mirrors still made me jump a little.


CONS: bugs, visual glitches, technical issues, weak ending

BUGS. Bugs, bugs, bugs. It took them four years to fix a major gamebreaking bug which affected many people, and the game is at least playable from start to finish now, but it's still broken through and through. The first one was rough; this one is raw.

VR adaptation rears its ugly head yet again, with inventory and interaction system that is somehow even more clunky and buggy than in the first game. Floating flashlight is the worst jumpscare. Movement is slow and dialogues are unskippable. You get stuck on furniture. Mouse cursor gets stuck on interaction points and jitters uncontrollably. Also, what's the point of having free WASD movement, if most interactions make your screen flash black and your position reset?

There are no graphical settings, and you can't force the settings dialog window to appear anymore. I had to limit FPS and set VSync through driver options, because the amount of screen tearing was unbearable. There are loads and loads of visual glitches, especially with textures and shading; many assets look charred with baking errors, and the shadows of the characters seem to have a life of their own.

And then there are issues with story and pacing. The game noticeably drags on the second half, with boredom setting in; I'd prefer it to be more concise, like the first game. There is no feeling of progression and the game loses most of the tension. That's where the cracks in the story start to show, too; and it stops making sense.

Unlike the first game, so many things here are not explained or even hinted at; mentioned once, as though seemingly important, only to never show up again; or just appear out of thin air. The ending feels very anticlimactic, with zero payoff. The killer motivation and modus operandi is ridiculously cliché and random - it just happens, nothing really comes together. It's all so rushed, so unsatisfyingly abrupt. And the dev's smug attitude regarding the story does not help at all.

Also, the bugs are especially atrocious towards the end, ruining the immersion. I was quite literally stuck inside the killer. This was NOT fun.


Conclusion

So... yeah. When I finally stopped raging over the technical condition, I started to genuinely enjoy the game. Right up until the ending. Then I raged again. What a disappointment.

That said, if you played and enjoyed the first game, this one is definitely recommended, and not only just for the sake of continuation. Dead Secret Circle still has many redeeming qualities, and is mostly quite a treat to play, if you persist through its rough state, ignore the occasional nonsensical story bits, and pretend that ending doesn't exist.

[table][tr][td]If you like games with similar themes and atmosphere, follow my curator: empty places[/td][/tr][/table]

If you're looking to play this with a Quest 2 in VR you are better to get this title outside of Steam. The SteamVR version has issues.

The first game was a great VR mystery with a solid story and a little bit of horror. Plus I always love games with multiple
endings. Makes you feel your choices have some impact.

This one was definitely a step up besides the incredibly slow movement. However the SteamVR version is broken, at least playing with a Quest 2. I didn't even realise until over 6 hours in that my ideofocul goggles were not showing me what they were supposed to. The sound and visuals change just like the first game but you don't see the hidden visuals. Somehow I managed up until close to the end without all the extra fun stuff I should have been seeing. I just assumed at some point I would need the goggles and often spent the time to put them on, which was annoying on Quest 2 because it required going into the inventory each time. Finally I reached a point where to progress further in VR was not possible. I had to load up the game without VR, do the puzzle, and then go back to VR. And in that same area there was another puzzle that to solve you need to have the ideofocul goggles working. Watched a YouTube video for the answer.

All that aside I did enjoy the VR experience. I just feel I missed out on a lot without the goggles working properly. I did get it on a great sale so it was definitely worth the price.

Despite of being an old game, slow walking and messy controls, it's a playable and very decent game but when i reached Hubert missing part, i couldn't rotate the pieces (i had to play with keybard without VR) but the mayor problem is that the main menu and the goggles just disappeared so i had problems to go forward in the game. From this point lots of bugs appear.

It's a pity but these are the reasons i can't reccomend this game.

Playing on Quest 2 with Virtual Desktop

VR is broken. :-(

Finally got around to playing this game after purchasing it years ago. When I launched the game in VR back then, it worked (different headset, I think.) But now, I get lifted high into the air like I'm on an elevator, with a door way down below. If I look forwards or up, the whole game freezes like it's attached to my face. (Nauseatingly...) So I can only look down at all the things I cannot touch. Resetting the view does nothing.

Quest 2, using Link.

I loved Dead Secret, I love Dead Secret Circle. I really hope there's a third game, but if not, they did a phenomenal job with the series. I recommend to my friends. :)

Bought the bundle. First game worked perfectly and loved it. Played in VR on oculus quest 2 with link cable (bought on steam). Second game (secret circle) does not work at all!

I have a good setup (Half Life Alyx works perfectly), but the game is just not finished.
Opening the game, black screen, only sound, no menu to see (which I know there is after trying the game on flatscreen instead of VR), and after this I float in a lift, glitches all over the place, textures floating...

Not playable. And sadly not refundable according to steam since I played more than 2 hours (on the first game of the bundle!!!) They forget to look that I could NOT play the second game???

Hope to get a solution soon.

Thumbs up for spooky atmosphere, memorable characters, and a lot of wonderfully creepy moments.

Game is pretty glitchy though. I had to force-close the game and try again multiple times after getting trapped during specific chase sequences, which was frustrating. Fortunately I didn't run across any game-breaking bugs.

Okay I'll admit I wasn't a fan of Dead Secret, and was kind of bored playing it. However, this game Dead Secret Circle is SO much more fun!!! I really enjoyed being able to interact with some interesting characters in the game. Looking around in a apartment building was so much fun. Loved it!!!!!

Dead Secret Circle is the sequel to just Dead Secret, a first person horror/thriller adventure made primarily for VR, but also playable with mouse and keyboard. Like before, I played this one without VR. This time, the game has full free movement, though you can tell it's designed for VR by how slow and gliding the movement is.

You again assume the role of reporter Patricia, who is on the edge of a breakdown after her previous adventure, investigating a series of murders surrounding a dilapidated apartment building. There are people around to interview, and again many documents to find in order to find out the killer's identity.

It's a spooky game without getting too scary, with a few small pop scares. The voice acting and puzzles are more refined than the first game. I did think the conclusion was very abrupt and not very satisfying. I should also note that the game is quite buggy, which I think might be a result of first making the game for VR and then retroactively putting in free movement. There's objects popping in and out of existence, textures turning into black squares, I got stuck between a wall and door at one point, and at several moments the game would either stick on a black screen or just not proceed to load the next part. Thankfully, the game autosaves your progress and location pretty accurately, so exiting out of the game and going back in lets you proceed without loss of progress.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the first hour that the game let me get through, but then I encountered a game breaking glitch that prevented me from going forward. The pacing was decent, and I liked the first game too. But....if you're going to put out a game, don't leave it so damn broken. Especially when you're not Bethesda, because at least bugs fit their track record. I'm incredibly disappointed in how broken the game is.

Haunting. It's a good follow-up to the original game. I love this universe so damn much. (And yes, I did finish this game in 7 hours, if that's a factor for you. I didn't 100% it but I came close. Still worth the price, if you ask me, especially if you liked the first one.) It runs a little janky and I had to force quit a couple of times when it didn't load correctly, but nothing permanently game ruining.

I will say first, I really hope they make a third. I enjoyed the first Dead Secret, and this was a step up. It lasted a little longer than the first, the first took me 2 days to complete and this one three days. I liked that you interacted with other people than just wandering around by yourself. Questioning people was fun, I just wish you had more options to choose what to say or ask. Certainly creepier than the first, and more jump scares and having to run and hide from the bad guy, but without over doing it. Some questions that were brought up in the game were left unsolved, so that was a bummer but didn't ruin the game by any means. Really, really enjoyed it and I hope they keep making more!

Let me start by saying I loved the first game, so I came into this game hoping for a lot. I was mostly disappointed.

+ Essentially a 3d Point & Click adventure game
+ A few interesting scenes
- Lots of graphical bugs -- lots
- Story is a mess
- 95% of all story is delivered via random diary pages you find EVERYWHERE. Including inside kitchen cupboards.
- Dumb ending with a deus ex machina
- PAINFULLY SLOW walk speed

What made the first game charming seemed to have weakened (by) the second. Everything was fresh, new, and exciting in the original, Dead Secret. This time though, it just seemed stale and predictable. The storyline was weaker but not bad. The ending could've used more work. I played Dead Secret (I) and Dead Secret Circle (II) together- back-to-back for continuity and congruity sake. Altogether, it was worth the money and I did enjoy my time.

Harriet was a gas! She made me laugh (audibly) on a number of occasions. Her extreme, ovet whiteness was too funny. Unfortunately, I've known plenty of people like Harriet so I think the developers did a fine job of creating an ignorant racist who is blissfuly unaware of their own racism. I'd play these games again, and yes, they both scared the crap out of me at times.

TLDR: The original was better than the sequel, but played together, they offer a weekend of great storylines and atmosphere. Very much worth it. WASD is a plus in the sequel.

I absolutely loved the first game, so when I saw that a sequel was out, I bought it without a second thought. Let me just say I'm glad I got it while it was on sale. This game is a conundrum, as narrative-wise, it is brilliant. A tense, suspenseful, grim detective story filled with secret collectibles and visual tricks that will leave you terrified to continue. Mechanically, though, it's a mess. Glitches every ten minutes, black screens forcing you to restart the game, a game-breaking bug that occurs at the very end which skips you around and has the potential to spoil the ending for you; it's pretty bad.

PROS:
-As I said, the narrative is brilliant (up until the ending, but, I digress). It will keep you guessing all the while, and although it doesn't particularly end in a satisfying way, I definitely enjoyed sleuthing and poking around. The ideofocal plane in this game is also an improvement narratively from the first game, as you can see not just spirits pointing you in the right direction, but each room will give you an insight into the mental state of recent guests, including the player character. It's simultaneously heartbreaking and intriguing.
-The voice acting is far improved from the first one.
-Using WASD to move is a definite improvement over the first game's point-and-click style, and really helps to provide a sense of 'being' in the game's environment, as opposed to just being a head on rails.
-The atmosphere is incredible. I was terrified the entire time, not knowing when the killer would show up, never knowing when I would turn around and experience a hallucination, never knowing when or where I was safe.

CONS:
-As I said, this game does not function well mechanically. The screen will constantly glitch into a black abyss when switching scenes, the dream world seems ot be especially glitchy, leading to players getting stuck in it with no way out, and upon quitting the game and trying to continue to maybe reload from an earlier point, the game will instead throw you into a part of the game that you shouldn't be in, leading to spoilers, and having no idea where to go to find your next objective.
-The environment is so cluttered and messy that it becomes difficult at times to figure out where you can and can't walk.
-The puzzles, while some of them are decently made, are for the most part just big time-wasters that both are not fun to solve, and make absolutely no sense why they are where they are in the game. For example, why in the world does one of the tenants keep the door to their art studio locked? Why would a different tenant construct a macguffin hunt in order to find a key to one of the rooms in his apartment, when in that room is a dying family member who regularly has seizures and could die at any moment? There's suspension of disbelief, and then there's wasting the player's time.
-Good GOD could the player character move ANY slower? There's no sprint button either, so you are stuck at a freaking snail's pace the entire time, making chases uninteresting and movement from one place to another absolutely dreadful to go through.
-The ending sucks and leaves you unsatisfied after 5+ hours of trying to deduce who the killer is, only to not have you solve it but rather have it solved for you.

CONCLUSION:
Skip it. Play the first game. It does everything good that this game does without the cons of game-breaking glitches and ungodly slow movement speed. If you've played the first one, you are not missing much.

3.75/10

I liked this game a lot. It was a mystery with what I would classify as a horror-light theme. It is more suspense thriller with some blood/murders than a gory horror blood splatter fest. I do recommend playing Dead Secret first if you haven’t already. It not necessary to have played it to enjoy Dead Secret Circle, but you play as the same person who is a bit traumatized by the previous story and one of those characters shows up in this one.

Though both games involve solving a mystery, Dead Secret Circle is more of a whodunnit and has an oddball cast of characters that you will meet and investigate in order to solve the case of the Laughing Man serial murders.

There are a lot of collectibles. You collect clues in each of the apartments, as well as comic book pieces, audio tapes, and a lovely collection of Heather Oats mystery novels. Heather Oats is a twisted version of Nancy Drew and those familiar with Nancy will hopefully get a laugh reading excerpts from books written about what appears to be her evil twin!

I liked solving the many puzzles in the game. Some are game related to open doors or caches, etc. and require paying attention to clues you find and applying them to the puzzle at hand. Some puzzles are optional. Whenever you come back to your apartment, you will find puzzle books lying around the house. Feel free to pick them up and solve them if you wish or toss them aside and go to sleep.

About those action sequences! If memory serves, there are 4 of them in an 8 hour game. Generally, they consist of finding a good place to hide until danger passes. I think because the game was designed for VR, there is no running. So even though the adrenaline is flowing, the threat is looming, you will casually walk to find a good place to hide. I am not a good action player by any stretch of the imagination, and I was able to conquer all of them in both Dead Secret and Dead Secret Circle. If I can do it, you most likely can too.

I really enjoyed this game. It had a combination of tense, scary moments along with some fun ones with lots of things to collect and puzzles to solve. The story held my interest and I would love to see Patricia back solving another mystery in a third game now that she is able to begin writing again. I do recommend this game.

Talk about keeping me on edge! This mystery kept my attention all the way through and the spooky atmospehere kept me from ever feeling at ease. While I am personally not a fan of chase scenes, the one in game aren't frequent nor hard. I enjoyed the puzzles and story so much that I beat the game in two days, if it wasn't for work I'd have done it in one. Definitelty recommended to anyone who enjoys puzzle and mystery games.

Absolutely loved the first game. So naturally when I saw that it had a sequel, I jumped at it, and I'm glad I did. It carries a lot of the same charm: enticing story, interesting characters, encouraging you to explore and read everything. What I really loved is the improvement on movement. You can now free roam with the WASD keys as opposed to the point and click movement style of the previous game, allowing you to explore things more thoroughly. You are often rewarded for doing so with files and other fun extras to look out for. One of this game's strengths is its subtlety. It builds a really tense atmosphere and is seldom cheap with it. There's a few jumpscares, but more often than not, the eerie comes in subtle details that you might not see if you're not paying attention. I also really appreciated the continuation of certain aspects of the story from the first game.

The only real complaint I have is that it's still awfully buggy. Sometimes the sound will randomly cut out, sometimes the scene won't shift because the screen will black out and freeze. I've gotten stuck in weird places after opening and closing cabinets a couple times and had to restart the game. Kind of sucky, but with frequent autosaves, it's usually not too big of a deal to start over.

Also, Harriet's face is horrifying.

Fans of the original Dead Secret will remember its minimalistic charm, its endearing story, its gripping 'whodunnit' which made way to some 'out there' 'supernatural' plot turns. But not completely supernatural - perhaps more 'spiritual' infused with 'technological'.

In short the original was a lot of fun, even though it was arguably a little overpriced for the length.

Well, the sequel, Circle, takes that same charm, ramps it up to cloud 9, and turns the story from mystery thriller to psychological mystery adventure horror.

If you liked the original, you will like this, it's that simple. The mouse controlled train track controls are replaced by wasd and the game is now free roaming. You are once again investigator Patricia Gable but things haven't gone too well for our intrepid heroine since the original and her life is now a struggle with her past and her mind.

I'm not going to give away an ounce of the plot beyond that, but this one is absolutely intruiging, just like its predecessor. It is probably still marginally overpriced but the story will grab you if you let it, although I'd strongly suggest playing the original first.

One real downside, which doesn't TRULY affect your enjoyment, is the absolutely horrible graphics. This thing looks no better than a PS2 game - it's truly dire to look at and incredibly low-budget.

But I'm the world's biggest graphics snob and I don't care - I'm having a real blast with the story, the investigation, the puzzles and the psychological intrigue.

If you love your thrillers, your mysteries - you could do a lot worse than this.