Hands-On Preview: Better Than Dead Is a Brutal Symphony of Raw Vengeance

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While the saying goes that revenge is a dish best served cold, many films – especially those from Asia – show it being served immediately and intensely. From the deeply disturbing films of Park Chan-wook to the over-the-top action of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, revenge is a popular theme in entertainment. These stories often explore the extreme lengths people will go to for payback, showcasing brutal violence, the lasting impact of trauma, and just how fragile our sense of humanity can be.

These things are intentionally made to feel unsettling by combining different elements, and it interestingly brings up a question I often consider: can video games achieve a similar effect?

I’ve always been fascinated by game titles that challenge players or stir up unexpected emotions. I truly believe games are a powerful art form, just as impactful as movies, books, or paintings, and capable of evoking a wide range of feelings. It seems many gamers aren’t accustomed to this, though. Often, when a game makes someone uncomfortable, the first reaction is to say it’s “not fun,” without considering that the game might not have been trying to be purely enjoyable.

I’m bringing up all of this to highlight Better Than Dead, which perfectly illustrates this point. It’s a game that’s stressful, unsettling, and intensely difficult – and those qualities actually make it great.

Recording the Architecture of Trauma

Better Than Dead is a relentlessly fast-paced and violent first-person shooter that throws you right into the action with no hand-holding. It features a realistic, found-footage style look and a revenge-driven story. While it seems like pure adrenaline, the game actually has surprising depth, which I got to see for myself when the developers, Monte Gallo, invited me to play it before it became available to the public.

Before diving deeper into the game, it’s important to know the basic story. The game doesn’t use cutscenes or dialogue to explain things; it immediately throws you into a frightening situation: a room where the main character has been held prisoner for a long, unknown time. You gradually uncover the story as you play, learning that you control a young woman who escaped from human traffickers. Now free, she’s driven by a single, all-consuming desire: revenge, no matter the price.

Better Than Dead is a game that’s intensely stressful, unsettling, and often very difficult – and those qualities actually make it great. It’s a challenging experience that truly stands out.

The game is as emotionally draining as it sounds, and it delivers its impact through a deeply unsettling atmosphere instead of a typical story. You directly experience disturbing locations – still active crime scenes – which serve as the setting for the villain’s horrific acts. It’s often intensely difficult to continue playing; the game presents its horrors in a very raw and direct way, and the visuals and camera angles powerfully enhance this effect. I frequently had to pause and collect myself before proceeding.

I’m really hooked by how they’re using the ‘body-cam’ style in ‘Better Than Dead.’ It’s not just a cool look – the main character is actually filming everything as she tries to uncover who kidnapped her and so many other women. What we’re seeing is what she’s recording, and honestly, that makes it way more unsettling. Because it feels so realistic, it’s genuinely creepy and adds a whole other layer to the story.

To create a strong impact without being disrespectful to difficult subjects, the game intentionally blurs nudity and faces. This keeps the player’s attention on the harshness of the violence and the grim reality of the events.

Hesitation Kills

The game’s immersive atmosphere wouldn’t work if the gameplay didn’t match its gritty tone. Better Than Dead is designed to be consistently tense and difficult, demanding patience and keeping you constantly on edge.

The game is divided into short, focused levels with clear goals – like defeating a boss, saving someone, or escaping. After each level, you’ll see a report card showing how well you did, including your time, number of enemies defeated, and any accidental harm to innocent people, all adding up to a final rank. Be warned, though: these levels are tough! Dying sends you right back to the start, similar to the challenging gameplay found in games like Sifu.

Better Than Dead is designed to be a consistently tense and challenging game that demands patience from players.

The game is easy to pick up, with simple controls like running, crouching, and sliding. You only have one weapon – a pistol – but you have an unlimited supply of bullets. Don’t think this makes things easy, though! The limited controls are intentional. You’re not playing as a trained assassin, but as a young woman who is furious and deeply upset, so her movements aren’t precise or stable.

The game’s controls really make you feel the character’s distress. Instead of a traditional aiming reticle, you have to focus intensely, as the shaky camera constantly reflects her emotional state. This, combined with unlimited ammo, creates a truly challenging experience that takes some getting used to – especially because even a single hit can be devastating. Getting hit splatters blood on the screen and throws off your aim and movement, making it incredibly difficult to stay in control. Ultimately, success demands near-flawless performance on every level.

The game is quite challenging, but this actually highlights the importance of its bullet time mechanic – it’s very similar to the one in Max Payne, letting you slow down time for a short period to gain control (though you’ll slide instead of jump dramatically). Trust me, this ability is essential and can save you, especially when facing multiple enemies in a single area.

The game includes a hidden mechanic called “luck,” which is connected to the hardest difficulty setting currently available. If you accidentally harm innocent people, your luck decreases. This makes the game significantly harder by causing you to be hit more often, reducing your accuracy, and disabling bullet time. Essentially, losing luck adds extra pressure and challenge.

Ultimately, the game focuses on exciting action, but also constantly asks you to connect with the main character’s intense emotions. This emotional connection makes the story, which deals with difficult subjects, even more impactful, especially for female players.

Just because you have ammunition doesn’t mean things will be simple. Your abilities are deliberately restricted – you’re not a trained assassin. You’re controlling a young woman fueled by intense anger and trauma, so expect instability and a lack of precision.

I was really struck by how the game subtly encourages a particular playstyle. After each loss, the game gives you advice to be bolder and more proactive – one message even bluntly states, “Stay aggressive. Hesitation kills.” I found myself almost instinctively starting to play that way. It turned out that being aggressive – rushing towards enemies to activate slow motion – actually made me less likely to get hit and helped me complete levels much faster. If I tried to play cautiously and hide, the game seemed to punish me by making enemies more accurate. I’m not sure if this is intentional game design or just a clever psychological trick, but it definitely worked!

Sharp Knives and Rough Edges

I’ve been really getting into Better Than Dead, and one thing that’s stood out to me is how immersive it is. The sound design is incredible – gunshots don’t just sound loud, they feel sharp and almost painful, which keeps you on edge the whole time. And visually, the game is really detailed. Seeing smoke billow from the gun and watching the environments crumble around you with sparks and debris flying everywhere as you move is just fantastic. It really adds to the intensity!

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While the game generally looks great, I noticed some frustrating technical issues. I ran into invisible barriers on car windows and gaps in railings that unfairly blocked my shots, restricting how I could approach fights. There were also odd glitches with how enemy bodies behaved. Plus, I sometimes got stuck inside objects just by crouching and trying to use the environment to my advantage, which was disappointing.

It’s important to remember this game is currently in Early Access, so finding some imperfections is expected. These are details the developers will likely refine and fix over time. Despite these small issues, the game is clearly heading in a positive direction, and that’s what matters most at this early stage.

A Vengeance Worth Witnessing

Better Than Dead is a compelling and unsettling experience that evokes strong emotions without using any spoken words. It tells its story through simple visual cues – like bullet points – and relies on powerful imagery and challenging gameplay. The game creates a surprisingly deep and impactful narrative despite featuring blurred faces and minimal dialogue, which is a remarkable achievement.

Even with a few imperfections, the game is clearly heading in a good direction, and that’s what matters most at this early stage.

This game isn’t your typical entertainment – it aims to be thought-provoking and stays with you even after you stop playing. It’s a challenging experience, and you need to be open to its difficult themes. If you’re looking for something unique and that will make you think long after you’ve finished, this game is a great choice! As it’s still in early development, there’s a lot of potential for it to become even more impactful and daring in the future.

Playing this game feels like experiencing a dark and brutal revenge story in the style of director Park Chan-wook. It doesn’t shy away from showing the truly horrifying depths of human cruelty.

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2026-05-12 15:11