10 Dead Doves Preview

10 Dead Doves is a single-player narrative horror with a fixed perspective and an art style that will tug on a lot of people's nostalgia. Developed by Duonix Studios, Mark Byram II, Sean-Michael Millard and published by Duonix Studios, the game follows the story of two friends, Marcus and Sean, who embark on one last adventure to relive their backpacking glory days.

To be frank with you, the first thing that caught my attention and charmed me was the graphics, as I find myself rather allured by these sorts of styles. What really intrigued me, though, was how cinematic and AAA-esque it felt once the game got going! The way the characters speak, the panning and angles of the camera, and the overall gameplay made me nostalgic for some of the best horror games I've played, such as Telltale's The Walking Dead and — most recently — The Quarry. It was like watching a movie with modern dialogue, acting, and direction but filming it with a really old camera: it's a new and exciting experience, and I'm all for it.

But enough of my gawking — let's talk about what I got to do in the demo. The story starts off as the duo is driving to their adventure and stop at a petrol station. After stocking up on some essentials — like beef jerky, obviously — they head off again only to soon find out that they've run out of gas (one might argue, thanks to Sean). Any scary movie/game fan will know where this leads to: lights out, terrifying sounds, and then bad gets worse when they get split from each other.

Throughout all this, the two go back and forth as best friends sometimes do, snapping with witty comments here and there. It did feel a bit abrupt and forced at times because I didn't quite get why they were so agitated, making me feel like a third wheel who had missed context somewhere, but I still enjoyed it. It has that scary film charm that I'll never tire of. Additionally, always having them talk brought an eerie sense of real life to the experience, as you usually do mundane tasks in games — like walking down the road looking for help — in absolute silence.

Aside from the pleasant dialogue, which made me chuckle a few times, I really enjoyed the overall world exploration and gameplay. It's not overly linear, as you can sometimes walk off the roads to find something or other to explore or take with you, but it's also not so vast it becomes overwhelming. Overall, I was lulled into nostalgia for a lot of my favourite games while also feeling excitement for a whole new adventure.

If you like scary games, I highly recommend checking this one out! It's unique, and it shows a lot of promise and potential. 10 Dead Doves does a lot of things that make some of my favourite horror titles great while adding that awesome spin of classic graphics and nostalgia.

10 Dead Doves will be available sometime in 2024! Don't forget to wishlist on Steam if you like what you see.