← Kinda Funny Gamescast: Video Game Podcast
Kinda Funny Gamescast: Video Game Podcast
You NEED To Play This New Horror Game - Kinda Funny Gamescast
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- [00:00]
Abu Saleem
Foreign.
- [00:07]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yo, what's up? Welcome to the Kind of Funny Games cast for Thursday, August 7, 2025. I'm one of your host blessing Addie Oye Jr. Joining me is Abu Saleem aka the founder and CEO of Surgent Studios. Abu, thank you so much for joining me once again on the show. Yeah, we've had you before on Game Showdown and I forget if you've been on a Gamescast episode before, but I'm happy to have a conversation with you today.
- [00:34]
Abu Saleem
I mean, maybe. I don't know, bro. I just. I just rock up and show up and hope everything goes well. So I'm sure. No, I know. I definitely have done a lot with you guys, so thank you very much for having me here, man.
- [00:47]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah, well, I mean, I'm super excited to talk to you. You know, we were talking about it a little bit before the show, but me and Barrett played Dead take on stream on Friday and it took up our entire afternoon and I was very one. Me and Bear had such a good time playing the game. Right. But then I was very not surprised, I guess. But like, I saw so much response in the comments saying, oh, this is such a fun stream, man, I would love to see these guys talk to the devs about the game.
- [01:16]
Abu Saleem
Amazing.
- [01:16]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
And so it just happened to coincide perfectly where you hit up Tim and and mentioned that like you were. You were down to come on the show to talk about the game a bit. And so this is all a perfect storm. Excited to talk to you. But before we get into it, like, how you been, man? It's been a week since you released the game.
- [01:33]
Abu Saleem
Yeah, I mean, it's been kind of crazy, I'd say. Like it's. It's funny. I did the same thing with Z where I'm in the middle of filming House of the Dragon season three. So I'm sort of like. Like as it was releasing, I was like filming and so it was sort of just very, very wild. And now I'm kind a bit of a breather.
- [01:53]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah.
- [01:54]
Abu Saleem
And it's been, it's been incredible, like seeing just the reception and the. And the love for the game and that all the fan theories as well as to what the actual story is, it's been really great.
- [02:04]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Hell yeah. Hell yeah. Well, I mean, for the audience that might not be familiar with you, of course you mentioned that you're in a House of the Dragon. I mean, we know you from various things. Of course you mentioned Tales of Kinsera Zao. I think a lot of our audience would know you because you presented the game at the Game Awards about a year and a half ago where you announced it and you had like a very heartfelt announcement talking about the connection between the game and your connection with grief and your father and all these things. Right. And so I'm sure plenty of people know you from that as well. You played, I believe, Bayek in Assassin's Creed.
- [02:36]
Abu Saleem
Yeah, Assassin's Creed. Yeah, yeah, yeah, There you go. Yeah.
- [02:40]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Is that like what more did I. Am I'm missing anything? Is there things that people should know you from?
- [02:45]
Abu Saleem
Not well, I mean, Raised by Wolves, I did. I was on Raised by Wolves for like a while. Um, I did Napoleon. I mean, I've done bits here and there, man.
- [02:53]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I'm.
- [02:53]
Abu Saleem
I'm very fortunate to be like a working actor. I'd say you're prolific, I think. Yeah, like I'm honestly, I feel very, very fortunate to be in and now also making games and like telling stories is really, really cool.
- [03:05]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Hell yeah, man. Well, I got a lot I want to ask you about Dead Take, but before I do, I want to remind the audience that this is the kind of Funny games cast. Each and every weekday we run you through the nerdy news you need to know about on the last show on this show. Each and every weekday we get together and talk about the biggest reviews, previews and topics in video games live on YouTube, Twitch and on podcast services around the globe. If you love what we do, support us with the Kind of Funny membership on Patreon, YouTube, Spotify or Apple podcasts to get all of our shows ad free, watch us record them live and get a daily exclusive show for a chance to be a part of the show. Some of your thoughts and opinions as YouTube super chats as we go. Housekeeping for you. We're an 11 person business all about live talk shows. Right before this was kfd, that was us talking about how Xbox has cancelled content band. And then after this is Fantastic four Rise of the Silver Surfer in review. And then after that is a stream it is Battlefield six with the crew. If you're a Kind of Funny member, today's Greg Way is coming from Mike. Thank you to our Patreon producers Carl Jacobs, Omega Buster and Delaney the Psalm Twining. Today we're brought to you by Kinda funny in Review but we'll tell you about that later. For now let's start with topic of the show Abu. I mentioned it on KFC right before this that in my opinion I think that Take is one of the best horror games of the year. Thus far, right. It was a. Yeah, it was a surprise for me and Barrett playing it. We've not done a formal review. I don't even know if we'll get to do a formal review. But, like, you know, coming off of finishing Dead Take on Friday, I think me and Barrett both had the thing of, like, one. It took us about four hours to get through. We started the stream at, like, I want to say, like, 1 or 1:30, and we hit 5pm which is the end of the workday traditionally, at kind of funny. And usually by then it's like, all right, let's wrap up. You know, we got lives to go home to or whatever. And me and Barrett didn't say a word. Me and Barrett, neither of us wanted to be the one to be like, okay, we got to cut this thing off, because both of us wanted to see the ending of the game. And so, like, we stayed. There was a moment where I was.
- [05:14]
Barrett Courtney
Like, like, how you feeling?
- [05:15]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Bless.
- [05:16]
Barrett Courtney
You're like, I'm.
- [05:17]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I'm feeling good. It's like, all right, we're going to keep going. Yeah. Like, both of us wanted to get to the ending of the game. Like, for you, one. For those who don't know what Dead Take is, how would you describe the game? And then also, what's the reception been like?
- [05:30]
Abu Saleem
Yeah, absolutely. So Dead Take is a. The best way I can describe it is it's a. It's a Hollywood horror game, which is basically like a reverse escape room. So it's a reverse escape room Hollywood horror game where you play as an actor called Chase Lowry, who's played by Neil Newman, who is looking for his friend Vinnie Monroe, who's played by Ben Starr. And it is a mix of, like, it's fmv, basically. It's FMV and gameplay. So I really wanted to ensure that we had, like, live action sequences, and we saw the actors who are, you know, like, basically all of them are my mate. You know, kind of see them for, you know, for what they're incredibly good at, which is acting. And you essentially go through this mansion, and you're finding these tapes of audition auditions, interviews, confessions, and splicing them together to kind of reveal deeper context, all about the kind of corruption of Hollywood as a whole.
- [06:34]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yes. Now, coming off of Tales of Zao, right, that came out only last year. That was, like, spring last year that that came out. You turned around. I messaged you on Instagram after playing this game of, like, yo, great job. I love this game. And you mentioned that you only took about Seven months making.
- [06:52]
Abu Saleem
Yeah.
- [06:52]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
What was that like? Like, what. When did you start? Like, what was the idea? When did you get the idea for this?
- [06:59]
Abu Saleem
It was intense. So the idea kind of came about, so at the Game Awards, and I was talking to Bucky, who's like the. The publishing manager over at Pocket Pair, and he kind of let slip to me that they were going to be. Do they have a publishing arm? And they're like, you know, they're looking to sort of publish, you know, new games and stuff, indie games. And already, you know, we were. We were already kind of pitching a few ideas and thoughts out there. But what I'm. When I mentioned essentially uso, which was Project uso, which was like the Tails of Kinsera RPG game that we wanted to make, they were like, it's a bit big for. We kind of want to, you know, we're starting out. We want to kind of start small and steady. And what ended up happening was I ended up essentially kind of coming up with this idea on the spot and being like, wouldn't it be cool if, you know, we were exploring a Hollywood mansion of this horrible executive producer and he has tapes of, like, really great actors, but instead of, like, the, you know, typical Hollywood actors that you see, like, on tv, you actually see, it's actually the actors that, you know, the voices of, like, wouldn't that be great? And we kind of just rift. And it. It was one of those moments. The best way I can describe it is like, it's like writing a script. Sometimes it takes, like, months or years to sort of write a script. Sometimes you can literally wake up and you can do it in, like, a day or two or a week. And this was exactly that idea. We knew exactly what we wanted to do. We knew exactly how it was going to play out. We knew exactly the story that we wanted to kind of tell. And so I ended up pitching this to Bucky. I ended up saying, like, yeah, I can get, like, Ben and Neil and Jane in it and Alana in it. Obviously they had no idea about this. So then after Bucky was like, yeah, okay, we can do this. I was like, okay, now I've got.
- [08:47]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
A call I now got to get.
- [08:50]
Abu Saleem
Now, but I get these guys, convince them to do it, and essentially that's what ended up happening. But, like, a lot of the stories in this game are very much inspired by the stories that I have heard within, you know, working in this industry. Neil and Ben have been exposed to in this industry. Like, it is. It's. It came so Easy, because we live it. And that's the frightening bit of it all. I think this was just our chance of basically being like, well, let's shine a massive spotlight on the idiocies of this and just kind of go. Go balls to wall with it, you know?
- [09:28]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah. So you got this idea at Game Awards. It took you guys seven months to put out this game to bring in some more impressions, Right? Because you've heard mine. Me and Bear both really enjoyed this game, but Inverse had an article saying Steam just released the most unconventional horror game of the year. There's another one from Vice that says Dead Take. And this from their actual review. Dead Take is a great narrative experience. The puzzle elements leave a bit to be desired, but the story does the heavy lifting here. And that's where I began to understand what this game is about and why the story was necessary for them to. This is a group of developers who prioritize storytelling and they do it well. And then Gamespot in their review says, overall, this is a great game, and I would have loved to chase down more USB drives and watch many more FMV recordings. These performances left me wrapped, and I was always eager to search out for more. So you have great reviews, great impressions coming off of people getting their hands on the game. Like, what has that been like for you?
- [10:21]
Abu Saleem
It's been surreal, dude. Like, and it's one of those funny experiences where, you know, Zao took us like, three and a half years to make, and, you know, it was very beautiful, but it was a lot of work and a lot of, like, you know, passion and raw energy put into it. And this game took, like, seven months, and it was a hell of a lot of fun. And it's like, people are loving it and you kind of. You start. And again, it kind of brings into the idea of the question of, like, you know, why as an industry as a whole, anyway, why we spend, like, 10 years building these huge, massive games when you can make these really cool, like, nice experiences? It was very, you know, the whole journey was like a film. It was like making a. An indie. An indie film. And it really was. It's just been insane to see the. The love that we're getting for it, because it just goes to show as well. Like, if you. You just got to keep doing the things that you love and that you enjoy and it's. And the praise is almost like, bonus. I mean, it's been so lovely, man. Like, it's been so great. And I'm so happy as well that people are also seeing the performances of Ben and Neil, like, in its raw form, and the fact that, like, you know, and even with Jane and Alana and. And everyone essentially, like, these guys are, like, performers through and through, and to see that, like, to see them kind of do their thing, it's beautiful, man.
- [11:45]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah. I mean, man, there's so much I want to ask you about and talk to you about in regards to this game because, yeah, I have, like, business things I want to talk to you about, but then also, like, certain studios want to talk about, and then also I want to talk about the game itself, and I want to start there because I know there's a certain amount of people listening that still haven't played the game, that are curious about it. Let's start. Let's talk about the stars, right? You mentioned you got Ben Starr for it. You got Neil Newman. Laura Bailey is also in this game. Alana Pierce is in this game. Sam Lake is in this game. Matt Mercer is in this game. Right. Like, you know, obviously, you're from that world. You're an actor. You've been in these different things. You have these relationships with these various people. But for you working on this game and knowing you have access to such star talent and getting to work directly with Ben and Neil in, like, those two main roles of the game, like, what was that? Like, was this, like, a thing of, like, man, I got the treasure trove right here. Like, I got this access. Like, man, I can't believe I get to make a game starting loose people. Like, what was that?
- [12:44]
Abu Saleem
It was. It was just friends, man. Like, that's the thing. Like, it's just working with friends. I think, like, that was what's been so great about this whole process, is that it's. It's just felt like I've, you know, I've called up mates and been like, hey, I've got this really cool, interesting role for you. Would you be interested to, you know, to be in it? I'd say the only terrifying person to approach with this idea was Sam Lake. But at the same time, he was the most, like, accepting of it. He was the most, like, yeah, let's do it. Because, of course, you know Sam Lake.
- [13:13]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah.
- [13:13]
Abu Saleem
So, yeah, it was. It's just. It's just like, the. The good thing about working with these guys as well is, like, they know what they're doing, so there is very little, like, touch when it comes to direction. Like, it just, you know, I give them a script and they just run with it, and we create an environment as well where they can improvise, where they can play, where they can do what they want. Like the hot. There's a whole tape or clip where Ben goes off, right? And that was all improvised. That wasn't part of the script. And he just went for it. And it's because he knew the character, and it's because he's a good actor and he knows what he's doing. So it's like having that kind of relationship with these people was. Was great, man, because it's just, again, as I say, it's like mates, just having fun.
- [13:57]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
One of the unique mechanics that you have in this game is this splice system where in game you are able to take these different FMV clips. Like one of the ones you mentioned with Ben Starr of him going off, right? Like, these are based off of these, like, clips from USB drives that you find in the game that you then put into a computer that connect into a theater room that you're able to watch. But then also, this splice software in game uses AI to, like, splice these clips together. What was the thought process behind that mechanic? And then also what was directing those FMV sequences, like, especially for characters that aren't interacting in the same room most of the time?
- [14:39]
Abu Saleem
It was. So it really was just a. It was a commentary on the way that the industry is kind of turning towards AI and trusting AI to deliver content and just being like, you know, well, okay, if you just gave AI the other the artistic license to edit a film, what would they do? And something that we were really keen on. On. On. On exploring was the idea of context and how when you remove the con, like, you can change and alter the context of a scene just by removing one party's dialogue and mixing it with another. So one of the things that I'm sure you. You may have noticed this, but like the two interviews between Ben and Jane, on their individual selves, their interviews are totally. You know, the subject matter is totally different in. Compared to the actual. When you splice them together. So we had to write, you know, the dialogue of Ben, Ben's character about himself and talking about himself and about his love for. For Duke Kane. And then we had to write the dialogue for Jane and about, you know, her trying to succeed in this industry and, you know, kind of be, you know, be sort of recognized. Now when you mix those two together, it becomes this weird conversation about what it means to be a star and what it means to kind of make art and about Duke Kane. And we really wanted to play with that, this idea of AI cannot capture the. The nuance of context and. And. And the beauty of it. It just almost bastardizes it. And that was something that we really wanted to play with. And the simplicity of literally just putting one thing together to another is as simple as putting, like, a prompt in mid journey. And it's like. It just comes out and you're like, oh, okay, this is the result that we get. And this is exactly what the industry is turning into. You know, people are trying to find shortcuts to art, and it's kind of more of like a commentary on that and a horrific element on that.
- [16:36]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah, it's amazing because. Yeah, I think that was. I know, Barrett, that was probably your moment of the game, right?
- [16:40]
Barrett Courtney
This. Seeing that moment come together of those two interviews is. Might go down as one of my favorite moments in the. Of games in the. Of the year.
- [16:50]
Abu Saleem
Amazing.
- [16:52]
Barrett Courtney
And like, the question I wanted to ask was, like, what was it like? Because I assume they filmed these scenes separately.
- [16:59]
Abu Saleem
Separately.
- [17:00]
Barrett Courtney
And so what was it like directing that and thinking of the different context that you're going to have these conversations be put in and then seeing that come together? Like, what was that process like for you? And like, did you. Did you still get that chill moment when you got to see the vision come together?
- [17:17]
Abu Saleem
Yeah, it was. It was amazing. It was incredible because, you know, when you. When you. When you're. You're obviously as an actor, you're reacting to whoever's reading the dialogue, right? So they are obviously reacting to the interview. Interviewers. So they're not really reacting to one another. However, again, like, when it worked and when it made sense, it. It was terrifying because it's. There's a. There's a really famous sort of like, saying or. Stanley Kubrick. I think it's Stanley Kubrick, where essentially he would get an image of a man smiling, and then he would cut it straight to a baby in, like a. In a cot. And obviously, as the audience, you're like, oh, that's really cute. But then he would use that same image of a man smiling and then like a naked woman on a beach. And it's kind of looks perverted, and it's. Again, that's the whole context aspect and element of it. They are react. They are two different, separate elements. But we as the audience are engaging and actively filling in the gaps. And it was so lovely to see that happening with the interview and kind of how it worked. Even though there were two different reads and they were very, you know, two different separate takes because of the fact that the way it was cut and how the lines, like, lined up, it just made sense. It was really. It was really wild. It was. It was. It was such a great feeling to see and something that I really want to do more of. You know, mostly I want to really explore more of.
- [18:51]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah, so one of the things you mentioned at the beginning of this was talking about seeing fans or seeing the players kind of form their own opinion about what's going on within the story of the game. Do you have, like, a headcanon, or does the studio have, like a. All right, this is what. This. This is what really went down, though, kind of thing. Or is it meant to be a. Hey, it's all. It's all abstract. Like, take it how you want it.
- [19:17]
Abu Saleem
No, man. Like, I think there's definitely, like, a through line, but I think, you know, we. The game itself is. Is about how we use narratives to essentially sort of deal with the madness and. And stuff that we deal with in life. So we will fill in the gaps. Right. Actors who aren't auditioning much will essentially.
- [19:44]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Will.
- [19:45]
Abu Saleem
Will essentially turn around and say, oh, it's because the industry is really difficult. Or, like, actors who are constantly working are being like, oh, yeah, you know, there's just so much work build these narratives, essentially. And so, like, there is a through line. There is definitely a through line here, but we kind of wanted to, again, engage the audience to. And the players to essentially come up with the theories and thoughts of. Of what happened and how it works. I've heard people say that, like, both Chase and Vinnie are dead. I've heard that essentially, actually, it was Vinnie who got the role. And, you know, Chase is in purgatory. I've. I've heard so many. I've heard that Duke is. Is Chase. And, like, I've heard all these different theories, which is brilliant. I love that Shows. It shows essentially the fact that people are like, what is. Like. It's engaging them. You know what I mean? It's building these narratives. So. Yeah, but I. Yeah, there's definitely, like, a through line which. Which we worked with in order to. To tell the story of what we wanted to tell.
- [20:44]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah, I love the way that it's written. I think to kind of have that, like, give the audience the ability to kind of pull those things themselves, because. Yeah, I remember having the moment. I'm trying not to. I'm not. I don't. I'm not gonna spoil anything right from, like, anything late in the game, but there were a moment. There was a moment where I was like, oh, this is what's happening, right? And, like, I don't think it was ever. I don't recall it ever being explicitly said that, like, oh, this is what's happening. But it was like there was something that Chase, the main character, says where I'm like, oh, okay, this is what's going down. And I'm putting down the controller, right? Like, even talking to Barrett, you know, it was fun kind of like having our own takeaways. Like, we weren't really talking that strongly about the themes and what's going on. I think we're so locked in on solving the puzzles and figuring out the next moment of the thing. But, like, I put. I remember putting on the controller being like, okay, this is what this is. And Barrett having kind of his own take of, like, oh, but also, like, I think it's kind of, like, about this kind of thing. I think you guys do something.
- [21:38]
Barrett Courtney
This.
- [21:38]
Abu Saleem
What.
- [21:38]
Barrett Courtney
This footage we're showing here is of a. Of a puzzle that I don't want to show the solution for. But I remember this moment having us stopping and being like, okay, I think this is what the through line is of these kind of, like, three pivotal characters and how this puzzle is kind of representative of kind of what's going on at, like, at large here.
- [22:01]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah, really fun. And I love this. I think one of the things that I really like about the game, one of the names that they've given me, when I say they, I mean, I give my. I gave myself here. Kind of funny, is puzzle Poppy, because I love puzzles. I love. I love a puzzle game, right? But then on the other hand, I also love FMV games, right? And, like, I also like a walking sim. And so the. I love that dead take kind of gives me the best of, like, some of the worlds that I really do. Yeah, I do. Like, because I go in, I'm like, okay, I'm walking around a house. Like, I love Gone Home. And so you're kind of giving me a bit of that. But then you have the FMV portion starring these actors that I love. But then you have these puzzles that I'm also solving for you guys working on the game, what was the challenge of making these different elements come together? Like, was there a confidence from you when you're making that pitch at game awards of, oh, yeah, we can. If we do some FMV here, some, you know, puzzles here, make it first person, like, we can make that, or was it. Was it more of a process of making that stuff work?
- [23:00]
Abu Saleem
No, it was. I Think that again, as I said, there was a confidence to it, man. There was like a sense of like, like just understanding of how this out and like the beat of it, the, the game loop of it. The idea of, you know, whenever you watch a tape or you watch something, you know, you watch it in one specific space. When you're doing the puzzles, it's all. Or you're exploring that in the house and where, you know, where's the context or where's the, the solution? It's in the tapes. So then you use the tapes in order to kind of, you know, solve whatever and kind of figure out that. And it was like, it just was really clear into how it was going to play. And yeah, it just, it just made sense. And I, and this is why I always say, like, games really are an art form because there is no right ingredients. You just kind of go with the flow and with the gut of it and, and, and, and, and hope, you know, and kind of, there's a, there's an element of hope but also an element of knowing like it will work. And yeah, it just, it just made sense, man. Like, and you know, one thing that we were really, you know, telling ourselves a lot of was, look, we're not here to make a film. We're here to make a game. It is a game to be played and to be enjoyed. What do we all enjoy? Escape Rooms. Okay, that's a great horror premise. You know what I mean? Like, that's a great horror setting. So yeah, it just, it just made sense, man.
- [24:20]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah. Was. What were some of the inspirations behind this game? Both in terms of video games, but also in terms of just art in general. Like, there's a lot of darkness here. There's a lot of like, you know, bloodiness. There's a lot of fucked up shit going on. Like what, what.
- [24:38]
Abu Saleem
So this, so what's funny is actually this time around. So in comparison to sound, this is the beauty of making, being able to make more than one game. You learn from your old, you know, from the first game and you kind of build from there. So Zao took a lot of inspiration from a lot of games. Like, you know, like Ori, elements of that and also like, you know, kind of elements of Black Panther that kind of. We're pulling from a lot of different sources and stuff. Metroid as well. With this, we really kind of set the tone of being like, you know, forget everything. What's the, what's the, what's the tone of this game that we want to capture and It's Black Swan, the film Black Swan. Because Black Swan is an incredible film about, you know, what someone will do or how far someone will go in order to achieve greatness in a way or be the best. And so we kind of built that and what we ended up naturally finding as we were building this world and kind of focusing on that tone, people would, would say, oh, there's a bit of Resident Evil here. And they're like, oh, that's nice. Okay, cool. Let's like lean into that and like, you know, people. And then people be like, oh, remember that game? That was that game. PT Opt was great. Oh yeah, yeah. PT was really, really cool. Watching Clip of Beauty. Oh, that's a really cool vibe. And so you end up essentially like finding the inspirations or things that are really cool after the fact. Once you when, when you zero in and focus on one thing, it kind of blossoms like a tree. And so yeah, this time round we really just like, look, inspiration, Black Swan, move on. That's the tone of that. And let's just build from there. And then everything started to come by. You know, the fact that we enjoyed Escape Room Puzzles, did that. Do we want to guide the player too much? No. Oh, very Resident Evil. Cool. Let's look at that. Let's play from that. And that's essentially how we ended up building this game.
- [26:23]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Hell yeah. I got a lot more questions to ask. But before I do, I want to tell the audience about patreon.com kind of funny and YouTube.com kind of funny games where you can go and get the Kind of Funny membership which allows you to get shows ad free. Speaking of ads, let us tell you about our sponsors.
- [26:38]
D
This episode's brought to you by our own show Kind of Funny in Review. It is our movie review and it is the best place to get all of our thoughts on all the latest in entertainment. Greg, and how has it been this year?
- [26:52]
E
It's been awesome because I came back Alien versus Predator in review. Superman in review. Fantastic Four Currently happening. In review. It's been a great time and I've been crazier than ever.
- [27:04]
D
You really have. It's been banger after banger after banger of episodes of In Review doesn't mean the movies necessarily work. We're talking about some old time greats. Sometimes we're talking about some of the worst movies ever made. But no matter what, Greg is drinking his Cokes and having a good time and saying some of the craziest things you've said on Kind of Funny content ever that's right.
- [27:23]
E
If you're unfamiliar, of course, in review is us picking a movie series, watching them all, then ranking and reviewing them all while meticulously recapping the plot and not screwing anything up.
- [27:33]
D
But here's the thing. I know a lot of you are watching live, probably on kind of Funny Games daily, your kind of funny games cast. We cover video games, but we also cover movies. And we have a great time doing it. Just best friends hanging out. So don't worry. We're getting back to Alien versus Predator, everybody, right after we get through some of the big summer movies. But Fantastic Four, Superman, Alien versus Predator, it's been a great time. The good times are just starting.
- [27:56]
E
That's right. So right now, like, subscribe, share on your favorite podcast feed or YouTube.com kind of funny games and we'll see you at the movies.
- [28:04]
Abu Saleem
That was good.
- [28:05]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Thank you.
- [28:06]
E
I mean, we stole it. It's, you know, I think Cisco and Eberslime.
- [28:09]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
And we're back. Of course, you can write in with super chats. We want to get your questions read on the show. However, I'm pulling from the regular chat because I want to steal a question here from Demon Hacker, who says, how is it working with voice actors but doing live action? Was there any growing pains for the actors? And the reason I find this question interesting is because yesterday on kfc, we had a conversation about the casting director who did Baldur's Gate three, saying that they're surprised they don't see more Hollywood studios casting voice actors in, like, more movie and TV roles. Because there's, like, a lot of talent there for you working with Ben Starr, Neil Newbin. Right. People that we, I think a lot of our audience knows from video games doing live action. Like, what was that? Like, were there any growing pains? Or was it a thing of, like, oh, these guys just don't know what they're doing?
- [29:00]
Abu Saleem
Yeah, they. I mean, like, this is the thing. Like, they know what they're doing. They're actors. I went to school with Ben Starr, so we studied under the same sort of, you know, under the same, like, same, like house man. So, like, I. I know what he was. I knew. I knew these guys could deliver, like, whether it's, you know, on camera, whether it's theater, whether it's for games. So it was. It was pretty easy. You know, it's. Again, that's the tool and the skill of an actor is to be able to understand, like, what's the context that you're playing in and how you're Doing it. So there wasn't really any growing pains at all.
- [29:34]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Hell, yeah. I want to talk about Surgeon Studios because you guys have had a journey in the last year and a half for you guys, right? Like, going from Tales of Kinzera Zao to now Dead Take. Wildly different games. Like, I don't think you can get more different than these two games. What was that journey like from that first one to now putting out Dead Take? Like, has this changed the studio at all?
- [29:59]
Abu Saleem
It is definitely. It put a lot to the test in regards to seeing, you know, just how much we learn about game development, I think. And I always say this, I say, you know, game. When. When it. When it came to making Zao, the three and a half years, probably two of those years, were essentially spent trying to figure out how we work with one another. Like, what's the shorthand? And so then now putting that into practice was. Was what Dead Take was put making something in. In a short frame of time and. And just testing ourselves with something completely different. And I think, like, it. It definitely has made us realize that we can do anything. Like, we genuinely. If we feel like we're having fun with it and we can play with it, like, that's. That's how you make art. And I think that's. That's the one thing that I feel sometimes can be forgotten. It's like, you know, the traditional way is to make like a Zao to and learn from that and then build from there. And it's like, well, actually, no, we still have lessons that we've learned from Zao. And if we were to do another two, yeah, sure, we can do that again. But, like, we want to be inspired by the stuff that we make. We want to be led by what. What moves us, what gets us thinking. And at the. At the time, Dead Take was that, man. And I think, like, that's really got us going. The fact that, like, yeah, okay, let's make this game and let's do it. And like, you know what, let's set the timer to seven months. Let's do something like that. Let's surprise ourselves, you know, and even with the marketing campaign, like, we only announced it, like, a month before we released, knowing full well that we were going to be releasing it, you know, in a month's time, because we were, like, trying something different. We're just having fun, man. And I think, like, that's the thing with the studio. I think we have now become a studio where, like, we've been through the ringer, like, you know, it like the industry knows it. Like the whole industry itself has been through a lot, right. So I think ultimately what we can do is. And all we can do right now is have fun and have fun with like players and like, you know, kind of give them something new, give them something fresh, shock them, surprise them. Like, there's a. There's so much fun in that.
- [32:08]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
You know, I want to bring in a super chat asking about a bit of the future. This is from CJ Splits and who says Abu. Any game genres you want to tackle? I think I heard something of a sci fi game development.
- [32:20]
Abu Saleem
Yeah, man. So I really, I really want to do RPGs. I really want to do like. Like we announced that we were kind of like shopping and looking around for like this action RPG which essentially bleeds like the Batman Arkham sort of fight style with like dice rolling with like D and D. And we thought that that could be really, really fun to play with and really fun to do, like, and set it Afro Gothic sort of setting which plays into horror as well and kind of, but plays into like sort of Bantu sort of horror myths. So yeah, I mean, like, there is. And there is 101 ideas that I got in my mind that I want to play with. So I think like, definitely want to do rpg. Definitely want to tackle that. See set, you know, make almost like bring Planescape Torment back but like kind of bougie it up. So that's kind of where I want to go. So yeah, hell yeah.
- [33:14]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Well, with what you guys did with that take, right? You talked about seven months when we're also talking about an industry that's been through a lot in the last few years. Is there something with that shortened development time that you think works for Surgeon Studio? Like, is this sort of the time work, the framework that you want to continue to work in in the future?
- [33:34]
Abu Saleem
Yeah, I think. I think there is. I think we're in a. It's a bit of. It's a bit of a mix and play, right. I think we're. We're of the. We're of the mentality of like, we'll will find the right time to make something. We're not going to spend ages trying to make, you know, just one thing. I think, I think we like the quick kind of slick way of doing it. And big inspiration was Nelson Jr. I spoke. I spoke with him when I was in Oz and just trying to understand like how the hell he makes games. And it was really inspiring to hear him just kind of express just the way in which he just conjures this stuff. And it was like, yeah, that's kind of how films are made. Like, that's kind of how, like, indie. Indie films are done. And so if we have the ability to do that, then, yeah, let's do it. So, yeah, like, I think this is the way forward. Definitely.
- [34:28]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah. You know, it's funny you mentioning Zaliver, because we just interviewed Zaliver a couple weeks ago. Yeah, yeah. And we talked about that exact thing. Right. We talked about the way he makes video games and all this. And I. I hearing you talk. Talk about talking with him. Right. And, like, kind of getting that idea. It's so fun and awesome because I look at both y'.
- [34:48]
Abu Saleem
All.
- [34:48]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
I look at last year, I played his game I am your Beast, and that was probably one of my favorite. It's like in my top 15 games that I played last year. Like, it was such a good action game. But then, yeah, earlier this week, we did a stream playing co op Kaiju, Horror.
- [35:03]
Abu Saleem
Kaiju.
- [35:04]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And we did a stream of that. And, like, it's so fun because I know he's like, that studio. There's a studio just spits out games left and right. Right.
- [35:12]
Abu Saleem
They just cook, man.
- [35:13]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
They just cook.
- [35:13]
Abu Saleem
And it's. It's amazing. Amazing what they're able to kind of conjure and create. And it's brilliant. It's. It keeps people excited. It keeps people going.
- [35:21]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah. And I think a lot of people hear that and might get scared of, like, well, can you put out, like. Like, is that sustainable? Can you actually do that? But between all the stuff that we got from Surgeon Studios, there's also also the TMNT games and, like, Up Click holding, which I think we played on stream. We played a lot of them Zolivary Nelson games. And now talking with you, right. Dead Take being a game that me and Barrett love so much. And I'm sure, like, we're gonna have more people play it in the studio and probably enjoy it as well. That's something that I'd like to see more. Is that something that you think we can see more? Do you think more people are going to adopt that method of.
- [35:52]
Abu Saleem
I think so. I really do. I feel like it's. I think there is a. There is a real change in the air in regards to the way games are produced and made. And I think it's. It's. It's a lot more sustainable to make experiences that are focused, you know, I think, like, that is the key. So. Yeah, I feel like it's going to be changing.
- [36:14]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Hell, yeah. A question for you specifically. How do you balance it all? You got a lot going on, man.
- [36:21]
Abu Saleem
Listen, I don't know how I do it, man. I've got just good people around me, man. Like, really good people around me. I think, like, my, you know, my team are incredible. My family is great. Like, I genuinely. They. They understand that I just need to create and build and want to be creative. And. Yeah, I really. I don't know. I just. I just keep cooking.
- [36:43]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah. What's your. What's the. What. What was your exact role on Dead Take? Like, are you game director?
- [36:50]
Abu Saleem
Yeah. Creative director as well.
- [36:53]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
God damn. And you're okay. And you're Duke Kane. I was fun because, like, yeah, when we first started the game, as soon as Duquesne started talking, like, me and Bear, like, who is this? And very quickly, I was like, oh, this is. Now this is my other question with that, right? You have. We have you. We have Ben Starr, Neil Newbin. Right. A bunch of British actors in this game, all doing American accents.
- [37:15]
Abu Saleem
I know, man, I know. I'm sorry.
- [37:16]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Is that, like, is that tough? Like, was there ever a consideration of, like, I would just put this in the uk?
- [37:22]
Abu Saleem
What's that like? No, because I think, like, I think it really just had to be. It had to be American cheesy. Do you know what I mean? And, like, it had to be like.
- [37:30]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Unfortunately, I know what you mean to that.
- [37:31]
Abu Saleem
Yeah. And we just had to do it. And so I think. And because of the timeframe, I definitely, like, what's so great was again, using American actors like Laura and Travis in there as well. And. But what was so funny is, like, yeah, basically Ben and Neil were like, I told them, and it's set, you know, set in America. And they were like, great, okay, we'll do it. Like, we'll do it tomorrow. And so, yeah, they all did it, man.
- [37:55]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
That's amazing. I want to bring in another super chat here from Ty Wilkins, vo, who writes in and says abu, in the sea of good to great auditions, when you're casting your games, what stands out? What do you look for? To push it. To push it over the hill to being cast. Especially when you're working with the people you do.
- [38:15]
Abu Saleem
To be free and. And basically just play. I'm looking for this, like, use the script as. As a guidance, as a tool, not necessarily as the. As a bible or the be all and end all. Like, I'd say I'm looking for someone who isn't afraid to Be a bit raw and a bit vulnerable and a bit like kind of, you know, just make mistakes. Because there's a lot. If I know that you can push it to like the nth degree and kind of go for gold, I can always kind of bring it down or play with that. Right. It's easier to sort of bring down than it is to bring up. And I find like as long as you have. I'm looking for bravery, man. I'm looking for a sense of like in the enjoyment of making yourself look like a fool. And, and, and I think like that's. That to me is what kind of, you know, sings like people who are able to kind of use the script, as I say, like a tool, as, like a, as like a, as like a sort of as a guide in a way rather than necessarily as like going strictly by the script. That's a win for me because I know like I can have fun with you then.
- [39:23]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Oh yeah, there was a chat earlier that when I shout out that was asking, what are your favorite games of all time?
- [39:31]
Abu Saleem
My favorite games of all time? Oh, you know, I said it at the game awards, you know, Kingdom Hearts, golden sun, like those are the ones that always stick with me, man. So I'd say like those, you know, especially Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts was one of the, one of the first games that made me just realize the power of game storytelling and like, and be. And move me. I still have no idea what the hell happened in Kingdom Hearts back then. Like if I was to play it probably today, I'd still have no idea.
- [40:02]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
That's so funny. There's a chat from Demon Hacker that says, does he understand the Kingdom Hearts timeline?
- [40:07]
Abu Saleem
No idea. Like I have no idea. I have no idea. But for some reason at the time when I played just resonated with me and it really stuck with me and there was a magic to it. And so yeah, I love Kingdom Hearts, man. And golden sun was one of those ones. Again, I think that's what my love for RPGs kind of came through. See, I like those kind of turn based games like Golden Sun. I played that to death as a kid and you know, the music still is stuck in my head and just really kind of had an impact on me.
- [40:37]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah, man. As a whole, I love that I'm kind of running down, you know, I don't have many questions left. I guess one question, it's a big broad question for you, but like of course you, you've done stuff in Hollywood. You're a great actor, you've Done. Now you're in video games, right? And, like, you've just put out your second release under Surgeon Studios. Is there a legacy that you want to leave behind in video games? Like, when it's all said and done for what you're doing here in this space, is there, like, an overarching goal or mentality that you have? As far as this is what I want to leave on the table when I'm done here, I think it's just.
- [41:16]
Abu Saleem
The fact that, like, I just had fun while doing it, you know?
- [41:20]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah.
- [41:20]
Abu Saleem
I kind of. I just. Like, there isn't a sense of. Yeah, there isn't, like, a legacy or anything. I think it's more of a sense of just being like, I had fun making games, and I want to inspire other people who are like me, who never thought that they could make a game but love them, that they're able to do it. Like, I think, like, that's true. There is something that I. It's so funny, though. There is an element of me that, like, looks at someone like Kojima, for example, and is like, you know, he's, like, weird and wacky, and there's a part of me that's always like, I can be weirder. Maybe, like, maybe. Maybe the guy who is weirder than Kojima. I don't know. Yeah, but we'll see. But, like, I. I think, like, I think, yeah, Trudy, man, like, I'm sort of. It is, honestly. And I cannot express, like, the. The. The sort of. The reality of, like, being here today and having released a second game in the climate in which we're in is almost like it is. It is truly a miracle. And, you know, I always say this with the studio. There is a part of us that's almost like saying, like. Like, we shouldn't even be here, man. Like, it is. It is absolutely brutal out there. It still is. And, you know, I still find, like, there's still a lot of idiots out there, man, but the fact that we were able to kind of. There's still good people out there who are, you know, who are championing games and championing indie games as an art form. And I think, like, just being able to just keep conjuring and keep building is. Is already, as I said, like, a miracle in itself and a blessing.
- [42:53]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Hell, yeah. Well, my final question for you, for those who are watching and listening, that might have not checked out Dead Take yet. Why should they play Dead Take? Why should somebody check out the game?
- [43:05]
Abu Saleem
If you want to see Ben and Neil at their. Like, you know prime and raw selves, this is the game to play. If you want to see a true kind of take at Hollywood and the weird seedy underbelly of what that is in the entertainment industry, this is the game. If you just like escape rooms, man.
- [43:31]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Yeah.
- [43:31]
Abu Saleem
Play this game.
- [43:34]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
1000%. I agree with all of that and especially, especially live action Ben Starr, you know, like, we don't get to see that as often. Like, of course he makes his appearances, but I love seeing him and Neil Dubin, like, in these main roles and like, like getting them to be wacky. Getting to see them be wacky American people is very entertaining.
- [43:50]
Abu Saleem
I know, it's great.
- [43:51]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
Abu, thank you so much for joining me here. This has been a fantastic conversation. Again, I really enjoy the game. Me and Barrett loved it during our playthrough. If you watched this and want to check out our playthrough, it's up on the channel. Go under the live tab. It's a four hour playthrough. Oh, what's this, Barrett? This is a post from. Oh, this is the clown thing.
- [44:11]
Barrett Courtney
He'll never be able to escape it, you know.
- [44:13]
Abu Saleem
Oh, man. And you know what's so crazy? We hadn't, like, and I'm not even kidding, this was generally accidental. We did this and originally it was supposed to be Neil's face that was supposed to be on that thing, right? But we, you know, we were like, you know, it makes kind of more sense because you're tracing and you're looking for Vinnie. Like, let's put Vinnie's face on it. That happened. And then someone pointed out the fact that, like, guys, this is. This is the Balatro the clown. And we were like, oh, my God, we're gonna get sued. Like, pocket pair with Nintendo, bro. Yeah, it was crazy, man.
- [44:46]
Blessing Adeoye Jr.
That's amazing. Thank you so much. Once again. Go check out dead take if you haven't. If you're listening, of course, this has been the kind of funny games cast. Each and every weekday we get together and talk about the biggest reviews, previews and topics in video games, live on YouTube, Twitch and on podcast services around the globe. If you love what we do, support us with the kind of funny membership on Patreon or YouTube to get all of our shows ad free, watch us record them live and get a daily exclusive show and catch today's KFCD on YouTube or podcast services and know that until next time, it's been our pleasure to serve you.