Cover-Credits:
Independent game studio DRAMA released the official early gameplay trailer for Unrecord, a single-player first-person shooter (FPS) that narrates the story of a police officer from the viewpoint of his body camera. In the game, players need to use their tactical and detective skills to solve complex cases. This game immediately took the internet by storm due to its uniqueness and how it stood apart from its contemporaries. The action that unravels in the game is shown via a slightly warped lens of the body camera worn by the policeman.
Unrecord became the center of discourse and debates for being hyper-realistic, thanks to its Unreal Engine 5-powered graphics. The fisheye distorted look, the jerky movement, and the lighting have caused players to question the authenticity of the gameplay. Some others also talked about how unsettling and uncomfortable the footage from the gameplay is.
Players of the community, popular streamers, pros, and other internet personalities gave their thoughts on the game.
Unrecord Gameplay Footage Stirs Debate
DRAMA, the French studio behind Unrecord, describes the game as an amalgamation of narrative walking sim Firewatch and tactical SWAT shooter Ready or Not. In the FAQ section on Steam, the publisher acknowledged that there have been many doubts about the authenticity of the gameplay.
DRAMA said, “The game is developed on Unreal Engine 5, and the game footage is captured from an executable and played using a keyboard and mouse. It is not a VR game. In reality, it seems rather flattering to compare the graphics of Unrecord to reality, but fortunately, we know that a game first focuses on gameplay and the universe on which we primarily concentrate.”
The studio also said that the production cost was high and that its global reputation was at stake. “If Unrecord were a scam, it would be a blockbuster scam. Therefore, it is logically not one. We do not use any real videos or external rendering to Unreal Engine for the creation of Unrecord. Unrecord is (un)real,” the team vouched.
While the game studio cleared the air on the authenticity of the gameplay footage that was released, another major talking point about Unrecord is how unsettling it is and how it looks eerily similar to the footage that police departments release to the public.
A portion of those who chanced upon the gameplay trailer pointed out how the footage looks very realistic and distressing.
Team SoloMid Apex Legends player Phillip "ImperialHal" Dosen opined, “I believe it shouldn't be a thing no matter the age, this is highly dangerous to create as a game’” Meanwhile streamer Trainwrecks believed that the game should be heavily moderated and that the gameplay made “even him uncomfortable.”
On the FAQ page on Steam, the studio asserted that the game does not engage in any foreign policy and is not inspired by any real-life events.
“The game will obviously avoid any undesirable topics such as discrimination, racism, violence against women and minorities. The game will have no biased or Manichaean take on criminal acts and police violence. We also respect and understand people who may feel disturbed by the game's images. Art cannot fight against interpretation,” they said.
The studio also questioned why the public cannot trust a video game when it generally trusts other art forms including films, TV series, novels, and more when it comes to detective, gangster, or police stories. “If the game presents political messages, they will be made consciously or in your interpretation. If the game aims to be subversive in certain countries, we will assume the label,” noted DRAMA.
