Deep Cuts Offers A Compelling Cinematic Sandbox

Deep Cuts delves into the magic of movie making, letting you become the protagonist in a myriad of genres.

The elusive world of the seventh art is one that fascinates me, telling stories from a unique perspective that evokes emotions like few other things in life can. Movies, and the filmmaking process, are at the heart of Deep Cuts, pun intended. It takes you behind the scenes to create your own action-packed scenes as eccentrically as you wish them to be. And, spoiler alert, it's as wacky as it is fun.

A decaying movie studio called Lights, Camera, Faction sets the scene well, as film producer Elise searches for her collaborator Malcolm to complete a film that just might save their business. What's particularly clever is how she can directly go inside different movies thanks to a technology called Neurareel, letting the game present classic setups like a sheriff in a western, a kaiju's assault in a big city, or the final frontier, space.

Showing an extreme farce of the movie making business with multiple references from the get-go, Deep Cuts, as its name suggests, takes players on a wild ride where they must shoot 5 scenes in every set. No two scenes are ever the same, keeping things fresh throughout. Some revolve around shooting outlaws and leaving a bloodbath, while others like winning a hot dog competition have a layer of unseriousness that adds welcome mission variety.

Acting as a shop on the go, a convenient weapon called the Bodegun from which you can spawn weapons, ammo, health, explosives, and even enemies. This useful invention requires credits scattered across the LCF building in drawers or on movie sets. Not every weapon is available immediately, but as you progress, chaos will be at your beck and call with laser beams, miniguns, and rocket launchers, opening up the approach to each scene smoothly.

The physics-based nature of Deep Cuts is where it shines the most. Almost every object can be interacted with. While you can shoot your way through most situations, getting up close and personal is an option too. As the game measures your velocity, most of them will be on the floor within three hits and you will have gained a workout. Feeling adventurous, grabbing a chair and knocking them out American-wrestling style never ceases to amuse.

Although billed as “a twisted movie-inspired world overrun by nightmarish creatures”, to my relief, this VR narrative adventure decidedly falls into the action category. Sure, there is a mission where you go through a haunted house, but it never feels like a full-on horror game. More than anything, Deep Cuts strikes as a parody of that trope, not taking itself too seriously and delivering a lighthearted romp at heart.

Giving unfettered player freedom via physics-based breakable items never gets old. With quick access to an endless array of explosives, weapons you can dual-wield and abilities such as a slow motion effect, there is a commitment to making the player feel cool. In that sense, Deep Cuts accomplishes its goal of living out entertaining film-based set pieces. Setting the stage for the player to run wild with their imagination means endless replayability, especially for those craving cinematic action.