I Am Dead
Developer(s)	Hollow Ponds
Publisher(s)	Annapurna Interactive
Designer(s)	Richard Hogg
Engine	Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s)	Windows Nintendo Switch PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Xbox One Xbox Series X/S
Release	Windows, Switch October 8, 2020 PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX/S August 9, 2021
Genre(s)	Adventure puzzle
Mode(s)	Single-player

I Am Dead is a puzzle adventure video game from independent British developer Hollow Pond. It was published by Annapurna Interactive on October 8, 2020 for Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch.^[1] Versions for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and Series S were released on August 9, 2021. The game follows Morris Lupton, a museum curator on the island of Shelmerston who recently died. Reunited with the ghost of his dog, Sparky, he discovers that a disaster is about to destroy the island. They both must uncover the ancient mysteries of Shelmerston and stop the island's volcano from erupting, saving the island. To do this, the player has the ability to see inside objects and people, revealing their contents and memories.^[2]

Reception

I Am Dead was met by generally positive reviews, according to the review aggregator Metacritic.^[3][4]

Nintendo Life's Stuart Gipp enjoyed the game's themes but criticized the writing and simplistic gameplay. "I Am Dead is an at times touching and generally thoughtful exploration of loss, grief and lasting memories that doesn’t quite resonate as much as it could due to some occasionally-too-twee writing and gameplay that doesn’t quite disguise the fact that it’s a glorified hidden object game."^[10]

Joe Skrebels of IGN felt mixed on the usage of I am Dead's additional challenges, "The separation of the core story and those tougher challenges feels like something of a compromise from developer Hollow Ponds to me, an attempt to offer both an easygoing narrative and something for those who want to be tested, when both sides could perhaps be made more satisfying by combining them."^[11]