The reach in entertainment stretches far across multiple mediums & sub-genres. Across the spectrum of AAA, big budget to small-scale & niché, variety is available at no dispense. Visiting PAX East is no exception to find the perfect fit for what explores games that fits your wants. Or, surprisingly some that will take you afar in its unique approach and charismatic presentation.
On the showfloor in Boston, DreadXP’s VILE: Exhumed displays an experience at a surface level that returns to DOS-like interfaces & cursed, late 90s chat forums. But beyond that offers depths so dark that leaves many question their own sanity. “Games typically have a hard time of making me feel disgusted and sick, but this game managed to do that with just emails alone,” one user review from Itch.io reads.
After an extended playthrough of the game during PAX East 2025, Rectify Gaming can also corroborated the statements of early impressions for VILE: Exhumed. Powering on in-game’s ‘VOS Executive’ introduces you to a suite of windows that kickstart the game’s navigation. But exploring to ‘Video Nasty Swap’ and the deeper conversations on recorded chat rooms reveals the darker plot within.
The official Steam synopsis reads: “In VILE: Exhumed, explore someone’s old computer and follow their footsteps through forums, notes, photos, videos, and emails to sift through the secrets within. In this newly expanded experience, VILE has you piece together a story of obsession, misogyny, entitlement, and consequences.” It continues: “The adult film actress Candy Corpse has retired, and the details surrounding her decision are unknown to many …but not to all.”
First impressions for VILE: Exhumed does not open to the mystery behind the adult film star, but the pieces left behind are apparent. Fans are vocal on her absence, however, they are also aggressive towards the holes in her content schedule; disregarding the mental state of their idol. Discussions in the forums or direct emails show their true sides and questions how some can be so public about their disgusting fantasies or standpoints on the topic.
Speaking to sole developer Cara Cadaver, the plot takes inspiration from experience online and is repurposed into the exchanges & messages in-game. Compared to her first project ‘Attatchement_Not_Found’, Cadaver explains that the plot would be a bigger focus with a larger emphasis on being more weird. She says that the response has been very “cathartic”, but also elaborates that the feedback is “validating” for those that played VILE: Exhumed.
“It is surprising when people say how great the game is,” Cadaver explained. “It’s also cathartic. But, it has been validating that people are able to take that away from playing by everyone.” The biggest surprise she revealed is how responsive many male players have been on the topic; it being centered around female experience online. And that many of them were shocked how close to reality that women face sometime daily on the internet.
Aiming to launch later this year, the build I played only featured the concept and the basis of the story. Cadaver told me that content is a big focus to further unravel the story is a focus for the final version. Especially FMV content that is synonymous with the era that VILE: Exhumed is portraying. Additionally, puzzles that were sprinkled in are also to be increased come release, Cadaver shared.
You can wishlist VILE: Exhumed on Steam by heading here.
VILE: Exhumed aims to release for PC.
