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The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me is an upcoming installment in The Dark Pictures franchise and acts as a season finale to the interactive drama and survival horror game. I recently got an opportunity to try out the preview build of the title, and I couldn't be any happier, considering my love for the crime and horror genre.
With a playthrough of seven hours, The Devil in Me will be the longest title in the franchise. The season one finale will also introduce certain gameplay improvements in terms of exploration and interaction with the environment around them.
The characters can now climb, squeeze through places, jump over gaps, shimmy along ledges, push and pull objects, and much more. One of the most significant additions I loved was the freedom to run around places, which was absent in the older games.
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As I dipped my toes into The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me, I felt like I did as a kid watching horror movies, an uncanny fear niggling at the back of my mind for days to come.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me delivers a gratifying interactive horror game experience
The fact that the story is based on the infamous serial killer H.H. Holmes from the 19th century is more than enough to hook horror/crime genre fans like me. Game Director Tom Heaton had earlier mentioned that The Dark Pictures Anthology titles take inspiration from real-world characters and events.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me follows the story of a small production company, Lonnit Entertainment, that is making a documentary series based on famous American serial killers. They look forward to making a final episode before ending their first season, since getting a second one depends on it.
On the verge of shutting down, the company receives a call from a man called Grantham Du' Met, the owner of a hotel that accurately represents H. H. Holmes' Murder Castle. The story then takes our documentary crew to the infamous mansion where the torment begins.
The latest iteration of the horror anthology captures a sense of claustrophobia and quiet oppression. There's a hint of an unknown threat lurking at every point in the game. It feels like someone's always watching our characters and every decision they make.
Exploring the game mechanics
Improved character traversal is one of the key aspects of the game that makes this interactive cinematic experience feel even more appealing. However, this feeling was missing in the older titles. I loved how the developers implemented new features like push-and-pull to make the environment around the characters feel more alive and real.
The level design doesn't feel empty and is much more interactive than the previous titles in the franchise. Plenty of rooms are available for exploration and several items to interact with. While I experienced minor movement bugs and crashes when making my way from one location to another, there's nothing that affects player immersion.
There was a part where I was in control of one of the characters, Mark, who was required to jump from one ledge to another. Although it sounds like a simple task, I got stuck in mid-air while performing the action. However, I was soon able to get back in position and continue playing. Considering that this is a preview build, the presence of a minor bug like this isn’t surprising.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me makes use of its inventory tool very handily. The five playable characters — Charlie, Erin, Kate, Mark, and Jamie — carry different items to make the gameplay more fun and engaging. Each character can give items to the other and use them to interact with the environment.
Charlie's lighter is one of the most practical items I've encountered while playing the game. Running through the dark passages of the Murder Castle would have been significantly harder without a sliver of yellowish-red flames lighting up the terrifying and eerie halls.
Ambient graphics and ultra-realistic facial expressions
Each part of the characters' faces, be it the eyebrows, the eyes, or the lips, beautifully displays their emotions in situations of tension, stress, or even happiness. I feel this is what connects the player to the cast and creates a sense of attachment.
At some point during my playthrough, I realized that I started caring for or disliking certain characters, even though I had been following them for just a few minutes. It's a testament to how important facial expressions are to a game like this.
The lighting around the hotel makes the ambiance look gorgeous. The furnishings, furthermore, give it a sweet 19th-century touch that I grew fond of with time.
I loved how the entire mood changed with the abrupt and terrifying transitions to the characters' premonitions. A quick yet brief glimpse of terror gave me a heads-up to look out for impending danger. More importantly, the gloomy and cold tone instilled a sense of fear of how poorly things could end up for the characters were it not for my correct choices.
Music and loud jumpscares that shake you to your very core
The soundtrack and chilling music that plays in the background, along with distant noises and screams every now and then, make this a perfect survival horror title. After all, the essence of such a genre lies in its soundtrack and music choice.
Well, I cannot imagine playing The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me without the creepy music and loud jumpscares scaring the bejesus out of me once in a while. Remember to look out for these sudden bitter-sweet surprises because (trust me when I say this) there are quite a few.
As a horror enthusiast, I often find myself challenging games and shows to give me goosebumps. I can confirm that The Devil in Me was successful in catching me off-guard several times.
In Conclusion
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me has been a petrifying yet engrossing experience so far. I can't wait to discover the fate of Lonnit Entertainment and further explore the mystery of the Murder Castle.
I did encounter multiple crashes during the early half of the preview, but they seemed to stop after some time.
Something that I was not a fan of was the character running animation. Don't get me wrong, I would be devastated if there wasn't a “running” feature in the first place, but I felt it could've been smoother and more realistic.
With the developers taking a brand-new approach, The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me has made significant key improvements while still staying true to the interactive experience. While I've enjoyed my time so far, I do hope some of the bugs are fixed by launch. Regardless, it’s going to be really difficult to stop myself from playing the game when it comes out on November 18.
Reviewed On: PC (Steam) (Code provided by Supermassive Games)
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S
Developer: Supermassive Games
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Release Date: November 18, 2022
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