.jpg "Hands On: The Devil in Me Is a Grand Season Finale for the Dark Pictures Anthology")
Hands On: The Devil in Me Is a Grand Season Finale for the Dark Pictures Anthology
With so many horror games on the horizon, the only disappointment is that they aren't all out in time for Halloween. The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me comes close, releasing November 18. The series' new entry is set to wrap up its first season, and Supermassive Games has promised some major additions, such as new mechanics and more exploration opportunities. CBR was able to go hands-on with a preview of The Devil in Me, and the game definitely looks poised to deliver on these promises with the series' best entry yet.
CBR VIDEO OF THE DAY
The Dark Pictures Anthology are horror movie-style games where the player, or players, take control of the characters and decide their fates whether on purpose or by accidentally missing a Quick Time Event. There are four games in the anthology's first season: Man of Medan, Little Hope, House of Ashes, and The Devil in Me. With this finale, the first season is going out with a bang thanks to the game's great setting, characters, and new mechanics that raise the game to a new level.
The Dark Pictures Anthology Welcomes Players to the Murder Castle
The Devil in Me's setting is based on H. H. Holmes (America's first serial killer) and his building, known as the Murder Castle. Essentially, H. H. Holmes built an elaborate building that, from the outside, looked to be a large complex with a housing business and a hotel. However, the inside contained secret rooms only he knew about. Some of these were built to hide or dispose of bodies, while others were designed to kill. In-game, a true-crime TV crew visits a replica of the hotel meant to be an H. H. Holmes museum and tourist destination to shoot what they hope will be their biggest episode yet.
The hotel is maze-like and has a haunted house quality to it, making it a great environment for The Devil in Me's expanded exploration. Players can wander the hotel's halls and check out areas accessible to guests, and back rooms when the hotel's proprietor isn't looking. There are also sections where the player will need to jump, climb, and move objects to find their way around — without QTEs or cutscenes. It's part of the natural gameplay, although it's not perfect, and turning objects can be tricky. The explorable areas are also much larger this time around, giving players lots to cover and search without feeling empty.
The Devil in Me Has Plenty to Find
Like the other games in the anthology, there are collectibles to be found, but there are some new additions. Small coins, for example, require some thorough exploration to find. Once obtained, they can be used to purchase dioramas of scenes from the game from the menu, which are neat and (sometimes) gory. There are also business cards for those involved in the hotel's construction.
The obligatory notes, documents, printed emails, and other storytelling components are present, although there seems to be more than one trail to follow. It's like having a true-crime series unfold alongside the main plot, which makes every find intriguing. Paintings or artwork showing the potential future of characters are, of course, back. Alongside these collectibles also comes the new inventory system which means usable items may also be found that are helpful in different situations. Some are even unique to characters, matching their personalities.
The Devil in Me Emphasizes Exploration
There are a variety of items to find that allow players to progress, find new routes, or help in certain situations. Keys and puzzles are one simple but great addition to the exploration of the hotel. They aren't just used to unlock doors either, but drawers, cabinets, and other places where items or additional information can be found. It gives players more incentive to look around. While there were not as many puzzles as doors (at least in the section we played), the ones we encountered contributed to the game's immersion, either being part of the environment or requiring exploration to find the answer.
The best new addition by far is the inventory system, specifically the unique character items. Each one has their own use and connects to the character's personality. For example, Mark the cameraman loves photography and carries a camera with him that has a zoom feature and can capture interesting sightings. The director, Charlie, on the other hand, is an older man who carries business cards in case he meets someone interesting — or needs to jimmy a simple lock.
However, the best of these items is Erin's directional microphone. She can use it to hear all kinds of noises in the hotel and pinpoint where they're coming from. It not only helps in the dark or with finding secrets but can be very eerie and contributes to the game's atmosphere. Roaming the halls and hearing bizarre sounds from the hotel's hidden rooms is a trip.
The Latest Dark Pictures Game Introduces a Great Cast
The characters in The Devil in Me are more grounded than those of previous entries and have their own ambitions and personality. They also clash much less. The characters who fight most are Charles, the director, and Erin, the new sound intern. He treats her more like an assistant, but their arguing never rises to the same level as married couple Rachel and Eric from House of Ashes, who can (at best) be described as cold to one another. Despite their differences, all the characters work together as a team both to make the show and help one another when needed. In a way, they are family, and they're trying to make it through this horror show together.
Besides being less cheesy and having special items, there's nothing really new about the characters. There are still the basic traits and relationships they start with, which can be altered by the player through gameplay. It's hard to say if there are any twists yet with this, as traditionally playing the character is usually the way to successfully get them to the end alive, and the sneak preview only went so far.
From what we've seen so far, The Devil in Me has a lot going for it and features some great additions to this movie style of game. It's a lot more game than movie this time around, striking an excellent balance between the two. It's great to see that every iteration has changed things up or improved the gameplay in some way, keeping the series fresh. However, this is the biggest leap forward yet and bodes well for season two.
Developed by Supermassive Games and published by Bandai Namco, The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me releases Nov. 18 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
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