Get ready for some horror in The Devil in Me, the newest entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology! Is this one worth the hype? Time to find out.
H.H. HOLMES’ ‘MURDER CASTLE’
The Devil in Me is the fourth and final episode in the first season of The Dark Pictures Anthology. After the deserts and tombs of House of Ashes, the franchise returns to its true horror roots. You’ll follow a small group of documentary makers who mysteriously got invited to a perfect replica of the infamous Murder Castle. H.H. Holmes was America’s first serial killer who got executed in 1896. Since he was the first of many more to come, people didn’t really know how to
respond to such violence. Needless to say, a lot of dark lore was created as a coping mechanism. Surely no man could be that evil if he didn’t have it all planned out. His infamous ‘Murder Castle’ is one of those central lore pieces. Allegedly, Holmes operated in a house filled with hidden rooms and torture devices to trap his victims before slowly killing them. Not all of those claims were true but one fact never changed, Holmes was one scary man. His Murder House, or at least a perfect replica, sets the stage for The Devil in Me and after spending a couple of minutes inside, I wished I never entered the dark place.
CLASSIC HORROR
Compared to the other entries in the Anthology franchise, The Devil In Me feels like the most realistic and classic horror experience yet. It doesn’t rely on the supernatural that much but instead follows the pattern of suspense horror. Everything looks and feels extremely realistic, which adds to the overall atmosphere. You’re walking around in a dark hotel where you’ll discover its dark secrets the more you advance. It reminded me a lot of The Shining since the game gradually introduces you to the real horror inside the hotel. Needless to say, I won’t go into spoiler territory but the story is by far the best one of the franchise. The characters all have their own personality but never do things that would be out of the ordinary, they react like real human beings and get scared just like everyone would get scared in a place like this. As a player, this helps with the immersion since you’ll easily connect with the new protagonist. Besides the interesting story and more classic horror approach, the graphics also help a lot with the immersion. The way the light breaks through the windows of the hotel, the way the paint chips off the walls, it all feels so real that it’s extremely suspenseful to just walk around in the environment. The team really gave it their all and created the most convincing horror playground to date.
MORE DIALOGUE, FEWER QUICK TIME EVENTS
When it comes to the gameplay itself, this entry stays true to the franchise’s formula. You’ll control different characters and
decide their fate by making important decisions. This decision-making often happens through Quick Time Events but the team certainly listened to the feedback of the fans. Not everyone liked the fact that a character could die forever if you missed pushing a certain button. This system changed a bit in favor of your moral compass. Instead of just completing Quick Time Events to decide who lives or dies, the game adds more dialogues and more decisions during those dialogues instead of just throwing you for the wolves. It finds a better balance between an interactive adventure and a game, leaning more and more
towards an action-packed third-person game instead of a cinematic experience.
If you’re not making decisions in dialogues, you’re running around inside the creepy hotel trying to find out what really happened here. During those moments, the game transforms into a puzzle game where
you’ll need to find certain objects or interact with certain elements to keep the story going. The balance between the dialogues and third-person gameplay is just right, making this entry the best entry to play. Sure, it’s not perfect and there are a couple of bugs but if you’re a horror fan, this game is one of the best modern releases for sure. It captivates the essence of a good horror game and adds that typical Anthology flavor on top of it.
CONCLUSION:
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me is a great final to the first season of The Dark Pictures Anthology. The interesting and scary story will suck you in immediately but it’s the gameplay and decision-making that will keep you entertained until the end. The team really found the right balance and delivered the best entry so far.
