The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me

Review

The Devil in Me is the fourth and final instalment of the Dark Pictures Anthology, the horror series released by Supermassive Games over the span of four years. As the last title of the first season (season two has been already confirmed) I was expecting quite a lot from this game, also considering the improvements I have seen in the recent The Quarry. The Devil in Me starts in 1893 at the World’s Fair Hotel run by H.H. Holmes, one of the most famous serial killers known in American history. After a brief tour of the hotel playing as a happy, but soon to be dead, married couple, we are moved to the present day in which a small film crew is hired to shoot a documentary about the serial killer inside a replica of the World’s Fair Hotel, which has been built on a distant island by a mysterious fan.

For obvious reasons, the story can be quite predictable, as we immediately understand this isn’t just another hotel replica, but a real and dangerous Castle of Horror. Those who unfortunately don’t understand it are the five protagonists: the film director, the TV host, the camera guy, the key grip and the sound engineer. One step on the island and we already know it will be impossible to empathize with them. First they do everything they are told to (even giving up their own phones), then they start to investigate the place like some sort of detectives but when things start happening, they take forever to realize they are in danger. I could make many examples of illogical behavior, but those would be spoilers, so I will just say that this cast of characters is probably the weakest I have seen in a Supermassive production in terms of writing and development. The constant death jokes, the flirting and the rivalry between some characters has been widely abused in these games as we are reaching a point where every relationship is narrated in the same flat and boring way. Characters’ facial animations aren’t very expressive either, perhaps the weakest of the entire Anthology. That is not to say they are bad, but they aren’t what we have been used to with Supermassive games and there are some ugly “robot face” moments here and there.

Another big issue with the story is the lack of a strong antagonist that provides pure moments of horror. From the start, we already know who we are dealing with, so there isn’t any surprise around the corner and the Castle of Horror simply becomes a set of death traps, some of which are also used multiple times, like the common Saw “save A or B character” type of game. There are many cheap jumpscares and some still got me, but other than this there aren’t any particularly memorable thrilling moments. Considering the setting, which is actually “fun” to explore (yes, I love hotels), there could have been space for more death rooms and sick games, but the quantity and quality of these are rather low.

Now the gameplay greatly mixes cutscenes, choices, exploration and action sequences that include multiple quick-time events. Throughout the story, we will play as each protagonist at different times, facing moral dilemmas and struggling to survive. There is a moral compass that allows us to make choices within a short period of time; these are divided into rational (mind symbol) and emotional (heart symbol), greatly affecting relationships and the chance of survival. Compared to the previous games from the series, exploration has been further improved and there are many more open areas to explore, looking for documents, secrets and collectibles. There are also some new gimmicks that make exploration more interesting, such as the ability to run, climb, crawl under certain obstacles or jump over gaps, as well as the need to find a spot to hide when the situation becomes more dangerous. Another interesting addition is the inventory system. This time characters own different items (related to their work) that can be used during particular circumstances. For example, Erin (the sound engineer) is equipped with a directional microphone that allows her to hear through walls. Mark (the camera guy) is equipped with a camera for taking pictures at anytime. While this inventory system is certainly refreshing, it also seems to be very limited, as not all characters have meaningful items that make the difference during gameplay. I was taking many pictures with Mark’s camera, before realizing there was no point in taking them as nothing was happening. I’m certain there must be hidden scenes connected to the items’ usage, but those aren’t really that obvious. A few items can be crucial during some puzzle solving sequences, like in the case of Jamie (the key grip) who is equipped with a multimeter, used to rewire electrical circuits.

Graphically the game is really beautiful, with superb lighting and very detailed environments. To my own surprise, the game runs flawlessly even at max settings, so the optimization is great and there shouldn’t be any issue even with older hardware. Unfortunately, there are still some bugs and glitches, and some moments feel more unpolished than others. It took me around 11 hours to finish the game by saving every character, exploring every single corner and collecting almost everything. I also had to reload the same chapters a few times due to unexpected bugs that lead to my character’s death, like a quick loading screen starting during an action sequence that involved multiple QTEs, or a bugged QTE that started right after a “smash the button repeatedly” sequence (and I was still smashing that button when the new QTE suddenly appeared). I was also forced to restart the ending credits due to the achievement “Hope You Enjoyed Your Stay” not unlocking, but I don’t know if there are other possibly-bugged achievements in there that I missed.

The Devil in Me could have concluded season one in a more convincing way, but it still delivers the full Supermassive horror package, with some welcome additions. It is probably the weakest entry of the series to date, as characters don’t do much to keep the story alive, despite the fascinating Shining scenario and the infinite potential for Saw death games.

Review written by Sonic Punk for Zeepond.com

The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me Steam Store Page