If you’re looking to sell an ominous tone from the start, The Devil In Me will definitely do the trick. When it comes to horror games, the term “franchise” isn’t one you’d normally apply. Outside of a handful of exceptions like Outlast or The Evil Within, those that do exist almost all date back to the 90s. The idea of franchising right from the start, as The Dark Pictures has done, is even rarer still.
Four games, one overarching story
Developed by Supermassive Games, The Dark Pictures acts as an anthology series with a Hitchcockian twist. Each game acts as an almost-completely standalone entry, save for the constantly recurring inclusion of a central narrator, referred to as The Curator. The Curator serves as an unreliable narrator of sorts. He reacts to the player’s choices and modifies the narrative outcomes accordingly, and connects the dots between games. This formula continues in The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me, the fourth entry in the series, which will close out the “first season” of the series.
You can check out, but you can never leave…alive
This time around, though, the developers intend to pour in a bit of real-world flavor, creating what appears to be a mixture of both history and fiction. According to the game’s Steam description: “A group of documentary filmmakers receives a mysterious call inviting them to a modern-day replica of serial killer H.H. Holmes’ Murder Castle’. It’s an opportunity that’s too good to pass up and could be just the thing they’re looking for to win some much-needed public interest. The hotel is the perfect setting for their new episode, but things aren’t quite as they seem. The crew discovers they’re being watched and even manipulated, and suddenly there’s much more at stake than just their ratings!”
Given Supermassive Games’ talent for producing enjoyable campy horror that pays homage to slasher horror film tropes while still often keeping players on the edge of their seats, this murder hotel will likely have players eager to check out after one overnight stay.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me releases on November 18th, 2022.
