You might not realize it, thanks to all the crossovers with pop culture icons like Lara Croft, Nicolas Cage, Dracula, Simon Belmont, and even Five Nights at Freddy’s, but asymmetric 4v1 horror game Dead by daylight has a lot of original stories. Developer Behaviour Interactive has tried to expand on these stories, but the spin-off game The Cast of Frank Stone from renowned horror studio Supermassive is probably the most ambitious attempt to date. I was able to play a preview chapter for the game, which gave me an insight into how Frank Stone will happen upon release.
The Cast of Frank Stone is familiar territory for Supermassive, the developer of Until dawn, The anthology “The Dark Pictures” and The quarry. These titles focus on narrative experiences told through cinematics and punctuated by player choices. A successful run can result in everyone surviving and a relatively happy ending, but certain choices – or botched quick-time events – can lead to murder and mayhem.
Interestingly, the quick-time events in Frank Stone have two sweet spots – a basic success and then a smaller window of opportunity for a better result. I am curious to see how this plays out in the overall game; perhaps all Dead by daylight Players who have experience repairing generators can achieve better results.
The controls of The Cast of Frank Stone differ from the Dark Pictures Anthology; instead of fixed camera angles that maneuver the characters through each scene, the perspective is third person and the player controls the camera. This makes the investigation relatively easy. Just like with Supermassive’s other titles, I took my time delving into each scene and trying to find juicy secrets or hidden treasures.
In the preview, I play as Sam, a cop investigating the case of a missing child in the small town of Cedar Hills. I enter a creepy steel mill and discover the stench of death. Predictably, things get chaotic when Sam encounters Frank Stone. Thanks to some quick decisions, I was able to save the missing child and stop Frank – which seems like a happy ending, but then a mysterious woman named Augustine Lieber gave a suspicious monologue about the entity, making me believe that things aren’t quite over yet.
According to the marketing material, the rest of the game revolves around a few brave kids in the present day. These kids decide to delve into the story of Frank Stone and encounter some supernatural horrors. I trust that Supermassive can pull off a great, self-contained narrative, but I’m excited to see how it fits into the larger lore of . Dead by daylight.
We’ve already seen many seeds planted by Behaviour about the Entity, its multiversal nature, and the way it can claim both survivors and killers in moments of great emotional intensity. The Entity can draw both predators and prey into a strange realm called the Nebula, where they’re tasked with endless trials. Addicted to youThe Dead by daylight Dating simulation, has played with this concept but hasn’t committed to making serious advances in the lore.
If the Dead by daylight Canon can support a longer horror story? I hope Supermassive can go crazy and fully exploit the absurd and ambitious parts of the setting. I want the Mist and the Entity to enjoy their time in the spotlight; if the Dead by daylight If the lore is just the backdrop for a more typical horror story, I’m disappointed.
The Cast of Frank Stone The release is scheduled for September 3rd for PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox Series X.
