The Casting of Frank Stone Review
THE CASTING OF FRANK STONE REVIEW
supermassive set a very high bar for themselves with interactive, survival horror in 2015 that they have been chasing ever since. Can collaborating with Dead by Deadlight and shifting to a more sinister bring back the magic? The Casting of Frank Stone eschews campiness in favor of a darker tone, which is a strong new direction for supermassive. Sadly, the same criticisms and issues from their previous games still exist. It might not be lighting in a bottle again, but it’s their best work since Until Dawn, that is sure to please fans of both interactive survival horror and Dead by Daylight
GOOD
The Casting of Frank Stone tells a completely unique story with unique characters that is a great stand alone horror game, but also serves as a great expansion of the Dead by Daylight universe with winks and nods throughout. Supermassive has done an excellent job of not only making this a great entry point for newcomers, but have also created a game that offers a slightly heightened experience for those with knowledge of the IP.
Time isn’t wasted with an incredible first chapter as supermassive create a narrative that isn’t restricted to 80’s slasher stereotypes or the haunted archetypes of The Dark Pictures Anthology. The end result is that there is a more even tone throughout. The scares are still here, but there is less of a reliance on cheap thrills and more of an emphasis on a slow burning tension.
The game takes place mostly in two strongly realized locations including an old countryside mansion and an industrial mill over the course of three timelines: 1963, 1980, and 2024. Juggling between eras and locations is handled quite well as the story remains cohesive from start to end.
The visuals are easily the best that we have seen from supermassive and feel like a big step forward from The Dark Pictures Anthology. Character models, overall, are better than ever, lighting gives a strong sense of atmosphere and there is excellent score that captures the darker tone of the story. Combining all of these elements together creates an immersive experience with underlying tension throughout.
Like most supermassive games, the experience will take about 8 hours, but you can always return for different attempts to see how different decisions alter the outcome. This is aided by the cutting room floor, a feature which allows the player to go directly to key decision points and continue from there to change the outcome.
BAD
When it comes to horror, the most important factor is immersion and this is where you will find most of the missteps of The Casting of Frank Stone. As mentioned, if you have played any of the other supermassive games, none of this will likely come as a surprise. The controls can feel stiff and awkward at times, there are loads of invisible walls or ways that are only blocked by knee high objects, which didnt feel realistic considering the gravity of the situation. The skill checks also lacked variation, and even though they were faithful to the Dead by Daylight universe, by the end they felt repetitive.
It also breaks immersion when performances don’t feel consistent with the immediacy of the situation. Sometimes the tone just isn’t relayed properly and as a result the performance feels out of context and confusing. This happens with most of the characters, but Christine especially. Not only did her visuals feel out of place, but her performance didn’t match the rest of the cast, as it lacked authenticity. When the visuals were as good as they were, it shines a spotlight on ones that lacked the same attention.
Exploring and venturing off the beaten path feels menial at times. Mostly, you will just discover collectibles, but occasionally you’ll find some additional items or information that gives more context to the plot or characters. Unfortunately, it never provided alternate paths, which would have been nice to have different outcomes, not just on which dialogue choices you pick, or skill checks, but also which path you take or items you find.
It was also a bit frustrating when you can only pickup objects that you need to progress only once the story has revealed that you need to find them. It’s clear that an item is important and needed, so why cant the character pick it up and say something like “this looks important, i’ll probably need this later”. The other weird thing with items was that huge objects just magically fit into pockets. Either give the character a backpack or just have them carry the item around, which would keep the player immersed in the game.
VERDICT
The sinister tone of Dead by Daylight has pushed supermassive outside of its comfort zone, which has resulted in one of their strongest narratives in years. Unfortunately, similar issues that break immersion still hinder the experience from the formula that the studio continues to embrace. It might not be as good as Until Dawn, but the collaboration of Dead by Daylight and supermassive makes is almost too obvious and the result is an unsettling horror experience that is sure to please.
7.5