Harrison Abbott previews The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me…
Believe it or not, The Dark Pictures Anthology has been around for almost half a decade. Its debut title, The Man of Medan, was announced way back in August 2018 and, upon reflection, that might as well be a totally different world to the one we currently inhabit.
In those halcyon days, we were all eagerly awaiting what was sure to be an epic conclusion to Game of Thrones. Meanwhile, Facebook was still called Facebook, you could happily declare yourself to be a Last of Us fan (without inviting a tirade of vitriol from strangers online), Hawaii had yet to be scarred by Ezra Miller’s reign of terror, and we were all blissfully ignorant of Tom Hooper’s movie adaptation of Cats.
Little did we know that our lives would soon be forever changed by a never-ending string of global catastrophes, devastating economic upheaval, the frightening notion of murder hornets and, yes, Tom Hooper’s movie adaptation of Cats. It’s safe to say that — having lived through so much over these past few years — we’re fundamentally altered beings now.
Yet the Dark Pictures Anthology has remained pretty much the same throughout this quadrennial period. The team at Supermassive Games has been adhering to the same basic recipe this whole time and continues to serve up exactly what their fans expect.
Sure, there have been incremental tweaks here and there (like updates to the camera system or the introduction of new difficulty modes) but if you were to compare The Man of Medan with 2021’s House of Ashes, you’d be hard-pressed to tell which of them came first.
Ending Season 1 with a Bang
The Devil in Me is being promoted as the Season 1 Finale for The Dark Pictures Anthology.
There’s something reassuring about knowing precisely what you’re getting into when you purchase a Dark Pictures instalment. After all, the branching-narrative games will always have a familiar horror premise at their core, there will always be a recognisable actor in one of the lead roles, there’s bound to be a few QTEs, and you are guaranteed an appearance from the sneering, Crypt Keeper-esque “Curator”.
In keeping with tradition, the anthology’s next episode (titled The Devil in Me) doesn’t appear to be making any radical changes to that formula. That being said, this fourth entry has also been touted as the “Season 1 Finale” for Dark Pictures, which does imbue it with a bit more significance.
Speaking about what this actually means during a recent preview event, Game Director, Tom Heaton told Flickering Myth: “We wanted to end Season 1 with a bang!
“When our idea [for the anthology] first came about, we planned on doing eight games and we always intended to take a moment to assess them at around the halfway point. This was so that we’d have time to [reflect] on what’s already been done, what people have liked about them and where things can be freshened up.
“With The Devil in Me being the Season 1 finale, we decided to effectively supersize it. Both in terms of its new features, which give players a lot more to do, and its extended runtime [the latter reportedly clocks in at 7+ hours].
Having now played a decent chunk of the game for ourselves, we can confirm that The Devil in Me is certainly the most polished outing in The Dark Pictures Anthology thus far. Benefitting from refined exploration mechanics, a greater emphasis on interactivity and an engrossing narrative hook, it’s looking to be a very impressive swan song for this first season, as well as a promising sign of things still to come.
Resurrecting America’s First Serial Killer
Infamous serial killer H.H. Holmes was a big inspiraiton for The Devil in Me
Alongside those signature “Don’t Move” sections and all the agonising choices that players are forced to make, another key ingredient of The Dark Pictures Anthology is that its stories usually have some kind of basis in real-world myth.
Whether they’re dealing with fabled ghost ships, the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials, or the lore surrounding Hollywood’s favourite Mesopotamian bogeyman, Pazuzu, Supermassive loves to explore history through the lens of urban legends.
For The Devil in Me, this macabre inspiration came in the form of notorious 19th-century grifter and (prolific murderer) H. H. Holmes. Often dubbed “America’s first serial killer”, this deranged pharmacist had a varied rap sheet that included crimes as diverse as horse theft, insurance fraud, forgery, and illegal bigamy.
Yet he is most infamous for his so-called “Murder Castle”, which was a three-story hotel that he constructed in Chicago, supposedly rigged with trap doors, sealed-off rooms, labyrinthine corridors, acid baths, and lethal gas pipes. Having confessed to luring tourists to their dooms within this demented puzzle box, Holmes is thought to have racked up a total body count of 27. Although the exact number has never been verified.
The reason that details remain sketchy is that Holmes was a bit of a publicity hound and actively courted the media. As such, much of his tale has been subject to embellishment over time.
Speaking about what he uncovered during his own research for The Devil in Me, Heaton explained: “[Holmes] started consciously making a myth about himself. He was the first serial killer to be active while there was a modern press — in a city that was industrialising very, very fast — and the media loved it. [The Murder Castle story] sold them a lot of newspapers and was headline news day after day after day.
There are a couple of iconic photos of Holmes, one in which is clearly posing to look as good as he can. The other is his mugshot, where he looks considerably less good. So you can see that he was preoccupied with creating his own mythology.”
Whatever the truth of the H.H Holmes case may be, you can see why its sensational luridness would be a perfect fit for the horror genre. In terms of how it factors into The Devil in Me, the new game takes place in the modern era and centres around a true-crime docuseries that is in dire straits financially.
In a last-ditch effort to salvage their floundering production, the film crew accept a strange invitation from an H.H. Holmes enthusiast named Granthem Du’Met, who claims to have meticulously recreated the Murder Castle brick by brick. Thinking that this will serve as the ideal backdrop for their episode on the Illinois-based serial killer, the team eagerly heads out on location without a moment’s hesitation.
Upon arrival, they discover that this reproduction is everything they could have hoped for and more, with exteriors and interiors that are dead ringers for the real deal. Unfortunately, things might be a little too faithful here, as the crew soon realise that their absentee host may have been concealing an ulterior motive.
Before long, they are trapped in the Murder Castle 2.0, with no obvious way out and a collection of sadistic, escape-room-style puzzles to solve.
Welcome To the Murder Castle
The Murder Castle has been meticulously recreated using authentic reference material.
The antagonist here (who cosplays as Holmes by donning a bowler hat and a creepy masquerade mask) isn’t the only one to have spent years fastidiously studying The Murder Castle.
Indeed, the team at Supermassive Games have put just as much care into building their own virtual model of the death trap. It’s a truly accurate portrayal, one that’s been informed by contemporary photography of the late 1800s, as well as another unusual source.
Recounting how The Devil in Me team got their setting to feel so genuine, Heaton divulged: “One of the useful things that emerged during our research process was that we found, in an old newspaper, a hand-drawn map of the hotel’s second floor.”
For context, the first floor of the Murder Castle was rather inconspicuous, with expected amenities like a reception desk and a pharmacy. Meanwhile, the third story was comprised of relatively conventional guest rooms. It was between those two levels that all the depravity took place.
Going into more detail about what the newspaper diagram showed, Heaton continued: “This map of the second floor is where a lot of the [Holmes] myth comes from. It shows all these corridors that go around in a crazy fashion, and it’s labelled with enticing things like ‘room with five doors”, “sealed-up rooms”, “trap doors”, “room with gas pipes” and so forth. It’s great stuff and that’s what we worked with mostly.”
When you see the fruits of their labours in the game, you’ll be taken aback by just how authentic it all feels, especially with the benefit of next-gen visuals. It’s a setting that boasts a real sense of history, a unique personality, and a supremely ominous atmosphere; qualities which combine to make the exploration sections feel way more engrossing than they have previously done in other Dark Pictures episodes.
We’re Finally Getting A Sprint Button
You will be able to interact with the world more often in this Dark Pictures entry.
Speaking of which, given that so much effort has gone into crafting the spookiest environment possible, it just makes sense that Supermassive would want to incentivize exploration, so that you can take it all in. That’s where the improved traversal mechanics come into play.
One of the recurring criticisms directed at Supermassive’s catalogue (including their non-anthology titles like Until Dawn and The Quarry) is that character movement tends to be rather sluggish. Outside of making narrative decisions and responding to QTEs, you will spend a good deal of your time in these games ambling around environments at a glacial pace, looking out for glinting objects that will somehow advance the plot.
Even if you can forgive the languid walk cycles at first, they become exacerbating upon repeat playthroughs. After all, there’s nothing more annoying than having to trudge through the same rooms over and over again, when you just want to experience the different branching paths.
Thankfully, this problem has been addressed with some much-appreciated tweaks in The Devil in Me. Now, your characters are able to crouch under certain obstacles, scale ladders, jump across gaps in the floor, shimmy along ledges, clamber up platforms and (best of all) launch into a quick jog should the need arise.
These additions might sound quite trivial to franchise newbies, but their inclusion is a huge step forward for The Dark Pictures Anthology. During our hands-on session with the game’s first act, we were able to test drive the (considerably more agile) characters around a few areas and found that their enhanced mobility ended up making a huge difference.
If nothing else, backtracking — to ensure that you didn’t miss any hidden secrets — is far more palatable now that you can move faster than your average nonagenarian.
Put On Your Thinking Caps
For the first time in The Dark Pictures Anthology, players will be tasked with solving puzzles. The fate of some characters will depend on it
While the traversal mechanics arguably represent mere quality-of-live improvements, some other, more exciting, features are also debuting in this “supersized” season finale.
Most notably, The Devil in Me will be the first Dark Pictures game to incorporate puzzles, which obviously pair nicely with the Murder Castle setting.
We had a small taste of these in our preview slice (in the form of a typical push-the-crate-around conundrum, as well as another bit wherein we had to fix an electrical circuit) and found that they broke up the exploration side of things quite well.
In one instance, we were encouraged to wander around the hotel in search of a code required to unlock a barred security door. Suffice it to say, that new sprint function came in very handy then!
Talking about why this felt like the appropriate time to bust out puzzles, Heaton said: “[They] give our players something else to do and it also makes thematic sense for our story, given H.H. Holmes’ unique modus operandi. Of course, you’re going to need to solve some puzzles when you’re trapped in the Murder Castle!”
If you’re anxious about the gear change— and worried that the added challenge could potentially alienate casual players who just want to enjoy an interactive movie — rest assured that the brainteasers here are fairly easy.
Heaton continued: “Our puzzles are lite, and we’ve been conservative in deploying them. We don’t want anyone to get stuck because they cannot solve something. In fact, many of them are entirely voluntary and just unlock extra content.
“Meanwhile, the ones that are on the main path should only hold people up for a minute or two. No one should have to look up the answers on the internet, as we’re really not trying to stump players.”
No Two Characters Are Alike
Each character in The Devil in Me has their own unique gameplay.
The Devil in Me’s other brand-new mechanic is its inventory system, which gives each character their own idiosyncratic gameplay.
In a nutshell, everyone in the film crew has a special tool that belongs exclusively to them (often related to their profession). Judiciously using these items will grant you access to previously walled-off areas and can potentially even save characters during life-or-death situations.
For instance, the docuseries presenter, Kate (played by Academy Award nominee Jessie Buckley) can use her pencil to shade over torn bits of paper and reveal what was written underneath. Meanwhile, director Charlie can use his business card to prise open latches on locked draws, cameraman Mark can illuminate darkened environments with his flash bulb, and intern Erin has a directional microphone that allows her to eavesdrop on conversations, as well as pinpoint the source of noises.
The latter was used very effectively, in what was probably the highlight of our entire demo slice. Taking control of a curious Erin, we began to investigate the illogical, looping corridors of the Murder Castle and used her recording device to listen out for anything unusual.
At first, we just picked up the expected sounds of crewmates bickering, pipes rattling around and floorboards creaking. Yet as we strayed further and further away from the rest of the group, a cacophony of unnerving sounds began to envelop the audio mix.
To our left, we could hear creepy muttering and recitations of famous H.H Holmes quotes. To our right, the distressing screams of his victims. This horrendous din kept on building until, out of nowhere, the scene crescendoed with an abrupt silence. Followed by a devilishly clever jump scare.
Although we won’t spoil the details for you, the moment was far creepier than what we’re generally accustomed to with Supermassive. While the developers’ games are normally cheesy fun (intentionally mimicking naff b-movies and slashers), this one seems to be going for a more psychological approach.
The Shining Meets Saw
Sufferers of automatonophobia be warned, there’s plenty of mannequins and uncanny automatons here.
There’s another moment, much earlier on in the demo, which all but confirms our suspicion that the team is aspiring towards a loftier breed of horror with The Devil in Me.
The sequence in question has a nicotine-dependent Charlie desperately scouring the hotel for a pack of cigarettes. After hitting a few dead ends, his search eventually leads him to a bar that is staffed by a peculiar automaton.
Other than the fact that our bartender is inexplicably a machine, this entire sequence could have been ripped straight from The Shining. The lounge area is near-identical to its Overlook counterpart, our robotic server is dressed just like Lloyd, and Charlie’s erratic behaviour increasingly mirrors that of Jack Torrance. He is another frustrated artist stuck in a remote lodge after all.
If you’re trying to indicate that you’re making a serious, psychological horror game, then it’s only natural to take cues form one of the genre’s most esteemed classics.
When asked about this, Heaton doesn’t deny the Kubrick inspiration but actually embraces the comparison, declaring: “ I love The Shining, it’s my favourite horror movie.
“And if you’re making a game about a creepy hotel then it’s a really great starting point. Obviously, we are telling a very different story, but the menacing vibe of the Overlook is something that we wanted to [emulate].”
The Shining isn’t the only cinematic reference point though, as The Devil in Me also recalls Lionsgate’s Saw franchise in many ways.
Heaton explained: “We’ve steered away from the torture porn aspects, but that central idea of people being trapped by a cruel [voyeur], who is manipulating them and testing them off camera, is definitely there. And those awful dilemmas that people face in Saw movies are a really great fit with Dark Pictures, where we also ask people to make unthinkable choices.”
Our preview concluded with a terrific example of this, as we were thrust into a textbook jigsaw trap. Playing once again as Charlie, we accidentally triggered a guillotine-like mechanism that threatened to eliminate another character.
In order to prevent this blade from slicing into its intended target, Charlie had to apply his weight to a pressure pad. That might sound simple enough on paper, but a complication then arose when our criminal mastermind entered the room and proceeded to taunt Charlie with a knife.
At this juncture we were given a terrible choice. We could either channel our inner survivalist and step off the pressure plate (thus leaving our fellow victim to their fate) or we could take the high road and valiantly hold our ground against the H.H. Holmes copycat.
It’s the kind of devious “What-If” quandary that’s always so captivating in the Saw movies. Only this time the decision is placed squarely in your hands. If the rest of the game can sustain this tension, then we’re gonna be in for a wickedly fun time.
All in all, with an expanded runtime, an intriguing narrative, refined mechanics, a deeper level of interactivity and stressful decision-making, The Devil in Me is shaping up to be a very satisfying end to this first phase of Dark Pictures. Let’s just hope it sticks the landing.
The Devil in Me will be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC on November 18th.
Harrison Abbott
