The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Supermassive Games |
Publisher(s) | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
Director(s) | Tom Heaton |
Series | The Dark Pictures Anthology |
Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
Platform(s) | |
Release | 18 November 2022 |
Genre(s) | Interactive drama, survival horror |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me, also known simply as The Devil in Me, is a 2022 interactive drama and survival horror video game developed by Supermassive Games and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is the fourth installment and the final installment of season one in The Dark Pictures Anthology, after Man of Medan (2019), Little Hope (2020), and House of Ashes (2021). Like earlier games in the series, The Devil in Me features a cast of five playable protagonists and a multilinear narrative influenced by player choice. The game's decision-making scenes, of which there are several, can significantly alter the trajectory of the plot and change the relationships between the main characters. Due to these choices, any of the five protagonists can die permanently.
The title will introduce new features, such as character inventory, tool-based puzzles, and new movement capabilities such as running, jumping, and climbing.
The Devil in Me was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on 18 November 2022.
Plot
Premise
A group of documentary film makers receive a mysterious call inviting them to a modern-day replica of serial killer H. H. Holmes' "Murder Castle". As they film their latest episode, they slowly begin to realize things are not quite as they seem and that they are being watched and manipulated. Soon enough, they discover there is much more at stake than just their ratings.[1]
Synopsis
During the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, a newlywed couple (Edward Bluemel and Kitty Archer) checks into the World's Fair Hotel to celebrate their honeymoon, only to be murdered by the hotel's proprietor, Henry Howard Holmes (John Dagleish).
In October 2022, film crew Lonnit Entertainment, consisting of director Charlie Lonnit (Paul Kaye), reporter Kate Wilder (Jessie Buckley), cameraman Mark Nestor (Fehinti Balogun), lighting technician Jamie Tiergan (Gloria Obianyo), and intern Erin Keenan (Nikki Patel), are working on a series about famous murderers. Their latest episode covers Holmes, who was eventually arrested and executed in 1896 for murdering over 200 people. Widely considered to be America's first serial killer, Holmes famously claimed that he was possessed by the devil and that killing was in his nature, so he requested to be buried under concrete so as not to rise from the grave and kill again. The crew is contacted by mysterious benefactor Granthem Du'Met (Abdul Salis), who offers to host them at his estate, where he has collected a number of artifacts related to Holmes that the crew can film for their series. While the rest of the crew is wary, Charlie readily agrees since the production of the episode is currently struggling.
Du'Met takes the crew via ferry to the estate, located on an island off the coast of Lake Michigan. They find it to be a perfect replica of the World's Fair Hotel, though they take note Du'Met's hasty behavior. Jamie witnesses Du'Met and a little girl hurriedly leaving on the island's only ferry, effectively stranding the crew on the island. Meanwhile, an unknown individual is shown crafting elaborate animatronic mannequins resembling the crew members. With Du'Met's mysterious disappearance, the crew decides to start filming in his absence. However, fractures begin to form amongst the group, as Charlie wants to continue filming while Kate wants to leave the island for their safety. Charlie and Jamie later stumble into a booby trap set up by a man dressed as Holmes, surmising that he is the real Du'Met and the presumed Du'Met was an impostor. After the trap kills the groundskeeper, the estate is sealed shut. The crew is subsequently separated and forced to navigate rooms filled with dangerous traps set up by Du'Met. The crew decides their best course of action for surviving is to activate the island's lighthouse to signal for help.
After the lighthouse is activated, the ending is determined by player choice:
- A policeman arrives on the island and finds the body of the impostor Du'Met, before being killed by the real Du'Met. The crew attempt to escape the island by boat, with Du'Met apparently perishing either by being pulled into the boat's motor or when the boat crashes into rocks. The surviving crew members are rescued by a truck driver after swimming to land, and the authorities proceed to investigate the estate. If no crew members survive, the truth about what happened on the island never comes to light. Du'Met is then revealed to have survived, and the cycle continues with a new group of five.
- If Kate and Mark are the only survivors and are both captured by Du'Met, the impostor Du'Met is revealed as Joseph Morello, a true crime author and a survivor of the previous group. A video of Morello explains Du'Met's MO of luring another group of people to the island by having one of the survivors claim to be Du'Met. Mark either complies and lures the next group to the island in exchange for him and Kate being released (after which Du'Met double-crosses and kills them), or refuses and is immediately killed alongside Kate.
Gameplay
The Devil in Me introduces multiple new gameplay features that are a departure from the previous entries in The Dark Pictures Anthology. There will now be an inventory feature for the characters, tool-based puzzles, as well as new movement capabilities including running, jumping, and climbing.[1]
Playable characters
The Devil in Me has an ensemble cast that includes Jessie Buckley as Kate Wilder,[2] Paul Kaye as Charles Lonnit,[3] Fehinti Balogun as Mark Nestor, Gloria Obianyo as Jamie Tiergan and Nikki Patel as Erin Keenan.[4]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | (PC) 73/100[5] (PS5) 73/100[6] |
Publication | Score |
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Hardcore Gamer | 4/5[7] |
IGN | 5/10[8] |
Push Square | [9] |
Shacknews | 5/10[10] |
VG247 | [11] |
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me received "mixed or average" reviews.[5][6]
Sequel
In February 2022, Supermassive Games filed trademarks for six potential future entries. Five feature the standard The Dark Pictures branding, subtitled Switchback, Directive 8020, The Craven Man, Intercession, and Winterfold. The sixth potential title, subtitled O Death, is instead branded The Dark Pictures Presents.[12][13]
On 2 November 2022; it was announced that the next game to be released will be The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR. Described as a "fast-paced roller coaster action-horror shooter", it will be released for PlayStation VR2 in 2023.[14]
References
- ^ a b "The Dark Pictures - The Devil in Me". Supermassive Games. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Dedmon, Tanner (31 March 2022). "The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me Adds Actress Jessie Buckley". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ "The Devil in Me release date, pre-order and director interview". Radio Times. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ Wilson, Mike (6 November 2022). "Get to Know The Rest of The Crew in The Latest 'The Devil in Me' Trailer [Watch]". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
- ^ a b "The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Mefor PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ a b "The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ LeClair, Kyle (17 November 2022). "Review: The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
- ^ Ogilvie, Tristan (17 November 2022). "The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me Review". IGN. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
- ^ Croft, Liam (17 November 2022). "The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me Review (PS5)". Push Square. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
- ^ Bell, Larryn (18 November 2022). "The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me review: Checked out". Shacknews. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ Raynor, Kelsey (17 November 2022). "The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me review - A thoughtful, but janky dive into the fetishisation of serial killers". VG247. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
- ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (1 February 2022). "Supermassive Seems to Have at Least 6 More Dark Pictures Anthology Games Planned". IGN. Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
- ^ Moyse, Chris (1 February 2022). "Supermassive Games trademarks multiple new Dark Pictures titles". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
- ^ Bankhurst, Adam (2 November 2022). "Sony Announces 11 New PlayStation VR2 Games, Including The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR". IGN. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
External links
- 2022 video games
- Bandai Namco games
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- Interactive movie video games
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