In this conclusive chapter of the Lifeless by Daylight saga, The Casting of Frank Stone presents a deeply immersive and terrifying experience for both fans of the series and newcomers to Supermassive Games’ horror oeuvre. The band’s inspirations are proudly displayed, and it doesn’t hesitate to indulge in fun; as seen in their past endeavors – Till Daybreak, The Quarry, and The Darkish Photos Anthology – which have shown us their capabilities already.
This brief, lighthearted escapade eschews solemnity, and while its standout moments might elude those unfamiliar with the Dead by Daylight universe, The Casting of Frank Stone showcases Supermassive Games’ propensity for consistently delivering high-caliber experiences?
Finally, Behaviour Interactive has decided to expand on Lifeless by Daylight’s rich lore – following Hooked On You: A Lifeless by Daylight Relationship Simulator, which we received in 2022 – and I was thrilled to see that Behaviour had selected Supermassive Games to bring this endeavour to life.
For horror enthusiasts, a collaboration between The Entity and Supermassive Games is a dream come true; the studio’s willingness to plumb the dark, unsettling depths of the franchise’s lore will undoubtedly yield a gruesome and intense experience that perfectly captures the essence of this terrifying realm. The developer ensures you’ll be on the edge of your seat, not just by allowing you to easily eliminate a beloved character without warning. Sure, I did that. Greater than as soon as.
While the gory spectres evoke a sense of unease, it’s undeniable that Supermassive’s quick-time event-filled, dialogue-driven gameplay harmonizes remarkably well with the survival horror dynamics in Life is Strange, don’t they? While players wouldn’t actually be playing a Lifeless by Daylight game without generators and perk loops, the developers have managed to surprise fans with a fresh take on survival horror. With numerous nods, both explicit and subtle, the path is laid towards the dark realm of Lifeless by Daylight, while also acknowledging Supermassive’s own legacy in their previous endeavors. Ultimately, enthusiasts of both developers have a wealth of exciting content to engage with and become passionate about in this space.
At the rundown, dilapidated walls of a long-abandoned mill, Officer Sam Green’s investigation into the baffling vanishing of a teenager takes an unexpected turn, revealing secrets far more sinister than he ever could have imagined. The foreboding tone of a typical teen slasher film is established from the outset, prompting the reader to recoil in anticipation of the horrors that are to come, as if screaming “Sam Green, turn back now!” Regardless of the circumstances, someone who stumbles upon a decaying body part and mangled ear, yet still rationalizes, “Let’s just call it a backup, and let’s keep moving forward, after all.” Here, we are introduced to Frank Stone, a protagonist whose fate will soon be entwined with that of Augustine Lieber, an enigmatic figure crucial to the unsettling narrative that is about to unfold.
As the initial excitement of the introduction subsides, the game’s core mechanics are gradually revealed through a series of time-based tutorials. You’ll initially encounter Madi, Linda, and Stan, who’ve all received an eerie summons to Gerant Manor—a foreboding estate that seems plucked straight from the pages of The Lady in Black, its very atmosphere reeking of old-fashioned terror—as they converge to negotiate a pact with their enigmatic host; one that hinges on the relinquishment of hitherto unknown strips of 1970s cinematic gold, Homicide Mill.
As you revisit the setting where “Throwback” moments await, the path unfolds to reveal the filming of “Homicide Mall” in Cedar Hills, where a youthful Linda and her cohorts – Robert, Jaime, and Chris – take the reins. As the community struggles to heal from the devastating aftermath of Frank Stone’s heinous deeds, a group of well-intentioned yet reckless teenagers decide to venture to the infamous mill where the tragedy unfolded, hoping to capture some conclusive evidence – it is little surprise that this impulsive decision leads them into further chaos. As events unfold, our characters find themselves entangled in a predicament just as complicated.
As the narrative unfolds in a manner reminiscent of Alan Wake’s eerie undertones, The Casting of Frank Stone deliberately pays homage to this atmospheric storytelling style through its incorporation of flashbacks and cinematic photographs, thereby evoking a sense of eeriness. While Lifeless by Daylight has long been a haven for all things horror, it’s only fitting that its solo journey pays homage to its roots, including nods to P.T., Dead Space, and other influential titles.
While The Casting of Frank Stone’s connection to Lifeless by Daylight’s Easter eggs initially seemed a mere extension of lore, its true significance lies in its celebration of horror enthusiasm; as such, fans will cherish the abundance of relics and homages scattered throughout the game for those with a keen interest.
On this observation, I cannot help but note the dialogue’s importance, both. While occasionally clumsy, the tone’s offbeat nature actually suits the genre’s campy essence, never jarringly disrupting the overall sense of tension and horror. Supermassive’s latest endeavour may not be their most ambitious project, yet they still manage to craft a cinematic experience that’s both visually stunning and technically impressive. The latest cinematic odyssey from Supermassive pays homage to the grand, atmospheric horror of the 1970s and 1980s, with The Casting of Frank Stone firmly rooted in this nostalgic tradition.
That offbeat, incongruous banter proves a masterstroke in rendering the experience both entertaining and unsettling; a crucial factor in persuading non-horror enthusiasts to join me in playing these games. This knack for darkish, twisted humor amidst terrifying moments is precisely what I’ve come to anticipate from both Supermassive Games and Behaviour Interactive – and once more, the developer proves it intimately understands its audience, hitting the tone of its narrative across multiple levels with uncanny accuracy.
The casting of Frank Stone’s most iconic and regrettable scenes was presented in a poignant montage at the show’s conclusion, leaving viewers feeling abruptly deprived of more story to follow. It’s safe to say that I expected more from the game’s concluding sequences, despite killing off some characters unintentionally during my initial playthrough; this experience has led me to ponder how the ending might have been drastically altered if I had orchestrated alternative destinies for those characters. As the curtain closes on The Chilling Adventures of Frank Stone, fans of Dead by Daylight can revel in a finale that masterfully blends unsettling and humorous notes, delivering satisfying conclusions for its diverse cast of characters while laying the groundwork for those yet to come in the franchise.
With the mystique surrounding Lifeless by Daylight’s enigmatic cast of characters, fans have long been eager to unravel the puzzle of how they became entwined in a perpetual state of terror, courtesy of The Entity. If the meticulously crafted DBD-style achievements and abundance of Easter eggs didn’t already drive enthusiasts to near-obsessive fervor, then the forthcoming revelations will undoubtedly satiate their curiosity. For fans of survival horror games like Dead by Daylight or the psychological thriller series The Dark Pictures Anthology, The Castling of Frank Stone is an absolute must-play experience. Despite being uninitiated, those venturing into the collection will still glean something valuable from their brief, yet engaging, experience.
The psychological thriller The Casting of Frank Stone is now available to download on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The game was tested on PC using a provided developer code written by the author.
