Horror game The Casting of Frank Stone combines the cinematic, narrative-driven aspect of The Dark Pictures Anthology made by Supermassive Games, and the surreal world of Dead By Daylight from Behaviour Interactive. As someone who’s reviewed and guided all these titles for various outlets, I knew what I was getting into, but there were some facets that managed to surprise me nonetheless.
I was able to try a demo of The Casting of Frank Stone, one that gave a glimpse into the first chapter, The Burning Maw, which is set in 1963. In it, I played as a police officer named Sam, who’s searching for a lost infant. His investigation leads him to Cedar Steel Mill and, with the help of a worker named Tom, he realizes that something is amiss.
For the uninitiated, The Dark Pictures Anthology from Supermassive Games, as well as Until Dawn and The Quarry, rely primarily on psychological horror with a few jumpscares mixed in for good measure. Supermassive Games’ craft is on display early in The Casting of Frank Stone preview, with the foreboding atmosphere and rising tension that kept me on the edge of my seat. I felt goosebumps as I made my way through the mill, with pitch black areas illuminated only by the glimmer of Sam’s flashlight. Eventually, a cutscene played, which showed Tom’s dog eating bloody remains, including an ear that’s been ripped off.
During my playthrough, there were several instances where I was allowed to select Sam’s replies to Tom. I then received a “Fate Changed” notification, telling me that “Sam trusted Tom to help him when he needed him most.” Since Supermassive’s previous offerings are choice-driven games, I knew that this particular moment had ramifications which would only be made clear later in the campaign.
Moreover, since the story is set in Cedar Hills, a town with a history of grisly murders and mysterious disappearances, my best guess is that several chapters take place in various time periods. As the story unfolds, I’d learn of what becomes of Sam, Tom, and other characters, which made for a riveting arc.
Sam’s investigation then took me to the sewers and the furnace, where I found some additional collectibles. These included trinkets, akin to tiny baubles or figurines, as well as “Relliks.” The only Rellik I’ve seen is an effigy or poppet of the Hillbilly, one of the killers from Dead By Daylight. My guess is that the other killers would make appearances in effigy/poppet form as a nod to the game.
I should also note that I wasn’t able to find a single picture or premonition while playing The Casting of Frank Stone demo. In Supermassive’s previous releases, these objects showed a character’s death or survival; the 13th or last premonition usually hinted at a moment from the next game in the series, too.
Later, I was able to confirm that the premonitions mechanic isn’t present in Frank Stone, which disappointed me a little. It’s too early to tell how this omission will affect the overall experience, especially Dark Pictures Anthology vets like myself who rely on the mechanic to keep our characters alive as we progress.
The closing portion of the chapter took place in the furnace area, where Sam finally encountered the titular killer, Frank Stone, who’s garbed in chains and wearing a brutish helmet. This part was filled with several quick-time events (QTEs), such as pressing a button to avoid a falling structure, bashing Frank’s head during a scuffle, and crawling to reach a gun. It’s worth noting that there are various settings – i.e. disabling skill check timeouts and the combat timer–that should, hopefully, make these risky instances hassle-free for those that just want to enjoy the story.
During my initial attempt, Frank impaled Sam on a hook, something that Dead By Daylight killers do to eliminate survivors. I succeeded in the QTE sequence and Sam managed to escape, causing another “Fate Changed” notification to appear. It told me that Sam didn’t incur permanent damage to his shoulder. Conversely, when I reloaded a backup save, I intentionally failed this part and was told that Sam’s shoulder was permanently injured. Again, this chapter is set in 1963, so I can only surmise that Sam would make an appearance later in the game and this injury might have adverse effects.
There were a couple of conclusions to this chapter. The first, where I passed all QTE skill checks, allowed Sam to save the baby in the nick of time; he also shot Frank, who fell to his doom. As the screen faded to black, claw-like protrusions appeared from mid-air, signaling that the Entity, an otherworldly being from the Dead By Daylight universe, was summoning Frank to its realm. The second, which resulted from abject failure, led to the killer throwing the infant to the scorching flames. This gruesome scene so early in the game was a surprise, and I can already tell that there will be more shocking outcomes and cruel fates for the remaining characters.
One of the new additions in The Casting of Frank Stone that I’d love to see, since it wasn’t available in the demo, is the Cutting Room Floor. The developers tweeted about this feature, and I can tell that it looks more detailed compared to Scene Selection/Chapter Selection in The Dark Pictures Anthology. Given how the campaign has multiple branches, outcomes, and potential deaths, this is one mechanic that would really save completionists a lot of time. (Maybe I wouldn’t have to worry about keeping dozens of backup saves just to see all the outcomes.)
I’d also like to find out how multiplayer is implemented. Previous titles had “Movie Night” (i.e. pass and play/couch co-op) and “Shared Story” (i.e. online co-op). This game’s main menu, meanwhile, has “Die Alone” and “Die Together” options. The former is for single-player, and the latter seems to be for multiplayer though it wasn’t selectable.
All in all, The Casting of Frank Stone is one you’ll want to watch out for, especially if you’re a fan of Dead By Daylight or The Dark Pictures Anthology. While it eschews the asymmetrical “survivor team versus killer” multiplayer horror component that Dead By Daylight is known for, the single-player narrative-driven experience is what Supermassive Games excels in crafting. If the gameplay I’ve seen in the demo is any indication, then we’re in for some shocking moments and astounding twists. – Rappler.com
The Casting of Frank Stone releases on September 3 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store). A preview code for the demo was provided by the publisher.