As a seasoned survivor of numerous horror games, I must admit that the trailer for “The Casting of Frank Stone” sent chills down my spine. The narrator’s ominous tones reminded me of the thrilling suspense from “Until Dawn,” a game that left me sleepless for nights on end.
Back in 2012, Telltale’s The Walking Dead was a game that truly shook up the narrative adventure genre. While Telltale games were known for their interactive storytelling, the choices we made often felt more like an illusion since they led to similar conclusions in the end. However, Until Dawn rekindled my love for this genre, distinguishing itself from Telltale with its updated visuals and choices that actually mattered.
The audience overlap between Until Dawn and Dead By Daylight suggests a promising degree of success for The Casting of Frank Stone. With an average of half a million players daily on Dead By Daylight, and the Until Dawn community consistently excited to explore new Supermassive games, The Casting of Frank Stone seems tailor-made for streaming due to its branching narrative horror elements reminiscent of Until Dawn. Furthermore, it’s only natural that this game would include a challenging cast of characters you’ll struggle to keep alive in the tradition of a gripping horror drama.
Similar to “Until Dawn” and “The Dark Pictures Anthology,” “The Casting of Frank Stone” follows a group of teenagers venturing into an unsettling town’s outskirts to explore an abandoned area, specifically the condemned Cedar Steel Mill property, where the infamous serial killer, Frank Stone, is said to have carried out his grisly murders. This location serves as the backdrop for a horror film production by the five-member cast. The game’s atmosphere mirrors typical Supermassive games, but the intricate lore of “Dead By Daylight” adds an enticing layer of complexity. Developers have subtly hinted that the death mechanics from “Dead By Daylight” may be incorporated within “The Casting of Frank Stone.” This suggests that characters could be revived after death, as in “Dead By Daylight,” by some malevolent force similar to The Entity. An exciting narrative moment might involve your surviving teens encountering a mind-wiped friend deep within the mill and having to confront them directly. The unpredictable nature of death in “Dead By Daylight” enhances Supermassive’s traditional storytelling approach, resulting in a less predictable story compared to their previous games. Given the significance of branching endings in Supermassive games, it is likely that the consequences of our actions will be reflected by “Dead By Daylight’s” unique and twisted death system.
As a gamer diving into the world of The Casting of Frank Stone, I’m not just stuck with the teens’ viewpoint like in typical games. Instead, I get to control various characters, as hinted by the police officer in the prologue. What sets this game apart is the AI-driven behavior of these characters, deviating from Supermassive’s traditional linear narratives. The trailers have been impressive with their high-quality voice acting spanning a broad range of characters. The Murder Mill Trailer’s narrator, much like the one in Until Dawn, adds an assuring tone that this game will continue the legacy of captivating narration between chapters. Although it remains unconfirmed if The Casting of Frank Stone will feature a continuous narrator, the strong trailer narration is certainly promising.
It’s indisputable that Frank Stone is the primary villain in the game, and as anticipated, he’s a ruthless killer who aligns perfectly with Dead by Daylight’s (DBD) lineup of murderers. Already, DBD enthusiasts are pondering the relationship between Frank Stone and The Entity. It’s worth noting that the developers have clarified that there are no special abilities or powers associated with the characters in DBD, as they stated in the Game Informer cover story: “none of them are superheroes”.
As a seasoned gamer, I’ve found that intuition can be just as powerful as any superhero in games like “The Casting of Frank Stone”. Though it might seem challenging, keeping every character alive till the end is theoretically possible, but it demands a generous dose of luck and foresight. The intricate ‘Butterfly Effect’ narrative, so characteristic of “The Casting of Frank Stone”, remains vibrant and captivating.
As a gamer, I’ve appreciated the choice-driven interactions in previous Supermassive games, but what truly excites me about The Casting of Frank Stone is the shift from basic Quick Time Events (QTEs). Instead, they’ve adopted a Skill Check system reminiscent of Dead By Daylight, a move that I think will make gameplay more engaging.
What grabbed my attention most was the meticulous work the team put into creating the game’s world, particularly the history and setting of Cedar Hills. To get a sense of this, check out the “Welcome to Cedar Hills” video. The team pays close attention to the sociological background of Cedar Hills as a steel manufacturing town in Oregon, details that significantly influence the game’s events. The main focus of the game is the Cedar Steel Mill, which is evident in playable sections set during the mill’s active years. Since the mill closed down, the town has been struggling, with a worn-out and sluggish population that gives it the ‘sleepy town’ atmosphere perfect for this type of teen horror game. The developers refer to the mill’s furnace tower as an “industrial haunted house,” which fittingly describes the dilapidated remnants of the town’s once-thriving industrial core.
It’s great that there’s a lot of focus on world-building for the game “The Casting of Frank Stone” since it delves deeply into exploration and hidden objects. The gameplay demo reveals that the game adopts a deliberate, investigative pace. The items you collect and notes you read will undoubtedly help solve the mystery about why the steel mill was closed and what kind of people lived in Cedar Hills. Additionally, the use of Unreal Engine 5, which is being used by Supermassive for the first time, significantly improves the game’s atmosphere, particularly in the shadowy and complex environments within the labyrinthine steel mill. Lumen tools highlight the shadows, while Nanite technology allows the developers to incorporate real-world location imagery into the game without compromising on processing power or detail. With its branching narrative horror structure and the extensive use of Unreal Engine 5, “The Casting of Frank Stone” stands out among its competitors and represents the largest game Supermassive has ever produced.
As an enthusiast, I can’t help but feel the excitement building around “The Casting of Frank Stone,” which seems poised to captivate audiences much like “Until Dawn” and “Dead By Daylight.” The developers are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to deliver a top-notch branching narrative game within the “Dead By Daylight” universe, complete with all the unpredictable quirks that fans have come to love. To add fuel to the fire, they’re leveraging advancements in Unreal Engine 5 technology and expanding the project’s scope to new heights.
As a passionate gamer, I’d like to share my personal perspectives on this topic. Please remember these opinions don’t reflect GamingBolt as a whole.
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2024-08-02 17:42