The Dark Pictures: The Devil in Me

I have played many Supermassive Games from Until Dawn, to each of the Dark Pictures Anthology installments.

Until Dawn was a supremely fantastic game that I wish I could play over again for the first time. However, what I've noticed about this Anthology series, is that they seem to know how to build up a story and world, but then they fumble with the actual delivery, and most especially the ending.

This, on top of clunky mechanics, several bugs that shouldn't exist in a $40 game, and wonky graphics, makes for a frustrating experience.

The characters for each of these games are generally wooden or plain unlovable and I always find myself not truly caring if they live or die in the end.

The Devil in Me didn't feel like it had any really "high stakes" moments like other games from Supermassive. The game also just sort of... Ended suddenly out of nowhere, and it fell flat, never really reaching a true crescendo.

I love horror games, and this one had the potential to garner the right experience with the setting and the premise alone, and so I'm very disappointed by how dull and bland I feel after finishing it.

I've had enough of this. An entire season in a row is now a failure with more generic stuff to follow, yet the dev's methodology remains unchanged-an engaging idea, a captivating environment, and a thoroughly subpar execution. Just how many wasted efforts it's going to take them to finally wake up to reality? Can't they see that without adopting a new and creative strategy or recruiting more capable personnel, they are destined to fail over and over again?

There isn't a single character in this game whose looks, lines or actions would inspire you to identify with them in any way. Plot-wise, the only compelling portrayal is the killer's, whereas the playable 5 characters are so lame and badly designed, you couldn't care less whether they live or die. As always, the curator's intro is the best part, promising great things to come, but the remainder fails to deliver. The story's core concept and setting are the only driving forces, yet each time it shifts to dialogue or action, it falls flat due to the barely serviceable characters.

The script could use at least a ton rewrites. The musical score and the sound design are laughable, so are the outdated jump scares. As always, the most obvious issue on the surface is that things tend to play out in the most straightforward manner, lacking any subtlety or sophistication.

It's like the devs have completely lost contact with reality. In fact, they're better off renaming the series to "Wasted pictures anthology" because that's exactly what they delivered.

Absolutely no way I'm going to recommend this game, except if you get it for free.

Now add to all this some dire cliches, stolen scenes, technical rough edges, dated textures and clunky transitions, and you'll have the whole picture. The House of ashes was at least visually polished, whereas the Devil in me ultimately cements the dev's lack of commitment to produce anything that rises above average standards.

I couldn't wait for this having played the games before but I couldn't fully enjoy it. I felt the overall game was rushed so things were missed such as unrendered backgrounds, clothing popping in and out, the dodgy way the characters look and talk to each other, nobody talks to others with their heads down but still eyeballing you or they'd look everywhere but at the other person. I couldn't enjoy the exploring as much as I wanted with all the jumpscares and interruptions so I missed out on a lot. I wanted so much more story but I felt it was missing. I will say I enjoyed it as much as I could and I loved being able to scene select before completing the game.

Even though the characters aren't as good as some of the other supermassive games casts it more than makes up for it with the improved gameplay great story and gruesome kills. I feel as if the next game could make or break the series with how outstanding this entry was. With house of ashes they had a more action this one focused on more horror elements and was definitely the scariest in so far in the dark pictures anthology. I hope that the next game will keep up this quality because this is nothing short of a great time. I would highly recommend if you have played the other games in the series. 9/10.

The Devil in Me is the fourth and final instalment in the first season of video game series The Dark Pictures Anthology and is best enjoyed on a rainy autumn afternoon or on a dark winter night. The story revolves around a group of investigative filmmakers who want to shoot a documentary at a replica of Chicago's infamous World's Fair Hotel where serial killer H. H. Holmes once installed numerous deadly traps to murder unsuspecting tourists. The group heads to an isolated island on Lake Michigan as personal and professional tensions are growing between the characters. Once arrived upon the island, the five characters are left to their own devices and soon realize that the creepy mansion is much more than just a replica since an anonymous killer is menacing to take their lives one by one.

This video game convinces on numerous different levels. For instance, its atmosphere is creepy from start to finish without ever drifting off into exaggerated jump scares. This starts with a particularly strong opening scene that brings to life Chicago in the late nineteenth century and continues coherently in present-day America.

The challenges in this game are decent but not too tough. They blend in wonderfully with the story without becoming frustrating for less experienced players. The video game's final quarter however will make it a challenge for even more experienced gamers to save all five characters from the madness on the isolated island.

The game should take about six hours to complete, meaning that it offers one long evening of perfect entertainment. Playing this game feels like organizing a horror movie night with some friends and is just as much fun for genre fans. Playing this game with friends or completely isolated and alone are both highly recommended options. The game is so addictive that you will feel compelled to complete it in one single setting. The game's replay value is relatively high as there are numerous different ways to live or to die on that gloomy island.

On the downside, this entry in the franchise offers few to no new ideas, so occasional gamers might as well stick to one of the preceding entries. The story of this game is of average quality and at times quite predictable. The characters are decent but previous entries have had more fascinating development in this regard.

At the end of the day, The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me is highly recommended to seasoned fans of the franchise or gamers who appreciate the genres horror and mystery. This video game is not as creative as immediate predecessor House of Ashes but overall stronger than both Little Hope and Man of Medan. The most notable improvement of this game is the more fluid use of quick time events. Its biggest downside is the predictable story. If you are interested in immersing yourself into a mysterious horror movie atmosphere for about six hours, then this game is the best choice among more recent games on the market, so don't hesitate to buy this product for a reduced price for next Halloween.