In 2015, developer Supermassive Games made their name with Until Dawn, an interactive horror about a murderer stalking a group of teenagers in a chilly mountain retreat (a remake is out now). Since then, they’ve largely nailed this sub-genre with The Quarry, multiple titles in their ongoing Dark Pictures Anthology, and now The Casting Of Frank Stone. Uniquely, this new story is set in the same universe as another game entirely, Behaviour Interactive’s hugely popular multiplayer survival horror Dead By Daylight.

Set across multiple timelines, most of the action takes place in 1980 and centres on a group of young filmmakers ill-advisedly determined to make a horror movie set in an abandoned steel mill. Their shenanigans inevitably awaken the spirit of a vengeful monster called Frank Stone. However, with a huge swathe of the game dedicated to scene setting, it’s not until very late on that things really kick off. That wouldn’t be a problem if the characters were worth spending time with but, compared to Supermassive’s previous efforts, this is an anaemic gang. And with the timeline constantly shifting, it’s difficult to care about any of them.

Still, it’s a typically atmospheric game, with expressive animation, detailed (if restrictive) environments and foreboding chiaroscuro lighting. Fans of Dead By Daylight will feel at home with certain story beats and its use of skill checks to make progress, and it briefly nods to Alan Wake with its camera combat mechanic. While it’s an entertaining few hours, it does feel as if Supermassive have hemmed themselves in with another studio’s story, when they’re much better branching off on their own.
The Casting Of Frank Stone is out now on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.