Game Review · Purchased December 27, 2022 · $80.00 CAD via Gamestop
The Setup
The fourth and final entry in Supermassive Games’ first Dark Pictures season, sending a documentary film crew to a museum built as a working replica of real-life serial killer H.H. Holmes’s “Murder Castle,” where the curator traps them in a deadly game.
The Review
This is the best-written entry in the anthology so far by a clear margin — the film-crew characters feel like more than just vehicles for quick-time events, helped considerably by each one carrying a unique gadget that turns into a genuinely clever character-specific puzzle tool rather than a generic interaction prompt. The slasher-movie premise, playing off a real historical serial killer’s methods, gives the environmental storytelling and collectibles a stronger hook than some of the more purely supernatural earlier entries.
The visuals and animation are noticeably behind Supermassive’s own The Quarry from earlier this year, with stiffer, more segmented character movement during routine interactions that occasionally breaks the immersion the writing works hard to build. Still, as a closing chapter for the anthology’s first season, it goes out on its strongest character work, and that’s the part of these games that actually matters most.
What I Liked
- Best character writing in the Dark Pictures series so far
- Character-specific puzzle tools are a genuinely clever addition
- Strong environmental storytelling tied to real historical horror
- Engaging slasher-movie narrative throughout
What I Didn’t
- Visuals look noticeably dated next to Supermassive’s own The Quarry
- Stiff, segmented character animation breaks immersion during routine interactions
The Verdict
Rating: 4/5
The anthology’s strongest character writing yet closes out the first season on a genuine high note, dated visuals aside.
Where to Buy
- Steam listing (also on PlayStation Store, Xbox/Microsoft Store)
