The Casting of Frank Stone

Though The Casting of Frank Stone doesn’t make any sweeping changes to the formula etched out by the likes of Until Dawn, The Quarry and The Dark Pictures Anthology, it does manage to effectively marry up that formula with the universe of Dead by Daylight with impressive results. Notably, the usual flaws also apply here, with The Casting of Frank Stone beset by the same plodding horror adventuring, wooden dialogue and mostly annoying cast of characters that are usually the hallmarks of similar efforts. If however, you’re fine with all of that and just want another handsomely made Supermassive Games romp then The Casting of Frank Stone will surely appeal. Should you be a devoted Dead by Daylight aficionado though, feel free to add a point or more to the score and dive in.

Although I found enjoyment in The Casting of Frank Stone, the title's main problem is that it jumps from two different stories both trying to set something up. Both the stories are building towards something greater, but sadly, the payoff comes very late and hinders the overall vision. It's still worth checking out, but with expectations in check.

Despite my issues with The Casting of Frank Stone, I had a decent enough time during my six hours. The story may not have had the payoff I was promised at the start, but I was intrigued enough until the end, even if the gameplay did its best to take the sting out of the experience. Maybe my lack of Dead by Daylight knowledge hindered my enjoyment, but fans of Supermassive’s games will likely have a good enough time. Just don’t expect its best work.

On one hand we have a team that has always sacrificed interactivity in the name of a cinematic experience, on the other hand there is an online video game that has never made an effort to tell a real story: the meeting between these two extreme visions of the medium has given life to a strange hybrid with a fully Supermassive gameplay structure, chock-full of references to Behaviour's work but narratively lean and devoid of the fun thrills that we would have expected from the team of Until Dawn and The Quarry. Completely devoted to exploring the lore of Dead by Daylight, The Casting of Frank Stone forgets to lay out a plot that can intrigue its audience, bringing on stage a narration castrated by serious problems of pacing and a horror factor that is slow to arrive, despite the short duration of the experience.

The Casting of Frank Stone will go down as a final chapter in this era of Supermassive, a chapter of highs and lows, but even though it has its faults there's definitely a lot of potential between a Supermassive and Dead by Daylight collaboration and hopefully we'll see this explored once again in the future.

Frank's casting is a good adaptation of the Dead by Daylight universe for a single-player game. In particular, we appreciate the references and the way the lore has been integrated. Also the deaths are very graphic which is a good thing. Unfortunately, there are the same shortcomings as in other Supermassive Games games: too few plot differences, pacing problems and a lack of empathy for the characters. You'll spend a pleasant evening alone or with others, but that's as far as it goes.

The Casting of Frank Stone may be something for die-hard Dead by Daylight fans or those who truly love Supermassive's adventure games, and can even act as a good entry point for new players, but it can't help but feel like a disappointment. While the story is great and the camera mechanic is neat, the overall experience is dragged down by the likes of repetitive, bland areas and a few aggravating characters. Still, it's great to see a franchise with a lot of variety such as Dead by Daylight expand into other genres, but let's just hope that next time they bring along a lot more personality.

Supermassive is back and teaming up with one of the biggest franchises in asymmetrical horror, Dead by Daylight. Whilst the visuals and sound, among collecting the odd Easter Egg provide the biggest highlights from the game. The storyline is a very slow burn, not worth the end-game final reveal. Although Frank Stone will be an exciting addition to Dead by Daylight, his standalone tale is overshadowed by long drawn out backstory and lackluster excitement.

The Casting of Frank Stone is more invested in Dead by Daylight than itself at times.

Supermassive Games' collaboration with Dead By Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive results in occasionally awkward fan service.

A bland horror narrative adventure, too focused on paying homage to the Dead by Daylight universe rather than on creating a compelling and convincing story.

The Casting of Frank Stone is a flawed game in many ways - full of plot nonsense, boring gameplay mechanics and in some ways cruelly ugly. But if you're a fan of silly B-grade horror movies that entertain more than scare, you can have fun here. Just don't expect much, and you may not be disappointed.

The Casting of Frank Stone sounds like a good idea in theory, especially for Dead by Daylight fans craving more storytelling, but the execution needed much more time in post.

The Casting of Frank Stone includes a few minute improvements over Supermassive Games' approach, like its handful of quicktime event-free gameplay segments and clearer look at the branching paths. But it's still just the same formula with the same pitfalls that have regularly plagued this studio’s near-annual releases in the genre. Middling writing, frequently uncanny animations, and a lack of scares make The Casting of Frank Stone another passable entry in the interactive horror/suspense genre.