Review: THE DARK PICTURE ANTHOLOGY: LITTLE HOPE Brings The Haunted Forest To Your Home
Immersion, realism, and fear are quite necessary when enjoying any kind of horror TV show, game, or movie. The people at Supermassive Games might have the most photorealistic graphics or bombastic game, however, their characters and atmosphere really sell an intriguing and deep experience. While this game might not be as terrifying as people expect or hope, the thrill and entertainment value of exploring the story and making hard choices make an experience that can produce great frights along with satisfying story beats.
Supermassive Game started with a strong game, Until Dawn, a refreshing 80’s horror movie come to life. The Man of Medan wasn’t as good as Until Dawn but still brought some solid scares. However, Little Hope really seems to capture a lot of what made the first Until Dawn great while making a much more profound and deep story that challenges the player. The vast number of outcomes that came about through big and small choices made each playthrough feel important and different. These choices have always been a staple of the Supermassive games with certain people dying or certain endings, but they feel well earned (or deserved) based on the actions of the player.
Each of the five main characters has great personality quirks and creates a good dynamic. I wish there were a little bit more interactions between a few characters which would lead to more, different interactions, but overall each character was well written and balanced. Most of the performances were really good with Will Poulter being the lead actor and busting out a great performance. Sometimes, some lines felt a little rushed, not super well written, and underperformed, but it never became hockey or too silly to ruin the moment.
Along with all of the great choices, a solid story, and well-done voice acting, the multiplayer mode returns. Players can take control of the story together, be split up, reunite and solve problems together, or cause certain doom for the other. I was impressed with how well the multiplayer worked in general and how much certain choices affected the other player’s story and relationships. It may not be a perfect system, but it is entertaining enough and worth playing through again or the first time with another person.
The last thing to really discuss here are the scares themselves. The first few scares will really get the blood pumping and are quite surprising. But it does fall into a pretty simple pattern for the rest of the game and becomes quite easy to see the scares. There are surprises throughout and different ones depending on your play-through, but it might not be as “pants-pooping” as people are expecting. I would probably classify this game as a horror-thriller instead of a straight-up horror game.
If you’ve enjoyed the previous games, then this is another great addition to the series and your collection. And if you enjoy horror in general, this is a great place to start in The Dark Pictures Anthology. Even if you just like games that offer a lot of choices and repercussions, this game will put your will to the test. This is a great game to pick up for the Halloween season and experience the outcome of your choices for these people who have such little hope.
