The Devil in Me: Between Saw and The Shining, a new reference in horror?
Game news The Devil in Me: Between Saw and The Shining, a new reference in horror?
After Man of Medan, Little Hope and House of Ashes, the fourth episode of The Dark Pictures anthology titled The Devil in Me will rule our consoles and PCs. During a hands-off presentation hosted by Tom Heaton, Game Director at Supermassive Games, we were able to enter a giant hotel full of sneaky traps. The price for staying there is the price of living.
Devil in the body
As usual, the Dark Pictures series draws on historical facts and urban legends to form the foundation of its plot. For this fourth installment, the demon god of the Assyrian kingdom gives way to a very human monster.. Indeed, serial killer Herman Mudgett, better known by the pseudonym HH Holmes, was the inspiration for the Supermassive Games team. If this name means nothing to you, know that this American, who studied medicine, killed tens or even hundreds of people in the late 19th century by welcoming his unfortunate victims to the hotel he had built. A place that rises more than three floors, at first glance it is pleasant but has a peculiarity: customers who enter do not leave. Full of traps, this building protects a basement that has acid vats and lime wells. This establishment will be given the nickname “murder castle“at the end of the Holmes trial in 1896.”The devil is always in mehe would declare before being hanged. Atmosphere.
This horrific story, both real and sensational, the small team of the Architecte du Meurtre program wanted to tell through a stunning video report. The future of this humble production company, struggling to make a profit, depended on it. Unfortunately, with the hotel burning to the ground, there was no way to provide viewers with good illustrations. While the project could fail, an architect and wealthy collector contacted reporters to offer them to come and shoot at a replica of the murder castle, inherited from a deceased relative. What the production companies overlook is that traps and torture devices are also a part of it. Like in 1893, blood will flow freely in this lost place in the middle of nowhere. As for the film references used for The Devil in Me, Supermassive Games cites Saw (torture mechanic), The Shining (cursed hotel), and slashers ranging from Psycho to Halloween. The studio promises a wink to the most attentive cast (and movie fans).
Death suits them
The heroes of this new episode are Charlie Lonnit, documentary film director, Kate Wilder, interpreted by Jessie Buckley (Chernobyl, Fargo), introverted show presenter Mark Nestor, cameraman with favorable physique (and ex-Kate), Jamie Tiergan, lighting designer. , and finally Erin Keenan, voice coach. Together, they must survive in a place where madness has settled. According to Tom Heaton of Supermassive Games, this group offers personalities that will create conflict and help each other. “They all have reasons to be appreciated but also have flawshe warned. Interactive Drama obliges, it is a player who must successfully overcome competition and moments of panic by remaining calm despite the dilemmas imposed on him.. In the sequence we saw, for example, it was necessary to choose who should survive between our two comrades caught in a trap. The studio assures that the death of this episode will be the most gruesome and extravagant ever committed. If we rely on the many circular saws, hooks, or flamethrowers seen during the demo, we can trust this grim promise.
Wind of novelty
Aware of feedback from players but also from the dedicated press, the developers of the British company are looking to modernize the Dark Pictures formula with this final episode of the first season. The biggest evolution comes from modernized maneuverability thanks to a large number of new movements. If Little Hope and the House of the Ashes are already rushing into a more direct breach of control, The Devil in Me seems to go further. Now, heroes have the ability to traverse crates, jump over obstacles, climb, walk on ropes on blocks, push/pull objects, hide, and also run. A real race, not a brisk walk like we used to say. In the open-ended gameplay phase, we almost felt like we were in front of the terrible Uncharted rather than immersed in production-signed Supermassive Games.
Another major addition is the inventory (materialized on the d-pad) which allows players to use certain items to progress or just defend. A passage shows, for example, that Erin must equip herself with her Ventolin to cope with an asthma attack. Each character has its own object for easier progress (card opening drawer, camera, pen, multimeter and directional microphone). “Some of these tools can be changed, broken, lost or given away‘” said Tom Heaton.
Finally, Supermassive Games makes use of this huge maze full of traps that serves as a new playground for bringing puzzles. At some point in the adventure, the player will face puzzles that he must solve using his gray matter, as long as it remains in his brain. The video shows typical situations from codes to find to fuses to put in the right order. Everything seems to suggest that some of these challenges will be timed, and that failure could shorten the life of the protagonist. Finally, the development studio announced that The Devil in Me would be the longest Dark Pictures episode. Approximately 7 hours of play will be required to complete the adventure, compared to 4 or 5 hours in the previous section.
The Darks Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me will land on November 18, 2022 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. This will be the final episode of the first season.
