The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me

The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me is the final part of the current season of this saga. I have really enjoyed this series since it started back in 2019 and with this fourth game, they are bringing a close to this first chapter of The Dark Pictures Anthology. I know that the games are not perfect, but as someone that is a huge horror fan, I have gotten a huge kick out of what they have done here and I like how each game is its own contained story.

Welcome To The Murder Castle

Like in the past games, The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me is presented by our curator that links all these stories together. This time we have a story that feels like it could be part of American Horror story. We play as a film crew that has been invited to check out the Murder Castle which is a recreation of the home of the serial killer, H. H Holmes. It seems like an awesome opportunity, but things here are far more sinister than they thought and soon the crew finds themselves fighting for their lives! It has a kind of Saw vibe about it as there are numerous killing rooms and traps that the crew has to deal with.

Smooth Moves

Look, while I am a big fan of this series, I have actually played through all of the games. I will be the first to admit that they have been pretty clunky in the gameplay department, especially the first game! However, I feel like they have gotten better and better with each installment, and The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me is now allowing us to run, jump and climb. I know that it sounds crazy that it took four games to allow us to do this, but it makes a massive difference to the gameplay and for the kind of traps, puzzles and so on that are in this game, being able to move quicker and more dynamically is essential.

See Saw!

The game sees you needing to try and escape this crazy death castle as numerous playable characters. As I said, you get a real SAW vibe from things here and that is something I really do like. While being more nimble and able to get around quicker is great, that is not the only new gameplay innovation that has been added to The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me. Puzzles have always been part of the gameplay in this series, but things are kicked up a few notches here are there are tool based puzzles that you have to deal with. As well as this, you also have an inventory for each character too. It sounds like basic additions, but they are pretty huge in terms of this series.

Knowing Right From Wrong

Ever since this team gave us the phenomenal Until Dawn, they have taken decision based gameplay to the next level and that is really what I love about this series, the dynamic and relationships between the characters. I play these games on my own and even that makes me really think about what I am doing and saying with the characters as I progress. You can also play this with friends where each one of you takes control of a character if you want. The decision making part of the game is what gives it some replay value as things can play out differently depending on what you do.

Pros:

• I am loving the Saw, serial killer story being told
• There is a very interesting cast of characters
• The gameplay feels more fluid and responsive
• Once again, you can play this with your friends if you want

Cons:

• It may be a tad too reliant on jump scares
• Sometimes making a decision can lead to instant regret!