our verdict
As a fan of Dead by Daylight, The Casting of Frank Stone made me delighted with its Easter eggs, hints and lore. That, coupled with its mysterious plot and intriguing dual-timeline structure, kept me invested even in its most hands-off sequences. Still, I would have liked more interactivity, and the game’s ending may be beyond the comprehension of non-DBD players.
Frank Stone Casting is a massive game set in the world of Dead by Daylight, and it’s a difficult game for me to review. I’m an almost obsessive DBD fan: I play almost every day, watch live streams, own the comic books, and know the perks, characters, and backstory. On the other hand, I’ve never completed any of the previous versions of Supermassive. They’re well-loved, but their interactive cinematic style and hands-off nature turned me off. Knowing the scope of the operation would be a rapid series of events, I was apprehensive going into The casting of Frank Stone.
Having just watched the prologues to games like Quarry and The Devil Inside Me, I was surprised to find that the opening scene of Frank Stone Casting had me invested and eager to continue very quickly. The prologue of the horror game takes place in Oregon in the 1960s, where there are a large number of missing teenagers and children. A caring young police officer goes to a local steel plant to investigate. This opening ends with a tense confrontation with our eponymous villain, setting off a thrilling tale of supernatural horror deep Dead by Daylight Legends.
The remainder of “Frank Stone Casting” unfolds in a dual timeline narrative between 1980 and 2024. It switches frequently between the two in a cohesive way that keeps the mystery going until the end. The foundation laid in the ’60s and ’80s sequences helps you build relationships with present-day characters while understanding their tragic circumstances. The narrative structure also makes the brisk story engaging, and no time period outweighs its popularity.
Despite its lack of interactivity, The Casting of Frank Stone’s pace only really slows down during its longer sequences, where you might not even press a single key. To make matters worse, the game has a habit of suddenly throwing skill checks at you mid-scene, which can affect your results in ways you might not want. While you can go back and replay scenarios, it can be frustrating when your first run is ruined by a rogue QTE.
The more active sequences are instantly engaging, especially when your decisions and mistakes determine the trajectory of the story and the fate of your characters. This is especially true in the final hours, when the new 8mm camera view mechanic comes into play, both adding to the story and injecting an element of combat – at least by Supermassive standards. Look through a retro camera to discover things invisible to the naked eye, allowing you to stop evil from pursuing you. These scenes look fantastic and give you a level of control that’s often lacking elsewhere in the game. Frank Stone is also poorly cast and makes you think he’s doing more than usual. For example, using a key may trigger additional “unlock” and “open” prompts, as if your intent to just use the item in the first place wasn’t clear enough.
Another quirk of Supermassive is the occasionally awkward facial models, but the scenes throughout are beautiful and the atmosphere appropriately somber. Most of the characters are also immediately likable, which makes up for their faces, inevitably affecting your decision to let them live or die. The horror is slow to come, but when it comes, it’s satisfyingly terrifying. Needless to say too much, the climactic enemy is the pinnacle of the action, it’s both terrifying and one of the best looking monsters I’ve seen in a recent game, reminding me a lot of the terrifying mutants from Children of the Forest.
Unfortunately, the writing that brings it all together isn’t always elegant. One character is shocked by the discovery of a secret passage, which is surprising considering they previously discovered not one but two others. Meanwhile, a promising lesbian love story that never quite gets off the ground feels like a real missed opportunity. As far as the cast goes, my personal favorite is Linda, who spans two timelines and is easily the most developed character in the game. I find it easy to support her and often base my decisions on her well-being rather than the well-being of others. Supermassive features four playable characters spanning two timelines, creating a balanced and memorable core cast.
The casting of Frank Stone also attempts, albeit disingenuously, to explore the ethics of making entertainment based on tragic real-life events. At times, it questions the tenets of extreme horror fandom via the quips of a whiny, jealous boyfriend, but it’s all a bit haphazard, which means the game works best as a simple mystery horror story and nothing more. Anything outside feels like a real stretch.
Cutting Room Floor is a new feature in Supermassive that allows you to replay chapters more seamlessly than ever before. I like the premise of the game with its branching storyline, but I’m terrified of all the eventualities I’m missing out on. The Cutting Room Floor shows you a timeline of branching events, rather than having to suck it up and play the entire game again from top to bottom. From here, you can jump to any chapter and experience different results. You can move on from there, or come and go as you please, as your secondary, tertiary, or other branches will be added along with your original choice. You can also go back and pick up any The Casting of Frank Stone-related items or trinkets you may have missed.
As for the crossover version of Dead by Daylight, the asymmetrical multiplayer game has been mentioned several times since the beginning. These DBD Easter Eggs are everywhere, from collectibles and scenery to sound effects for picking up items or completing quick-time events. But these endorsements aren’t necessary to enjoy Frank Stone Casting, as Supermassive has struck a good balance between its older games and Dead by Daylight, meaning most horror fans can easily get into it .
Until the story reaches its climax, the references to Dead by Daylight lore get thicker and faster, leading to a final few scenes that may be confusing to non-fans. However, for DBD die-hards, it’s pretty exciting and I couldn’t stop thinking about Frank Stone’s character for days after the credits rolled. I also can’t wait to see Champion Stone in Dead by Daylight and some of the survivors from the game. So while I felt satisfied from the game, I’m not sure how much that depends on the game itself or its broader impact on DBD.