He quietly watched us.
This happened around the end of 2015, but he’s still there today. 7 feet tall. A surprisingly accurate and larger-than-life rendition of the psychopath in Until Dawn, complete with a blue overalls and mannequin mask that we’ve spent months to be as scary as possible. We’re all used to him now, but he still gets a reaction from new hires and guests.
The psychopath watched everything. A group of us were sitting on plush cinema chairs in the Supermassive office, while CEO Pete Samuels outlined his plans for a new concept: Dark Pictures Anthology. A series of branching cinematic games that will explore different subgenres of horror. Games will last 4-5 hours, short enough to play in one sitting. Each game will feature two multiplayer modes – a connected online mode where you can play the entire game with a friend and a couch co-op where a group of friends can gather. and do a horror movie.
It’s a simple, compelling idea. But it’s also incredibly ambitious. To create a new franchise from scratch is no small feat, but two-player co-op is also really tough – no one has done it before.
I clearly remember thinking, ‘I right work on it. ‘
And I got to work on it.
I was lucky enough to be the game director in the story of the ghost ship Man of Medan. And now I’m lucky enough to be the game director of the brutal serial killer story The Devil In Me. And it was a great trip.
Between those games, we had the psychological and historical horror of Little Hope, set in the New England town of the same name, and we had the House of Ashes action-horror horror, fighting with hordes of fearsome click-vampire monsters buried deep beneath the desert.
There is another psycho in The Devil in Me. It is the story of a documentary crew about the American serial killer HH Holmes, who is trapped in a ‘murder hotel’ by a serial killer inspired by… HH Holmes.
Looking back at our first four games, there are so many highlights of the series that it can be difficult to pick a favorite. Is Conrad being chased through the rusty corridors of a World War II freighter by a vivid expression of his worst desires and fears? Or the beautiful character design of the demons in Little Hope, once inspired by a cruel, long-forgotten killing? Or maybe it’s the touching relationship between Jason and Salim, arch-enemies who find mutual respect and brotherhood in the bloody caves of monsters? Or is it one of those gruesome and gruesome deaths in The Devil in Me?
For me, the most exciting thing is that we found the audience for these games, and they found us. Cinematic horror with its emphasis on relationships and storytelling is an acquired hobby, but those who enjoy it will love it.
And we love watching our growing community obsessed with fan art, level lists, theoretical romantic character combinations (Jalim, Conbrad, Johngela!), hints which we have freely disseminated through games, fan theories (some of which are terrifying to be exact). Sometimes it seems like the community knows more about our characters and games than we do. They love what we do, and we love them for it.
We’re always looking for ways to improve the Dark Pictures formula. We’ve developed new ways of telling stories, improved the way we capture performance, and improved our art process to make textures and lighting more grounded and realistic.
And with each game we introduced gameplay improvements and tweaks: 3rd people camera, difficulty level, QTE alerts, accessibility options. Improving the quality of life makes it easier and more enjoyable to enjoy the experiences we create.
For The Devil In Me, we’re introducing some significant gameplay improvements.
There’s a host of new exploratory actions – climbing, jumping, smashing, crouching, crawling, climbing and balancing – allowing players to stay more active as they explore the terrifying environments they find themselves in. i have created. Players will also be able to run and explore at their own pace. And when danger comes, they can hide – if they can find somewhere safe.
We also introduce a simple inventory, with tools the characters can use to help them survive the horrors of the murder hotel. Players will be able to use items carried by the crew, but can also find other tools in the environment. And sometimes, those tools can be upgraded, broken, or lost.
And there will be puzzles that cause confusion and confusion for players. Fuse boxes to be rewinded, hidden codes to be found, objects to be moved around to create new paths through the world.
All of this would be encapsulated in a new 7+ hour runtime. One of the things we learned in this journey is that sometimes we benefit from having a little more time with our characters to tell the story we need to tell.
So from The Devil In Me team, we hope you enjoy your stay at the murder hotel. We heard that some rooms will die. We’re proud of what we’ve created and we can’t wait for you to play it.
But before I sign up, I’ll pass things along to the other members of our team to talk about what comes first and what comes next.
“Season 1 of Dark Pictures was an absolute blast. We have the most fun as a sound team figuring out how we can make the sound scene for each game incredibly different and fresh from the others. We had the opportunity to create completely different audio experiences for horror novices and enthusiasts alike, while providing horror sound principles, because the game designs, narrative and subsections are very diverse.
Musically, working closely with Jason Graves, we start with Man of Medan and the full score is ¾ to reflect wave motion; through Little Hope late 17th researchorder New England turn of the century instrument, building an entire soundtrack around choir songs, broken pianos, and abandoned gurds; into House of Ashes switches instruments from orchestra to synths as the story presentation shifts to act 3, timeless connecting wildly disparate universes across the larger story with one high motif degree is like a consistent frightening reminder of an impending threat; and now The Devil In Me, a soundtrack inspired by Bernard Herrmann, mixed with classical and musical pieces by Schubert, Pergolesi and Rossini arranging tragic deaths, all of which are wrapped in a horror twist of fun orchestra.
Authenticity is key, and we’ve ventured to capture the key environments from a sound perspective for every title in the anthology. From steel-hulled military ships, smaller ships that experience the hum of the open sea, to deep forests and more recently a stately home, like the characters in the game, we record all their sounds, doors, switches, footsteps, engines, hull flaps, splashing water and most importantly we promote the spaces so we can reproduce identical to the unique sounds, materials, and reflections of those spaces for all the immersive sound in the game. It was a huge team effort between all the audio sub-divisions, and combining this work with a full spatial sound implementation we were able to deliver an unparalleled surreal cinematic experience.
Using the haptic feedback features on the PS5 controller to immerse players even more in the environments, action, and scares is unbelievable in The Devil In Me. Improved refinement allows us to bring weather, wind and rain closer to the player experience through unique tactile content that makes it feel like you’re really there. We infiltrate the player’s personal space to enhance fear and fear, powering these key areas of horror with carefully timed haptic feedback, playing with power strength, timing and frequency, adding another layer of immersive content to the experience and the subtlety that allows players to distinguish between all the unique tactile cues we’re sending them. “
– Barney Pratt – Sound Director
“As the first season of Dark Pictures Anthology ended, we felt an overwhelming sense of achievement as a studio. We started this series to tell stories – horrible, monstrous stories that wouldn’t budge in our mud. Now that our first four games have entered the land of the living, it’s great to look back and see how they evolved from concept to release. Our talented teams breathe life into our dormant ideas and introduce them to the public. And the public demanded more! We started this journey with eight games in mind, but new stories are piling up faster than ever. As the series’ creative director, I can’t wait to see where we go in season 2 and beyond. We have such attractions to show you. “
– Will Doyle – Creative Director
