CHECKING OUT THE MURDER HOTEL!
It’s very fitting to us that after seeing the first in this collection of horrifying, interactive drama survival games make its debut at Gamescom 2018 with Man of Medan, we then got to experience hands-on the final chapter in Part One of the Anthology with The Devil In Me at Gamescom 2022!
From the moment we felt the fear on deck way back when, to last week’s short stay at The Murder Hotel, we knew we’d be hooked on this range of offerings from Supermassive Games. The team of course behind 2015 horror classic ‘Until Dawn’ were never going to let any of us down when it came to choice-based terror… And true to form with the previous 3 releases in Part One, The Devil In Me ticks the boxes in eerily strong fashion.
Firstly we’d like to thank our friends at Bandai Namco Entertainment for providing us with the fast pass to play the game! We’d also like to extend an apology to the (many) disgruntled fans of the series that we walked past to get to the front of the queue. A special mention to the guy that said “yeah, you’re really sorry”… Honestly, we were!
Now that our apologies are out of the way, let us get down to the nitty gritty and tell you about our experience in-game…
If you’re familiar with The Dark Pictures titles then you need no introduction to how they play. This sounds like we’re saying “it’s just more of the same” and whilst that may be true, that is by no means a negative slant! The consistently strong pacing is unshakable, and the life or death (sometimes death or death) choices that leave you feeling genuinely responsible for a friend’s untimely demise, is as raw a feeling now as it was in 2018.
I found myself playing as Jamie, one of a group of documentary film makers that have been invited to a modern replica of H.H. Holmes’ infamous Murder Hotel. A real-life serial killer from the 1800s and a wild one at that. If you’ve seen the initial trailer for this release then you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when I say the story feels scarily like a SAW movie! From the off I felt like I was indeed playing a game in which there are no rules, only death… And that quickly became apparent.
Wandering the abandoned halls, climbing over strewn objects, shimmying across tiny ledges and jumping gaps with nothing but a torch for guidance, all felt like a familiar yet shuddering experience. Cut-scenes playing in between my movements showed a dark figure in the shadows, watching my every decision and revealing the evil behind this whole gruesome setup… Again I revert back to my SAW link and how it felt influential in this story.
True to form, jump scares are never far away! I found myself stepping backwards in a painfully uncool manner when a mannequin in front of me was sharply pulled into a vent by chains. The headset I was wearing really played it’s role of scaring me half to death brilliantly. Nice one, headset. I’d have thrown you if you were mine.
(I wasn’t allowed to take photos in here so this is the only one I managed to get! Sorry, Bandai!)
Continuing my move through this not-so-fun house of fun, examining clues, getting separated from other characters by collapsing floors, finding keys, and shuffling bravely in the dark, all lead me to the climax of this gameplay demo. Two compressed chambers with my friends, Erin and Kate, stuck inside side-by-side… Of course, the oxygen supply began to seize. Of course, I had to choose. Sorry, Erin. It wasn’t personal. Truth be told I didn’t even mean to choose you to die. But as she spluttered, coughed her guts up and faded away in front of my eyes, she wrote a clue in her own blood on the window:
“NOT PENNY’S BOAT”
If you’re not a LOST fan then this will instead be lost on you. It’s also of course NOT what she wrote, but we won’t spoil things for you too much!
Here is a *SPOILER ALERT* however… My colleague who played at the station behind me later informed that he chose to save Kate instead. This in turn saved Erin too… I say it again… Sorry, Erin. I barely even knew you.
Feast your eyes on the Gamescom Trailer above for The Devil In Me and don’t just take our word for it… Whilst its the last in Part One of The Dark Pictures Anthology, it’s by no means least.
Pre-order on all formats ahead of its launch on 18th November, right here at The Game Collection!
Fans of the SAW franchise and The Dark Pictures alike will all find themselves saying “Yes, I want to play a game.”
-Jack
