The futility of hope versus the possibility of freedom. That's pretty much the ethos of Dead by Daylight, Behaviour Interactive's asymmetrical horror game that pits brave survivors against bloodthirsty killers. Whether you live or die in The Entity's realm, we all end up in the same place: sitting around the campfire, awaiting the next trial as a nearby monster watches from the shadows. The illusion of victory is a proverbial carrot-and-stick, keeping us players stuck in an eternal loop of servitude and sacrifice to an unseen, unforgiving master – and The Casting of Frank Stone makes that truth all too plain.
It's part of what has me so conflicted. As an ardent follower of both studios, I still don't know whether I actually enjoyed Supermassive's latest. The Casting of Frank Stone's fatalistic ending feels like a poignant comment on Dead by Daylight, one that won't be lost on any Behaviour fan seeing their favorite game in a brand new light. But in making that comment, the harsh reality of Dead by Daylight extinguishes the heartening spirit of a Supermassive game – and that, in turn, has me utterly dejected. Confused? Yeah, me too.
All hope is gone?
I'm going to let you in on a bleak little secret. For all the overlapping narratives that Supermassive weaves together in this 8-hour cinematic thriller, deftly combing through the lore of Dead by Daylight and adding a Dark Pictures-esque twist, The Casting of Frank Stone ends the same no matter who survives the final fight.
It's disheartening to say the least. Reaching the campfire as Linda, Sam, Stan, Chris or Madi – or any combination of the five – sees them sitting around the campfire, staring into the dancing flames. Silhouetted figures sit nearby, whom eagle-eyed Dead by Daylight players will recognize as staple base game survivors Dwight and Meg respectively. After a brief last-minute flap for urgency, your remaining cast members soon face facts. No matter what, The Entity has been freed. There is no escape, and there was no way to stop Augustine Lieber from freeing the ancient evil that has now claimed this reality for its own. As Frank Stone's hulking form watches from a distance, mirroring the Dead by Daylight loadout screens, it becomes clear that any survivors are trapped here forever, doomed to partake in trials as long as the Entity sees fit. Escape never really mattered. Nor was it even possible.
As a Dead by Daylight player, this moment of realization strikes me as profound. I never did take a moment to think about the cyclicality of the game itself. Whether you win or lose, or no matter how gruesome an end your character faces, their minds will be wiped and they will be sent back to the campfire for yet another futile dash for freedom. But that futility defeats the whole point of playing Until Dawn, The Quarry, or The Dark Pictures Anthology. The flicker of freedom might be dim at times in any of Supermassive's other games, but it's a flicker all the same. Knowing that your choices impact whether the ensemble cast lives or dies is vital, keeping that shadow of a promise constantly in your periphery and stoking that survival instinct. In Frank Stone, though, death seems the only real release.
The reality of Dead by Daylight extinguishes the heartening spirit of a Supermassive game – and that has me utterly dejected.
Frank Stone takes place in Dead by Daylight's universe, and that means there are harsh new rules at play. Anyone who dies before the final battle actually saves themselves an eternal torment, having escaped the mortal coil before The Entity arrives to break it entirely and prey upon their human drive to survive. As a consequence, this is the only Supermassive game where freedom is no longer a possibility but a total fantasy, and actively feeds its ultimate big bad. Like I said: bleak, yet poignant.
But where does that leave Supermassive fans who came to this game with no knowledge of Behaviour or its horror asym? Up until the shock ending twist, I would have actually said that the Dead by Daylight of it all is of little consequence. Frank Stone is a timeline-bending narrative adventure that patiently explains its most intricate story beats, from the origins of The Entity to exactly how its web of entrapment works as a self-contained multiverse. With exception of the adorable Dead by Daylight doll and trinket collectibles and quick-time skill checks aplenty, all this intertextuality never comes off as deliberately confusing. But by removing all chance of a happy ending, I can imagine some non-Dead by Daylight players will be feeling more than a little bit cheated out of their unhappily ever after – especially because that ending felt entirely directed at Dead by Daylight fans one and all.
That being said, the unfulfilling ending says more about Dead by Daylight than it does Supermassive. Frank Stone is not the new normal, but an exciting and unusual example of how Supermassive's format can be applied to cross-studio collaborations, surprising long-time fans even now. With the list of upcoming horror games promising the Until Dawn remake and Directive 8020 next, I'm excited for some classic Supermassive horror stories to reignite my own will to carry on. For now, though, I'll be having an existential crisis.
Go against insurmountable odds in the best survival horror games, from Resident Evil 4 to Alan Wake 2.
