Supermassive Games have made a huge name for themselves, their proper coming of age happened with their unique choice-based cinematic horror game way back in 2015, Until Dawn. Until Dawn made people aware of a studio committed to making great games, with almost film-like writing, amazing graphics and visuals, and a cast that made their gripping horror narrative a spectacle to behold.
Out comes their second game, the first in the Dark Pictures anthology, Man of Medan. Man of Medan was a good game, maybe even a great game, but it did leave a lot to be desired, and the ending wasn’t something that was too fun to find out about, it was more of a fun spoiler if anything.
It was sort of like that theory about Harry Potter, that at the end he would wake up in his room at the bottom of the stairs and realize Hogwarts was entirely a dream.
Plot
The Dark Pictures Anthology Series’ main focus is to dive deep into different sub-genres of horror, with Little Hope they are focusing on a horror game based around Lovecraftian-themed horror but in America.
The main plot can be summarized as follows: A group of college students is on their way to a field trip in Massachusetts. As their bus comes to a halt, so does their journey through modern-day America, as the four students and their teacher find themselves in the fictional New England town of Little Hope, where ancient horrors have awoken to welcome them into their depths.
The Lovecraftian feel is further amplified by Little Hope’s themes of greed, paranoia, and fanaticism. The game is also heavily based around the Salem Witch trials, and a lot of pop culture has been taken as inspiration such as The Blair Witch Project, It Follows, and even the Silent Hill games. Who doesn’t love some good witch horror?
What You See Is Real
Man of Medan had left many Supermassive Games fans a bit confused by their creative choices since in the end of that game it is revealed that there were no supernatural happenings going around, but instead a hallucinogenic that made everyone around the player-controlled character feel like monsters.
Little Hope, however, is different in that it deals with actual monsters and terrors. No more of that hallucinogenic crap. This time around, your characters are in real danger and the danger is not themselves or their mind.
With a lot of real, gothic monsters to go up against and a terrifying setting, Little Hope must feel like a huge step up from Man of Medan already, not to mention that there are witches.
Exploration
Supermassive Games are known to produce games that are intricately-designed cinematic experiences, which means that the areas in the games are usually super narrow hallways with not much to explore or do, are either there to be part of larger set pieces or places to create an eerie atmosphere, with the occasional collectible memory or two laying around in one of these smaller areas that you can explore.
This format, however, is changed with Little Hope. With larger areas to explore and a bigger world in general, the game brings new avenues to exploration and movement. The areas in Little Hope are much larger in comparison to the corridors and areas in previous games, with large empty roads and open countryside areas, the game has definitely kicked it up a notch in size and scale.
Cast
Supermassive Games have always had a knack for creating great characters; this is further elevated by the incredible cast of actors and voice actors that they get for their games. In Until Dawn, they showcased this by having Oscar winner Rami Malek in their game in a pivotal role, Man of Medan in this same fashion cast Shawn Ashmore who previously worked in Remedy’s Quantum Break and played Iceman in Fox’s X-Men series.
This time around as well, they are not falling short. Pip Torrens will return as the Curator, and the game’s main story is led by Will Poulter, who plays Andrew, the pivotal character of the game. Poulter is previously known for films such as The Revenant, Maze Runner, Midsommar, and Black Mirror Bandersnatch.
Along with Will Poulter, the rest of the characters are played by some recognizable faces in the industry as well, such as Angela played by Ellen David, Taylor played by Caitlyn Sponheimer, and Daniel played by Kyle Bailey.
This ensemble is great and is definitely a fresh group of well-known and talented actors to be in a Supermassive game, and in true Supermassive fashion, these characters will duke it out against every horrifying thing that is thrown at them with your help.
Multiplayer
Man of Medan did a lot of things wrong, but one thing it got right was its multiplayer, where each person in the multiplayer lobby could control one character out of the ensemble. This was actually inspired by a lot of people playing Until Dawn as a makeshift couch co-op game, where a bunch of people would sit together and treat the game like a movie, each person picks a character and you take your turn on the controller when your character shows up in the game.
This was part of what made the game a huge hit, as streamers and YouTubers around the world were doing this with their friends and it made for a really fun experience.
Little Hope is implementing the same two multiplayer modes that were introduced in Man of Medan. The Shared Story Mode has two players play through the story of the game together through online co-op gameplay, which makes for some exciting character engagements and decisions, especially when the stories intertwine.
The Movie Night mode, however, is couch co-op for up to five players, where each of the five players selects a character and the game throws a prompt occasionally to let you know that your time playing is up and it’s time for you to watch as your buddy helms the wheel.
The multiplayer is a solid addition to the experience, and the way it’s developed, it’s best when played with a group of friends.
All in all, Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope is a game that is a huge improvement from its Dark Pictures counterpart, Man of Medan. The game tweaks the weaknesses and adds in new features subtly as to not be too obvious to the masses, which makes this a must-play experience for all of Supermassive Games fans around the world.