Are we thrusting aspersions upon others or setting up for a movie? In the cleverly titled The Casting of Frank Stone, players enjoy a wholesome romp of serial murder, the occult, and movie magic. Supermassive Games is a veteran studio to this style of storytelling and gameplay, and one would think making a well-optimized, graphically intensive game. With hits like The Quarry and Until Dawn under its belt, I was frothing at the prospect of a Dead by Daylight collaboration with Behaviour Interactive.
In classic horror movie fashion, we follow a band of teenagers who just want to make a movie at a tetanus factory. Wouldn’t ya know it, that darn sheriff with a tragic past keeps getting in the way. What follows is an opportunity to create art that inspires others through blood, sweat, and tears.
The Casting of Frank Stone’s storytelling weaves between characters a touch erratically, without one character claiming focus. Similarly, timelines shift between the present and the past, usually as a flashback from the present to said past. One part horror and three parts mystery, we’re never really sure where the game will land, but one thing’s for certain: The Casting of Frank Stone is a slow excursion that some might find to be a slog.
But not this reviewer. I’ve mentioned it in reviews past, but as long as the story goes somewhere satisfying and the characters keep me invested in them, I don’t mind a slow burn. Others, however, do not care for a horror game with less visuals and more plot. I let myself get scared and enjoy immersing myself in horror titles, but even I was only a touch uneasy—and only sometimes. All that said, I enjoyed the characters who aren’t going to win any awards but are likable and relatable enough to keep me concerned for their well-being.
The crew doesn’t fall into tired archetypes, which is refreshing in a horror story, but don’t expect anyone you can point to and say, “Them! That’s my guy and/or girl!” As a unit, the teens work well together to create a believable ensemble that doesn’t fall prey to tropes, as horror titles are wont to do. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the villains, who are more vehicles for the plot.
In classic modern storytelling fashion, expect branching paths that are usually binary, but eventually spider off into multiple possibilities that converge on the same point. One look at the timeline reveals that choices matter a tad, but not in the grandiose way players may hope for. An initial playthrough will likely be enough for most players, but others will want to explore everything the game has to offer.
Unfortunately, traversing the game is cripplingly slow, with the steel mill being a frequent, tired area to explore. Forget a trinket? Enjoy rummaging around a dilapidated maze of steel. Or sewers. Good settings for horror? Sure. Good settings for a game? Eh. Not only are these areas uninspired, but the act of getting around is cumbersome to the point where I had to adjust myself in my seat, I was growing so impatient. I realize that in a horror game, allowing characters to sprint all over the place kills the mood, but at least give me something to look at.
What doesn’t help are the technical issues. This game runs like mud, which is odd, because The Quarry, Supermassive Games’ recent success, ran like a dream for me. I fussed with all sorts of settings in The Casting of Frank Stone, yet nothing smoothed gameplay for me. Turning my character, climbing over stuff, and just getting to menus felt like it had a second and a half delay. After a while, I became accustomed to the annoying controls, but it took an hour or two to get there. By the end, I stopped even noticing it.
The technical issues didn’t stop there. Almost every time I opened the game, I had to fiddle with the options just to get the game onto the correct monitor with the proper resolution, but even then, the game fought with me. I’d switch the monitor it was displayed on, which worked fine, but when I changed the resolution, it flipped back to the incorrect monitor. Every time I loaded up the game, I spent nearly five minutes just getting the settings right.
And then there’s saving. At this point, we all understand that a little white spinning something at the bottom corner means the game auto-saves. Not the case here. After two attempts to pick up where I left off mid-chapter, I had to retrace about ten minutes of gameplay. This wasn’t the end of the world, but knowing I’d have to complete the same content through a dark, rusty, cavernous hunk of failed capitalism didn’t excite me. While not entirely convenient, I eventually learned just to wait until I finished a chapter before closing the game, which worked out fine.
Probably the best part about The Casting of Frank Stone is the voice talent. Every line is delivered capably, authentically, and realistically, including moments of B-movie filming. Similarly, the visuals not only delight with detail in all environments, but the animations from each character breathe life into what could otherwise be a husk with a flapping mouth. If there’s anything Supermassive Games knows, it’s direction and acting. Expect exciting camera angles as well, though sometimes these can feel deceitful since nothing is really peering around a corner or from behind a shelf.
Now, the tie-in to the Dead by Daylight universe is light, but meaningful. Sound effects, visuals, and references lie in wait all over the place, and tastefully so. This is by no means a game that requires prior Dead by Daylight experience or knowledge: it very much stands on its own without context; however, naturally, Dead by Daylight fans will get a little something extra out of the game. If Behaviour Interactive did more collaborations like this, I’d be overjoyed to see what they come up with next.
If you love Supermassive Games’ work, you’ll feel right at home with The Casting of Frank Stone, technical issues aside. For the uninitiated, expect to run around areas finding nick-nacks to read or look at and the occasional binary dialogue choice. Creepy at times, but fascinating throughout, I enjoyed my foray into Frank Stone’s debut. All I gotta do now is play Until Dawn’s remaster.
