The Casting of Frank Stone Preview (PC) – Entering The Fog
I don’t think it is any surprise that the team are absolutely stoked to be experiencing the giants that are Supermassive Games (SMG) and Behaviour Interactive teaming up. I am not even sure that we ever expected this kind of duo to duo, but here we are. At last, The Casting of Frank Stone is now available for preview.
It’s always a tricky avenue to create something that expands on a well loved (or love to hate?) franchise such as Dead by Daylight. They have just recently finished their eighth anniversary celebration over on the original game, so this is a world packed with a lot of lore and beloved characters. How does Frank Stone meet the mark?
The preview allows us to take a peak into the storyline that Supermassive have conjured up within the world of DBD. It’s assumed that this preview is the start of the game we’ll end up playing on September 3rd but I never know what to expect with Supermassive. I wonder if actually this particular segment is playing on the notion of a different time than where the main game takes place. Perhaps one that will eventually be revisited?
In these scenes, you assume the role of Officer Sam Green, a policeman investigating the disappearance of a child. Your journey begins at the Steel Mill and fellow DBD fans will immediately recognise this as it is one of the levels that you can be sent to within OG DBD.
A Policeman’s Knock
My initial feel was one where it didn’t have that same Supermassive feel to it. Perhaps that was because maybe I am one character and many SMG games start with big ensembles with big personalities to get used to immediately. This is also following a different recipe, one where the audience will have expectations and opinions above and beyond the usual SMG standard of games. Many players know this world in a great depth and breadth, so SMG have a fine balance of imagination vs already known lore. It will be interesting to see how that balance plays out in the full game.
I have no doubt the introduction of big personalities will come in time within Frank Stone, but immediately Sam Green dons a stoic persona. You meet Tom Holt, a worker at the mill who you want to question in regards to the disappearance of a child and in true SMG fashion, you can be a concerned, assertive cop, or a complete flipping asshole.
There are of course elements that stay true to SMG style. As a player I am always urged to play the moral compass of good – to execute actions as I would like to think I too would choose. I completed two playthroughs, and something that SMG do very well, is rewarding the player for taking risks. I found out more information, and had much more dialogue the second time, when I played my ‘Hey buddy, cut the shit’ bravado, than I did my cute ‘I am a sensitive concerned officer and I would like to search your fine saw mill establishment thank you please’.
It goes without saying that playing true asshole 100% will get you killed and will eventually affect your relationships in a way that isn’t advantageous to you. An element you can start to see slowly make way when discovering the various menus keeping track of your exploration. As with previous entries, your relationships are marked, the choices you make that have a difference are logged and there are trinkets to collect among the way. As this is not a Dark Anthology pictures set-piece, we are without a curator, at least in the preview. However, that is not to say that certain elements of how the curator narrates or how collecting trinkets and relics may come into play during the full game.
Hooked on You
Along my playthrough I noticed many exciting Easter Eggs for DBD. Quick time events are completed by successfully hitting a skill check as you would in DBD. There are some audio cues that have carried over, such as picking up items, skill check noises and I even found a Hillbilly doll laying on the floor in a damp tunnel (where he belongs, may I add). It was a small but exciting thrill to come across these tidbits of DBD charm and I look forward to seeing how further elements of the game are interweaved within The Casting of Frank Stone.
The visuals are also very crisp. Lighting sets the scene for an atmosphere full of unease and trepidation. The character models including the dog are clean and crafted well. What really struck me throughout my gameplay and whilst streaming was the need for everyone watching to hear the foley and ambient audio. The dripping of water, creaking of steel, crackling of fire, squelch of water and blood all exposed a scene full of unease.
This heightened my senses whilst playing and enhanced the immersion throughout each of my 45 minute playthroughs. The last few minutes of the preview ups the ante in action, mystery and story. Coming face to face with Frank Stone himself in a bloody altercation, and leaving us on the edge of our seats on what the closing curtain of the scene means for the rest of your adventure.
Whilst I am yet to see much from the release trailer, this all the more excites me to see what The Casting of Frank Stone has to offer. How the world of DBD will be further expanded and a new story will unfold, and answer the question on all of our minds… Who the hell is Frank Stone?
The Casting of Frank Stone will be available on PC (preview platform), PS5 and Xbox Series S/X platforms with a release date of September 3rd 2024.
Developer: Supermassive Games
Publisher: Behaviour Interactive
Disclaimer: In order to complete this preview, we were provided with a promotional preview build of the game.
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