You’re walking through the rusted, skeletal remains of the Cedar Steel Mill, and the air just feels wrong. It’s heavy. If you’ve spent any time in the Dead by Daylight Fog, you know that feeling of being hunted, but The Casting of Frank Stone does something different. It takes the frantic, heart-pounding loop of a multiplayer slasher and slows it down into a suffocating, narrative-driven nightmare. Honestly, it’s about time we got a proper look at the lore behind the Entity without a flashlight-clicking Survivor ruining the immersion.
Supermassive Games, the folks who basically perfected the "playable horror movie" genre with Until Dawn, took the reins on this one. It’s a weird, ambitious crossover. You aren't just fixing generators here. You’re navigating a multi-timeline slasher flick where your choices actually dictate who ends up on a meat hook. It’s grisly. It’s nostalgic. It’s kind of a love letter to 80s horror fans who grew up on grainy VHS tapes and urban legends.
Why The Casting of Frank Stone Isn't Just Another Slasher
Most people expected a reskinned Dead by Daylight game. That’s not what this is. This is a cinematic adventure where the horror comes from the weight of your own mistakes. Set in Cedar Hills, Oregon, the story splits its time between a group of amateur filmmakers in 1980 and a modern-day gathering at Gerant Manor. The link? A brutal killer named Frank Stone whose legacy refused to stay buried in the steel mill.
The game uses the "Minder" system, which is essentially a more brutal version of the butterfly effect. In some games, a bad choice means a character gets a "game over" screen. Here, a bad choice means that character is dead for the rest of your playthrough, and the story just... keeps going without them. It's cold. It makes you second-guess every dialogue prompt because you never know when a simple "sarcastic" remark will lead to someone losing a limb later.
The Mechanics of Dread
Supermassive kept some DNA from their previous titles, but they added Dead by Daylight flavor. You’ve got Skill Checks. If you’ve played DBD, your muscle memory will kick in, but the stakes feel higher when it’s a narrative beat rather than just a generator kick. There’s also the "Camera" mechanic. Using an 8mm camera to spot supernatural phenomena is a direct nod to Fatal Frame, but it feels grounded in the 1980s setting.
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The pacing is deliberate. Some might even call it slow. But that slowness builds a layer of tension that a 10-minute multiplayer match can't touch. You’re exploring the environment, finding "Trinkets" (which are nods to DBD's Add-ons and Perks), and piecing together why Frank Stone became the monster he is.
Understanding the Multiverse and The Entity
One of the biggest hurdles for players is the timeline hopping. The Casting of Frank Stone leans heavily into the idea of the Multiverse, which is core to the Dead by Daylight lore but rarely explored in-game. You aren't just seeing the past; you're seeing how the past ripples into different versions of reality.
The Entity—the cosmic, spider-like horror from the main game—is the puppet master here. It feeds on emotion, specifically hope and despair. By putting these teenagers in a "cinematic" loop, the Entity is basically "casting" its next great tragedy. This meta-commentary is brilliant. It positions Frank Stone not just as a killer, but as a candidate for the Entity's eternal trials.
The Cast You're Trying to Keep Alive
You’ve got Linda, Chris, Sam, and Robert. They're tropes, sure, but they’re well-realized tropes.
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- Chris is the visionary director who’s a little too obsessed with her film, Murder Mill.
- Linda is the practical one, though her older self in the 2024 timeline is hardened and clearly traumatized.
- Sam is the law enforcement figure trying to keep a lid on the supernatural rot.
The performances are top-tier. Motion capture has come a long way, and the micro-expressions during the more tense scenes make the "uncanny valley" feeling almost disappear. When Frank Stone finally appears in his full, metallic glory, the physical presence is terrifying. He doesn't run. He just looms.
The Brutal Reality of the Endings
There isn't one "true" ending. That’s the beauty of it. Depending on who lives and who dies, the final confrontation at the manor changes significantly. Some endings feel like a total "victory" (as much as you can win in a horror game), while others are bleak, nihilistic, and very much in line with the Dead by Daylight universe.
If you mess up, you can use the "Cutting Room Floor." This is a feature that unlocks after your first playthrough (or is available immediately if you bought the Deluxe Edition). It lets you jump back to specific branching points to see what would happen if you chose a different path. It's a godsend for completionists who don't want to sit through the first two hours of setup just to change one late-game decision.
Connecting the Dots to Dead by Daylight
If you play the main DBD game, you probably noticed the rewards. Getting the "Stone Mask" for the Trapper or the "Murder Mill" shirt for survivors is a nice touch, but the real reward is the lore. We finally see how an "Origin Story" for a Killer works outside of a short text blurb in a menu. Frank Stone represents the transition from a human psychopath to a supernatural tool of the Entity.
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The steel mill itself acts as a character. The level design is claustrophobic. You’ll find yourself squeezing through gaps and navigating catwalks that feel like they’re one rusted bolt away from collapsing. It captures that 1980s industrial decay perfectly.
Actionable Tips for Your First Playthrough
If you’re about to jump in, don’t play it like a generic action game. Treat it like a high-stakes puzzle where the pieces are made of glass.
- Don't rush the QTEs. The Skill Checks are sensitive. If you're nervous, check the accessibility settings; there are options to make them more manageable if you're just there for the story.
- Explore every corner of the mill. The collectibles aren't just for trophies. They provide context for the 2024 timeline. If you miss a note in 1980, a conversation in the future might not make sense.
- Trust no one, but stay together. Splitting the party is a horror trope for a reason—it gets people killed. In this game, keeping the group's relationship bars high actually unlocks better dialogue options that can save lives.
- Pay attention to the 8mm camera. When the screen starts to flicker or the audio warps, pull that camera out. It’s your only real "weapon" against the supernatural elements of Frank Stone's influence.
- Look for the Relics. These are the key to understanding the Entity's involvement. They look like weird, pulsating artifacts. Finding them all reveals a secret ending that ties the game directly into the wider "Fog" lore.
The Casting of Frank Stone is a slow burn that rewards patience. It’s not about the kill count; it’s about the cost of curiosity. Whether you’re a hardened DBD veteran or someone who just likes a good scary story, Cedar Hills has a lot of secrets to give up, provided you’re willing to bleed for them.
To get the most out of your experience, play through your first time without using the "Cutting Room Floor" feature. Let your mistakes stand. The horror is much more effective when you have to live with the fact that your hesitation cost a character their life. Once the credits roll, then go back and try to save everyone—or see how much worse things can actually get.