Supermassive Games basically cornered the market on "playable horror movies" back in 2015 with Until Dawn. It was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment. But when they moved on to create The Dark Pictures Anthology games, things got a little more complicated. Some people loved the bite-sized format. Others felt like the scares were getting repetitive. Honestly, if you've ever yelled at a character in a movie for going into the basement, these games are your chance to prove you’re smarter. Usually, you’re not. You’ll probably accidentally impale your favorite character because your thumb slipped during a Quick Time Event (QTE). It happens to the best of us.
The series is an ambitious project: eight planned standalone games, each tackling a different horror subgenre. We’ve had four so far in "Season One." You’ve got ghost ships, witch trials, underground monsters, and a serial killer’s murder castle. It’s a lot. But what really makes these games tick isn't just the jump scares. It’s the "Butterfly Effect" math happening under the hood. Every time you're mean to a teammate or miss a button prompt, the game’s branching narrative shifts.
The Dark Pictures Anthology Games: More Than Just Jump Scares
The core of The Dark Pictures Anthology games relies on the Curator. He’s this mysterious, slightly smug British gentleman played by Pip Torrens who sits in a library and judges your failures. He’s the only constant. He knows how the story ends, but he’s not allowed to tell you—unless you press him for hints.
What’s wild about these games is the "Shared Story" mode. Playing horror alone is fine, but playing it with a friend online where you both see different things? That’s where the series shines. In Man of Medan, one player might see a terrifying glamour-girl ghost, while the other player just sees their friend swinging a pipe at thin air. It creates this genuine sense of gaslighting that you just can't get in a single-player experience.
Why Man of Medan Split the Fanbase
Man of Medan was the first entry, and it had a lot of pressure on it. It’s based on the "Ourang Medan" urban legend—a ghost ship found in Dutch East Indies waters where the entire crew died with looks of terror on their faces. The game’s big "twist" is revealed pretty early if you’re paying attention to the environment.
Some players hated this. They wanted real ghosts. But Supermassive was leaning into a specific type of psychological horror. The game is short—you can beat it in about four hours—but it has more branching paths than almost any other entry. Because it's so short, the stakes feel immediate. If you mess up, someone dies, and the credits roll before you’ve even had time to process the grief.
✨ Don't miss: Sex Fallout New Vegas: Why Obsidian’s Writing Still Outshines Modern RPGs
Little Hope and the Problem with Twists
Then came Little Hope. It took us to a foggy, abandoned town with a history of 17th-century witch trials. The atmosphere is thick. The creature designs are arguably the best in the series—each monster is a physical representation of how the historical characters died.
However, Little Hope is also the most controversial of The Dark Pictures Anthology games. Without spoiling the ending, it uses a narrative trope that many gamers find frustrating in a choice-based medium. When you spend five hours trying to save people, you want those lives to "matter" in a literal sense. If the game suggests that your choices were secondary to a mental health metaphor, it can feel like a bit of a letdown. That said, the technical leap in facial animations from the first game to the second was massive. Will Poulter’s performance is genuinely great.
House of Ashes: When the Series Finally Hit Its Stride
If you ask a hardcore fan which game is the best, most will say House of Ashes. It’s different. It feels less like Slasher and more like Aliens or The Descent. You're following a group of US Marines and Iraqi Ground Forces trapped in an underground Sumerian temple during the 2003 Iraq War.
It’s an action-horror hybrid. The "enemy of my enemy is my friend" trope is used perfectly here. You have to decide if a soldier from the opposing side is worth saving. It’s the first time the series felt like it had real weight beyond just "don't get eaten by a monster."
- Difficulty Settings: This was the first game to let you adjust QTE difficulty independently. This was a huge win for accessibility.
- The Camera: They finally ditched the fixed camera angles for a full 360-degree third-person view. It made exploration feel way less clunky.
- Character Arcs: Salim and Jason’s relationship is the emotional peak of the entire anthology so far.
The Devil in Me and the End of Season One
The Devil in Me wrapped up the first season by diving into the world of H.H. Holmes—America's first serial killer. It’s basically a "Saw" movie. You play as a documentary film crew trapped in a "Murder Castle" replica.
🔗 Read more: Why the Disney Infinity Star Wars Starter Pack Still Matters for Collectors in 2026
This entry added new mechanics like a simple inventory system and the ability to run, jump, and crawl. It felt more like a traditional "game" and less like an interactive movie. But it was also the buggiest launch of the four. It’s a trade-off. The puzzles were a nice addition, but they weren't exactly Resident Evil level complexity. They were mostly "push this box here to climb there." Still, the tension of being hunted by a human killer rather than a supernatural force made the stakes feel grounded and nasty.
The Technical Reality of Choice
People often complain that "choices don't matter" in narrative games. In The Dark Pictures Anthology games, that’s technically a lie, but with a caveat. There are "bottleneck" moments. Certain characters have to reach certain points for the plot to function.
However, the state in which they reach those points changes. A character might arrive at the finale terrified and alone, or they might arrive with a weapon and a loyal ally. That changes the ending cinematic entirely. Supermassive uses a "Relationship" and "Traits" system. If you're a jerk to your girlfriend in the first act, she might not help you when you’re hanging off a cliff in the third. It’s subtle, but it’s there.
Common Misconceptions About the Series
A lot of people think you have to play these in order. You don’t. They are completely separate stories. You could start with House of Ashes tomorrow and you wouldn't miss a thing. The only recurring element is the Curator, and he’s more of a framing device than a plot point.
Another mistake is thinking the "Movie Night" mode is just a gimmick. It’s actually the best way to play. You pass the controller around, and each person "owns" a character. It turns a horror game into a social experiment. You find out very quickly which of your friends is a selfish coward and which one will die for the group.
💡 You might also like: Grand Theft Auto Games Timeline: Why the Chronology is a Beautiful Mess
What’s Coming Next: Directive 8020
Season Two is kicking off with Directive 8020. This time, we’re going to space. It looks like it’s leaning heavily into "body horror" and The Thing vibes, where the monsters can mimic the crew. If they pull this off, the "Shared Story" mode will be incredible. Imagine not knowing if the person your friend is playing is actually your friend or a shapeshifting alien.
The developer has also hinted at more "stealth" gameplay. They want to move further away from just watching cutscenes and more toward active survival. Given the feedback from The Devil in Me, expect more complex puzzles and environmental interaction.
How to Actually Keep Everyone Alive
If you’re struggling to get the "Good Ending" in any of these games, here’s the reality: it’s almost always about the QTEs and the "Stay Calm" heartbeat mini-game. If you can’t hit the buttons, people die.
- Don’t always choose the "Action" prompt. Sometimes, doing nothing is the best choice. If the game gives you a prompt to fire a gun into the darkness, maybe don't? You might hit a teammate.
- Explore every corner. The "premonitions" (pictures or tablets you find) show you a possible future death. They are warnings. If you see a character dying by a certain trap, you’ll recognize that trap later and know to avoid it.
- Check the "Bearings" menu. This is the most underrated feature. It tracks the major butterfly effect moments. If you’re confused why a character suddenly hates you, the Bearings menu will tell you exactly which conversation ruined it.
The The Dark Pictures Anthology games aren't perfect. They can be janky, the dialogue is sometimes cheesy, and the pacing can be hit or miss. But there isn’t anything else like them on the market right now. They are high-budget, experimental horror shorts that let you be the director of your own nightmare. Whether you’re looking for a serious horror experience or just a game to laugh at with friends on a Friday night, the anthology has a specific flavor of dread for everyone.
To get the most out of your next playthrough, try playing "Movie Night" mode with a group of four friends and commit to your character's personality traits, even if it leads to a disaster. It makes the inevitable deaths feel like a tragic story you wrote together rather than just a failed game state. Also, keep an eye out for the hidden "Curator's Cut" versions of the games, which often unlock after your first completion—they let you play scenes from a completely different character's perspective, revealing plot holes and new ways to save (or kill) the cast.