For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a fan of the “Horror” movie genre. I grew up in a time when the sub-category of “Slasher” films were the norm – a genre that created my favorite horror movie series in Wes Craven’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street”. But when it came to horror/survival horror video games, I was less than enthralled – though I did enjoy the first four “Resident Evil” games (all for different reasons) and “Silent Hill 2” proved to be one of the greatest feats in creating true suspense and terror digitally. Then came SuperMassive Games’ “Until Dawn” – a choose-your-own adventure featuring a group of friends stranded in the woods during the coldest of winters with the natural & supernatural attempting to kill them all.
“Until Dawn” proved to be a harrowing experience with a narrative that embraced player choices, impressive graphics, and a gameplay style that could only be called “less than fluid”. Following a VR spin-off and prequel to “Until Dawn”, the developers went back to the drawing board in regards to the gameplay, but not so much the story for its first offering in “The Dark Pictures Anthology”, “Man of Medan”. While not as revolutionary or memorable as its predecessor, “Man of Medan” seemed to be the beginning of an escalating series of better installments to come. Going from the high seas to a fog-filled New England town, I was intrigued to see if “Little Hope” could capitalize on the promise of “Man of Medan”.
Did I Complete “The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope”?
Like its predecessor, “Little Hope” gives gamers the ability to control five different characters during various sequences as the protagonists intended school trip is interrupted by a bus crush where the driver mysteriously vanishes. It doesn’t take long before a majority of the game’s mechanics are introduced from character movement, to object interaction, to performing story-defining choices & quick-time events. “Man of Medan’s” choice-based “Bearings” system returns – this game’s version of “Until Dawn’s” “Butterfly Effect” – as well as character traits like Andrew (Will Poulter) going from “Anxious” to “Reliable”.
“Bearings” track the choices that change the overall story and determine who lives or dies; adding a sense of replayability as the gamer will probably question the decisions made during certain scenes. In an effort to see how well my decision making would help a group of peers survive such a horrific scenario, my initial playthrough saw me go in cold – no tips, guides or walkthroughs that would help me make the best decisions and understand what to do and where to go during certain situations. My second playthrough utilized the game’s “Movie Night” mode where I played with a friend locally, passing the controller back & forth when it was time to play as the characters we chose at the game’s start. Both playthroughs lasted around three to four hours each. In addition to local co-op, friends can play together online with a big difference in presentation as the person watching someone else play aren’t able to see the choices of their friend; setting the stage for some backstabbing moments or detrimental decisions. Considering the game’s length I plan on going back to attain all the collectibles, kill off all the characters (I was able to save everyone during my second playthrough), and discover all the secrets of “Little Hope” – something that should take another ten or so hours.
Did “The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope” Live Up to the Hype?
Considering how well received “Until Dawn” was, SuperMassive Games wisely stuck with “Until Dawn’s” presentation style while providing a different environment, characters, and a shorter run-time in regards to “Man of Medan”. That mindset of being a more digestible horror experience compared to “Until Dawn” returns with “Little Hope”. The player has the ability to slowly move a character around even if the player is holding down the “Walk Faster” button, interact with certain objects & people with the touch of a button and stare at the pause screen featuring the faces of whoever is being utilized to advance the story (and the sheer terror that envelops them as the game progresses). Unlike “Until Dawn”, there are no shooting segments, though melee attacks pop up from time to time in the form of quick-time events. QTEs are a lot more lenient compared to “Man of Medan” with an animation warning appearing on the screen before the button necessary to hit is revealed. The heart monitor QTE returns as well, switching between one of two assigned buttons at a time. One new edition in regards to QTEs is character switching. During certain moments the camera will change perspectives to continue a one-shot QTE that proves harrowing every time its utilized – a perfect way to heighten the sense of dread when something potentially catastrophic could occur.
The choices presented in the game range from obvious & straightforward to redundant & vague. There are moments such as opting to drink a beer that appear trivial, but the reaction will make anyone question whether or not performing the action actually means something in the grander scheme. Thankfully, “Little Hope” goes out of its way to inform the player when something important happens. Depending on the decision made during a particular choice, a notification will appear so the player can tap a button and read the result in the menu. This becomes very helpful for future playthroughs that can reach upwards of four hours depending on how many people the player can keep alive for the game’s majority. Unfortunately the characters aren’t as memorable compared to their “Until Dawn” counterparts; having rather fluctuating personalities beyond their initial presentations including Andrew temporarily suffering from amnesia and Daniel & Taylor have some type of romantic relationship that isn’t as fleshed out as the ones seen in “Until Dawn”. Sadly, death is usually not an option as it takes a lot of mistakes for the characters to die until the game’s final chapter – something that wasn’t an issue in either “Until Dawn” or “Man of Medan”.
The co-op options are where it’s at when playing “Little Hope”. Having quick discussions or arguments over terrible potential choices made can make for a memorable experience during “Movie Night” mode. “Shared Story” mode actually adds to the story when playing online with a friend as certain moments are actually solely connected to “Shared Story”. Not only that, but “Shared Story” mode hides the decisions of the other player that could too change the fate of an entire playthrough. The plethora of collectibles from “Man of Medan” return here including pieces of information that adds to the game’s lore and special pictures that potentially reveal the fates of certain characters.
The plot is greatly improved from “Man of Medan” with various time jumps focusing on five characters that have doppelgangers no matter the time period including during the time of witch trials that was a staple in Little Hope’s history. Sadly the spooks & scary moments are few & far between with jump scares not being effective as they prove too predictable. The story’s most horrific moments (beyond the stilted voice acting & hyper-animated lip movement) come from the town’s history and less about the situations plaguing the lead characters including the choices made that should greatly dictate the end results. By focusing on a ghost town filled with fog, a lot of “Little Hope” is muted in terms of color presentation compared to its predecessors; which is surprising considering “Until Dawn” had similar environment issues in regards to lighting & colors and did a much better job there than here. The creepy atmosphere fades away mostly thanks to the lacking sound. While silence is a great tool for horror experiences, after two to three hours of just hearing footsteps without even a few conflicting noises like rustling leaves or growling in the distance just makes the journey feel audibly hollow.
While not the stronger successor expected coming from “Man of Medan”, “Little Hope” is a solid horror experience stilted by lacking scares, choices that don’t make significant differences until the game’s finale, and some dated mechanics.
Should You Play “The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope”?
Though “Little Hope” has some glaring issues technically, it still makes for an enjoyable experience mostly thanks to being able to play with friends. People who enjoyed “Until Dawn” will more than likely find themselves quite pleased with what comes from “Little Hope” – especially compared to “Man of Medan” – but may not feel compelled to play through the game a second or third time; making this a perfect rental or something to pick up when its on sale for half the price at least. For those who didn’t care for “Until Dawn” or similar games such as “Detroit: Become Human” or the Telltale Games experiences this won’t change anyone’s perception of what the genre can provide especially when the scariest moment of this game is someone not knowing how to handle a gun when confronted by ghost.
