The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope

Little Hope proves that the Dark Pictures format isn't a fluke and I'm excited for Supermassive to continue honing its craft. On that note, I love how these games tease forthcoming installments with collectible in-game premonitions. Next up, the seemingly Descent-inspired House of Ashes.

The studio is masterful at producing tension through gameplay as simple as a well-timed button press, and Little Hope is a high-water mark for the studio's technical proficiency. While the story and character work are uncharacteristically lackluster, Little Hope still manages to offer a solid foundation for Supermassive's future.

Uninspired characters and relatively meaningless consequences make Little Hope a bit of a slog.

Little Hope purposely remains a slimmer game than that which birthed this niche for the team, but it manages its time much better than Man of Medan ever did. With a more interesting introduction to the characters, a stronger narrative flow juggling all the movable parts, all against a great semi-historical horror backdrop, this is without a doubt Supermassive's best game since Until Dawn. It's never quite scary, but it's always fun.

Little Hope is inconsistent, like a witch-in-training still learning how to fully weave a spell. It sets up its story well and keeps you guessing, but the execution is lacking. It needs more variety and interesting things for your characters to do. The action comes too late, and by then, you’re already nodding off. However, seeing the fantastic ending makes putting up with those boring moments a little more bearable.

It's Final Destination meets The Crucible, where you're watching yourself die one minute and attending a dimly lit witch trial the next. While it doesn't really expand on Supermassive's experiments in Man of Medan, it's still an entertaining co-op romp and perfectly timed if you're looking for a game to play this Halloween.