Supermassive Games, the studio responsible for narrative-driven horror game Until Dawn and several of my nightmares, has revealed a new horror anthology series called The Dark Pictures.
Supermassive has partnered with Bandai Namco for the series which will come to multiple platforms including PC. The first standalone episode, titled Man of Medan will launch in 2019.
Much like Until Dawn, Man of Medan looks like it will play on common tropes of horror movies, as you step into the shoes of a group of teens who head out to sea to find the remains of a sunken WWII plane. Of course, there will be spooky consequences for these actions, as foreshadowed by the ship’s captain in the reveal trailer.
Players will be able to play through the story with each of the five main characters, with branching storylines and multiple endings for each one.
“We are incredibly excited to announce the Dark Pictures Anthology and the first game in the series – Man of Medan,” Pete Samuels, CEO and executive producer at Supermassive Games says. “With each title being a standalone game, we have the opportunity to create a unique horror experience every time.”
Although each entry to this series will be a standalone game, the fact that they are referred to as episodes suggests that they will be shorter experiences, perhaps akin to Telltale’s episodic fare. You may also spot a familiar face or two in the trailer- most notably Shawn Ashmore, who appears to have been trapped in the Uncanny Valley since portraying Jack Joyce in Remedy Games’ Quantum Break. He was also Iceman in the X-Men movies.
I advise hiding behind a couch when viewing the reveal trailer:
The idea of bringing the horror anthology to gaming is a uniquely cool idea, and is clearly inspired by the likes of The Twilight Zone and Tales of the Crypt. Perhaps we could even see cast members, such as Ashmore, returning in different roles for future episodes ala American Horror Story?
It emerged yesterday that Supermassive Games had trademarked ‘The Dark Pictures’ and ‘Man of Medan’, along with ‘Shattered State’ and ‘Little Hope’. It’s fair to assume that these will be future episodes in the series.