Summary
The Casting of Frank Stoneis shaping up to be one of the year’s most anticipated horror titles. Co-developed by Behaviour Interactive and Supermassive Games, the title is set to deliver a terrifying branching narrative set within theDead by Daylightuniverse. Following a range of gameplay and story reveals earlier this year,The Casting of Frank Stonereleased a features trailerat Gamescom 2024, detailing its new and unique mechanics. While the title was already confirmed to feature a host of the developer’s trademark interactive storytelling mechanics, this latest trailer reveals thatThe Casting of Frank Stone is building on the classic Supermassive formula.
The Casting of Frank Stonefollows a group of teen filmmakers, as they attempt to make a movie about Frank Stone, a legendary serial killer from their hometown of Cedar Hills. The teens soon find themselves fighting a host of supernatural dangers, leaving players with the task of helping each survive the night. The title’s previous trailers showcased classic Supermassive gameplay mechanics, including dialogue decisions, branching paths, and survival mechanics. However, this week’s trailer revealed some new and exciting features are set to debut inThe Casting of Frank Stone, including one taken fromDead by Daylightitself.
New Casting of Frank Stone Trailer Revealed Game-Changing Features
During the Xbox Showcase at Gamescom 2024,The Casting of Frank Stoneshowcased its most revolutionary new features, including fullTwitch integration, the 8mm camera, and the Cutting Room Floor. The title’s Twitch integration allows a streamer’s audience to vote on key decisions and override the player’s choices during the campaign, save for limited player vetoes. The 8mm Camera allows players to view their environment through an old-school perspective, granting them the ability to see hidden pursuers and dangers. However, the Cutting Room Floor is by far the game’s most revolutionary feature, breaking a longstanding Supermassive tradition.
The Casting of Frank Stone’s Cutting Room Floor Explained
The Casting of Frank Stone’s Cutting Room Floor feature allows players to go back and easily rectify key decisions, an action thatprevious Supermassive titles restricted to post-game Chapter Select. Using a timeline-like feature, players can select the exact moment they want to alter. As seen in the Features Trailer, new pathways are denoted by dotted lines, whereas the current path is shown as a solid red line. Previous playthroughs are visible as white lines, ensuring that players avoid following a path they’ve experienced before. While the feature primarily exists to shape the story and save characters, it is also a powerful tool for completionists looking to track down missed collectibles.
These features build upon some of the most longstanding, and cumbersome, elements in Supermassive’s formula and expand the appeal of The Casting of Frank Stone’s interactive storytelling.
The Casting of Frank Stone’s Features Include Adaptations from Its Developers’ IP
The Casting of Frank Stonealso revealed new features that adapt popular elements from both Supermassive and Behavior Interactive’s previous titles. Taking a page out ofThe Dark Pictures Anthology’s playbook,The Casting of Frank Stoneis set to feature couch co-op, in addition to its Twitch and online modes. More significantly, a popular Survivor perk fromDead by Daylight,Plunderer’s Instinct, has been adapted for the title’s unique playstyle. With the push of a button, Plunderer’s Instinct highlights any Trinket Chest players might have missed. However, this helpful feature shares one criterion with Cutting Room Floor that players should know about when going in.
The Casting of Frank Stonerequires players to complete their first playthroughof the game before Cutting Room Floor and Plunderer’s Instinct become available. Most players will need to accept the potentially deadly results of their first run, before gaining the ability to go back and remedy any errors they made. However, those who pre-orderThe Casting of Frank Stoneor purchase its Deluxe Edition will find these features available from the start, making it easier to explore the ramifications of their actions before seeing the long-term results. Regardless, these features are a move in the right direction for Supermassive, as they build upon some of the most longstanding, and cumbersome, elements in the developer’s formula and expand the appeal ofThe Casting of Frank Stone’s interactive storytelling.
The Casting of Frank Stone
WHERE TO PLAY
The storytelling prowess of Supermassive Games meets the Dead by Daylight universe in a haunting horror game that won’t soon be forgotten.The shadow of Frank Stone looms over Cedar Hills, a town forever altered by his violent past. As a group of young friends are about to discover, Stone’s blood-soaked legacy cuts deep, leaving scars across families, generations, and the very fabric of reality itself.A Mystery of Cosmic Proportions: In the depths of an Oregon steel mill, the gruesome crimes of a sadistic killer spawn horrors beyond comprehension. Delve into the mystery of Cedar Hills alongside an original cast of characters bound together on a twisted journey where nothing is quite as it seems.Choose Your Fate: Every decision you make shapes the story and impacts the fate of the characters within it. Brimming with emotional gut-punches and high-stakes horror, discover how a simple decision can become a truly heart-wrenching dilemma.An Immersive Nightmare: For those who find comfort in the unknown, and glee in the grotesque, Supermassive Games’ cinematic storytelling brings new levels of emotion, immersion, and intensity to this darkly rich universe.
