It’s been over eight years since the asymmetric multiplayer horror game Dead By Daylight first shocked players with its brutal gameplay and eclectic roster of characters dubbed killers and survivors. Since DBD’s beginning though there’s always been a call for more. With lore presented throughout the game via little more than short cinematics, stories and flavour text it’s only now that we’ve begun to see this world open up. In the last few years, we’ve had a dating sim and even a roguelite – but is this universe not worthy of more? Apparently, it finally is. 

The Casting Of Frank Stone is Supermassive Games’ answer to this call. Known for their own bold cinematic horror games, they’ve now teamed up with Behaviour Interactive to finally bring this universe to life. TCOFS writes its own script though, with a fresh cast of would-be survivors and a killer burned into celluloid. This isn’t just a usual trial though. TCOFS is as much an arrival as it is a departure from the DBD universe we’ve known. This is the story before the trial siren rings – when The Entity is summoned across worlds to pick victims to join the fog before the match begins.

As a long-time DBD fan who had the chance to preview The Casting Of Frank Stone, I felt well-positioned to dive into this game. In my preview already my expectations were high after enjoying how the prologue with Sam Green introduced the killer and teased the game’s wider story with Augustine Lieber. I was hooked. Yet now that I’ve played the entire game it’s a lot harder to deny that TCOFS is everything it set out to be. With a universe ripe for adaptation and exploration it feels like this could still actually be the beginning of a new era for the universe’s story. But where does that leave players who haven’t played DBD?

If you are looking for a gauge of where TCOFS fits in the Supermassive line-up in terms of quality it’s somewhere between The Dark Pictures Anthology and The Quarry. Really, it’s on par with the latter though with the multiple timelines in TCOFS it means we get more characters for less of the game. It’s about 8 hours of playtime though and definitely close to hitting The Quarry level for sure. It’s just as cinematic and does feel like the usual calibre the cinematic studio is renowned for pumping out.

Frank Stone is the game’s killer (so to speak), though you won’t find him tunnelling and looping in this game. TCOFS is in its essence an origin story for a specific killer, though like many other killers in DBD we soon come to realise that his murderous qualities weren’t always as prevalent. In DBD, Killers are collected by The Entity for their murderous capabilities and thus they allow the God-like being to harness their brutality. Early on, Augustine is revealed to be the one pulling the strings with Frank Stone. She’s enamoured by The Entity and wishes to gain its favour by offering up Frank Stone and even some survivors.

Augustine is an interesting character, though she’s used quite sparingly across the game despite the intrigue she carries. Unlike other Supermassive games, while she does act as the game’s omniscient narrator she’s also present in each of the timelines to varying degrees. I can’t say much more without spoiling anything but given the conclusion of the game we never quite understand the full extent of her activities in the DBD universe though there is definitely more to her story.

Other characters in the game are just as compelling too. Chris’s chipper sass leads to some wild dialogue lines and there was even a love triangle moment crammed in with her, Jaime and Robert. Madi from the present-day timeline grieves for her mother with an honest touch that makes her feel like a real person. It’s sad that our time with many of the characters is so short across each timeline though. Really, they both needed more time to flesh each cast of survivors out. So much of this game feels like it just needs that bit of extra room to grow so the player can take it all in properly.

Where The Casting Of Frank Stone lost me is in its third act. After some excellent setups and interesting choices, it feels like there are more than a few that just fizzle out. I’ve played other games by Supermassive and it feels like the devil here is in the details. While they excel at writing what is an interesting encounter with the DBD’s lore, it feels like the game is held back by its own length and scope. While each timeline is compelling in its own right, one needs to remember that this is not one but two stories happening simultaneously. It results in an information overload that stretches the scope of what a game like this should’ve been. Maybe, if the game had been longer they could’ve let this final section breathe. Even further building DBD lore into the game might have helped explain just what is happening at the end of the game if you aren’t familiar. 

Upon replaying the game and individual sections along the timeline many questions simply get left teased yet unanswered. Simple choices even, like one character taking a gun from another – yet later in the game the character lacks any opportunity to use the gun or anything. While I did still enjoy this game a lot it does feel like there’s some tightening that needs to happen to maintain the choices across the branching narrative. Furthermore, the teasing of the DBD multiverse pulls at many interesting threads, especially when characters come face to face with themselves from other timelines yet we don’t find out the consequences of this.

The Casting of Frank Stone features 16 endings and while I won’t be spoiling them, I do again feel like the clarity of what comes to pass needs to be further explained for players who aren’t die-hard DBD fans. As I said earlier, this is an origin story of sorts and while players learn of the significance of the film as the game comes to a close, it’s still rather vague about the fate of any of those who happened to survive. Let’s just say it’s warm by the campfire, and leave it at that. I do think it’s important to note that while this is a game set in the Dead By Daylight universe, it’s definitely not like playing a cinematic reimagining of the trials. Given that many fans have played DBD for countless hours, this is refreshing. TCOFS is the story before the fog sets in and it feels like a solid imagining of how killers and survivors make their way into The Entities grasp. Supermassive has done exceedingly well to capture the essence without getting stuck in the DBD’s own rhythm and I’m really glad. 

As I come to the end of my time with The Casting Of Frank Stone, it’s clear that Supermassive created a love letter to fans of Dead By Daylight. While it’s not the same gameplay, TCOFS embraces the rich narrative of the universe, maybe a little too well but fans will still be in awe. Its ambitious scope sometimes leads to confusion, particularly in the third act, where some narrative threads lose momentum and key plot points remain underexplored. With all that in mind, the game offers a refreshing and compelling experience for both DBD fans and newcomers, setting the stage for potential future developments in this universe.

It’s exciting to imagine where this story may go next. First and foremost, the potential for any of the characters including killer Frank Stone or even locations to appear in Dead By Daylight is a huge possibility. I wouldn’t doubt that we might also see more Supermassive games set in the universe. They’re onto something here and I do hope we see more collaborations between Behaviour Interactive and Supermassive Games. This is a really promising beginning and I’ve got more than a thirst to see where this partnership might go in the fog next!