THE DARK PICTURES ANTHOLOGY: LITTLE HOPE
The road to Hell is paved with jump scares
Supermassive’s horror anthology emerges from its waterlogged tomb for another night of frights – and its first foray onto dry land. This time the Curator presents a tale of an ill-fated field trip where a number of students get stranded in a town time is slow to forget.
As your co-eds amble through the abandoned town of Little Hope, they uncover its secrets and realise that perhaps it was no accident that brought them here. Echoes of the past begin to dominate the present and threaten to do a lot more than just dash their hopes for extra credit.
Cast in the same QTE-laden mould as Man Of Medan before it, Little Hope boasts some definite improvements over the anthology’s premiere entry – however, the sum total feels like two steps forward and one back.
US, AGAIN?
Let’s get right to it and cast our eye on horror. Connoisseurs of gruesome ends will find the prologue a gory treat. Opening on a chilly night in the 1970s, you’re introduced to a family before all of their dreams of a better life go up in smoke. After a quick succession of close ups of each family member’s final moments, you’re introduced to their modern-day doppelgängers and the cursed cycle of violent death they’re apparently caught up in.
It’s a compelling setup that quickly deflates for a number of reasons. This is no fault of the cast. For instance, Bandersnatch star Will Poulter does an impressive job of juggling three characters and several accents. Unfortunately, the multiple time periods are tied together inelegantly.
For instance, the students are literally dragged into the town’s 17th-century past, accompanied by the sudden appearance of a screaming, ghostly face and a scare chord. From the start it makes things feel a bit like a lesser Blumhouse production, but by the umpteenth time a puritan in a bonnet wails at me I’m about ready to snap, “GET ON WITH IT THEN!”
While there is still plenty of fun had with framing, scares are generally jumpy. This may in part be due to how Little Hope works against itself in maintaining tension. While Man Of Medan’s ship setting wasn’t the most charismatic rustbucket, its claustrophobic hallways proved an asset. Here, though, the cast spends a lot of time ambling up foggy roads
“THEIR TOP SPEED AS THEY TRY TO ESCAPE THE THREAT? A LEISURELY STROLL.”
and shuffling through derelict sites. Rather than feel like the terror could come from anywhere, all I see is that the characters don’t seem to be feeling any sense of urgency, so why should I? This becomes particularly egregious when, after a flubbed button press, one is trapped in the sewers, pursued by a murderous apparition. Their top speed as they try to escape the threat? A leisurely stroll.
PALE BY COMPARISON
And then there’s the final twist in an ending I suspect you’ll get on your first run-through. It makes sense logistically but the more I think about it, the more dissatisfied I am by it. Thankfully, like Man Of Medan, scene selection allows you to hop back in at the moment things started to go pearshaped and try for a different conclusion. It’s a feature I wish featured more often in branching games like this.
That said, you’ll need to start a way back as your characters’ fate is influenced by every choice they’ve made. I don’t want to spoil anything but strongly suggest you pay close attention to each character’s unlockable attributes. It’s an interesting iteration, though frustrating if you’ve managed to run the gauntlet of QTEs up to then only to fall at this hurdle.
While overall smoother than Man Of Medan, Little Hope doesn’t quite sail past its predecessor. For all its ambition, it didn’t cast a spell over me, though through the fog I can hear multiplayer Don’t Play Alone mode calling Team OPM for a second runthrough.
VERDICT
The Dark Pictures Anthology has yet to truly impress but, for the price, there are worse fates. However, reader beware, you’re in for more than your fair share of screaming puritan jump scares. Jess Kinghorn