The Casting of Frank Stone offers a visually appealing and atmospheric experience with its Stephen King-esque art style and immersive audio design, but struggles with pacing, character development, and a lack of engaging gameplay. Despite its intriguing premise and branching narrative, the game falls short in delivering a satisfying horror experience, making it more of a visual treat than a compelling story.
Better than 70% of games for Art Style
Top Aspects
The game 'Art Style' is widely praised for its visually appealing and spooky aesthetic, which aligns with a Stephen King-esque rustic and antiquated style. Both assessments highlight the improvement in human character animations over previous Supermassive games, and the variety in environments, particularly in the first half. However, there are some points of contention regarding graphical issues. Assessment 2 notes problems such as texture popping and low-resolution textures in certain areas, which detract from the overall visual experience. Despite these issues, the consensus remains that the game's art style is effective in creating a dark and moody atmosphere.
Performance varies with settings and the use of frame generation technologies. The game runs smoothly on high-end hardware, though some graphical anomalies and texture issues are present.
The audio design is praised for its immersive soundscape, effective use of sound effects, and a phenomenal soundtrack that shifts between thematic, cinematic, and driving tones to match different game moments.
The game heavily relies on the 'Dead by Daylight' lore, which detracts from its own narrative. The extensive focus on lore and Easter eggs makes the game feel like a collection of references rather than a standalone story.
The game includes choices that affect the story, but most of these choices have minimal impact, leading to slight variations in scenery without significant consequences. The lack of meaningful choices contributes to the overall dissatisfaction with the game's narrative structure.
Despite being a horror game, the game fails to deliver scares or tension. The kills and horror moments are unsatisfying and often feel out of place, making the game neither scary nor intriguing.
The game utilizes advanced lighting techniques, such as ray tracing, to enhance darker scenes and provide detailed illumination in specific areas, contributing to the overall atmospheric experience.
The casting of characters is noted for its initial uncanny valley effect, which settles down as the game progresses. The character Stan is highlighted for his dynamic voice acting and complex personality.
At its full price of $40, the game is not worth the investment due to its light content, poor pacing, and lack of engaging gameplay. It is recommended to wait for significant discounts before considering this game.
While the game attempts to incorporate choice and consequence, the system is flawed. Players must replay entire chapters to see different outcomes, and there is no option to skip or fast-forward through repeated cutscenes. This makes the choice mechanic feel more like a chore than a meaningful gameplay element.




