“The Dark Pictures: Little Hope” proves to be a rarity for horror fans that can find themselves unimpressed by contemporary gore or action-filled zombie games. Supermassive Games (“Until Dawn”) have dedicated themselves to creating horror games where escaping isn’t about accuracy or combos, but one’s ability to make reasonable deductions about their situation. After last year’s “The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan,” the series continues with “The Dark Pictures: Little Hope.”
The premise is that four college students and their professor end up taking a detour while on a school trip, leading them through the titular town of “Little Hope.” Here they find that the town itself is alive and has a personal grudge with each of the characters, sending out demons that wish to drag their souls to hell.
Persisting consequences are the true terror of “Little Hope.” If one of the players finds themselves caught by a demon, death will follow, and there are no retries. The story will simply continue with the loss of that character, with everyone else vocalizing their feelings about the gruesome end they just witnessed.
The gameplay has players wandering through the town and collecting items. These objects can range from things like a weapon, to a document that reveals more of the town’s history, to magical pictures that show the player a glimpse into the future. These pictures never fail to be unsettling, often showing uncomfortable ways to meet ones demise. These outcomes are never set into stone, but the thought of knowing they could happen is enough to unnerve most.
When not walking around, one can talk to the others in their party, shaping relationships and setting up consequences that might come back later. Alongside these long-term causes, the player also has to choose what to do in dangerous situations, whether run or hide, shoot or don’t, save this person or save someone else. This conflict can often resolve itself through quick time events, where a button quickly flashes on screen for the player to press. If the button isn’t pressed in time, they might find themselves quickly dragged away in chains. While not as exciting and action-packed as it can be, the game capitalizes on inducing the player’s own anxiety by creating a tension that the player only has one chance.
The previous entry into the anthology, “Man of Medan” was notable for its visual glitches, bad acting and awkward writing. “Little Hope” has improved on these in a number of ways. Will Poulter (“We’re the Millers”) pulls off a decent performance as Andrew and the dialogue has a degree of three-dimensional writing to encourage players to try and deduce the town’s mysteries on their own. It sparks a glimmer of hope for the next iteration of the anthology, “House of Ashes,” which was announced right after the release of “Little Hope.”
Image from IGN via YouTube
