Game Pass Summons 'The Casting of Frank Stone': Is Supermassive's Latest Horror a Halloween Treat or a Ghastly Trick?
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
Xbox Game Pass just dropped *The Casting of Frank Stone*, a Supermassive Games interactive horror set in the *Dead by Daylight* universe, just in time for Halloween – though its 'Fair' critical reception has me gently scratching my head about whether it's a chilling treat or a mild trick.
Right, mate, so it's that time of year again when the air gets crisp, the leaves turn crunchy, and our screens glow with all things ghoulish. And wouldn't you know it, Xbox Game Pass, bless its ever-expanding digital heart, has decided to throw another spooky offering into the cauldron just in time for Halloween. We're talking about *The Casting of Frank Stone*, the latest interactive horror drama from the narrative maestros at Supermassive Games.
Now, when you hear "Supermassive Games" and "horror," you probably picture yourself shouting at the TV, making terrible choices on behalf of some utterly doomed teenagers. Think *Until Dawn* or any of the *Dark Pictures Anthology* titles. They've cornered the market on those wonderfully cheesy, jump-scare-laden, choose-your-own-fates. But *Frank Stone* brings with it a bit of a twist, and frankly (pun intended, you're welcome), a curiously mixed reception that has my digital wizard senses tingling, like I’ve accidentally summoned a slightly off-kilter demon.
This one landed on Game Pass on October 14th, about six weeks after its initial release back in early September. It's available across the PC, Premium, and Ultimate tiers, so if you've got Game Pass, you've probably got access. The premise? A bunch of young filmmakers decide that an abandoned steel mill would make for a *brilliant* backdrop for their horror movie. Because, you know, nothing ever goes wrong when you go poking around creepy, derelict industrial sites in horror films, does it? Spoilers: things go horribly wrong – which, let's be honest, is exactly what we signed up for.
What makes *The Casting of Frank Stone* particularly intriguing for some of you lore hounds out there is its connection to the *Dead by Daylight* universe. Yes, that asymmetric multiplayer survival horror behemoth. Behaviour Interactive, the folks behind *Dead by Daylight*, also published *Frank Stone*, and apparently, it's stuffed with enough Easter eggs to make a seasoned fan feel like they've just hit the motherlode during an in-game event. It's a clever move, extending a popular IP into a single-player narrative experience. But the real question is, does it stand on its own two feet, or is it merely coasting on the coattails of its bigger, scarier sibling? *Dead by Daylight* itself has been chilling on Game Pass since 2019, so you can do a double-feature if you're feeling particularly brave this Halloween.
This is where my gently skeptical, yet optimistically chaotic, side really perks up. While Supermassive has given us some absolute bangers, *The Casting of Frank Stone* has, shall we say, a slightly more modest critical reception. It's sitting on a "Fair" rating on OpenCritic, averaging a 68 based on 69 reviews. Now, for a Supermassive game, that's not exactly setting the world on fire. It's like casting a fire spell and only getting a small spark – technically a fire, but not quite the inferno you were hoping for.
Critics generally lauded its atmosphere, the slick presentation, the branching narrative (because who doesn't love to feel like their terrible choices *really* matter?), the accessibility of its gameplay, and that authentic *Dead by Daylight* IP adaptation. All good stuff, right? Sounds like a solid Supermassive experience.
But then there's the other side of the coin. The complaints mostly revolved around pacing issues (a common interactive drama pitfall, let's be fair), limited interactivity (which, in an *interactive drama*, is a bit like a wizard running out of mana halfway through a spell), and, my personal favourite, some technical hiccups like *mistimed lip-syncing*. Oh, Supermassive, you cheeky devils. It wouldn't be a proper experience without a few characters looking like they're speaking in a poorly dubbed martial arts movie, would it? It makes you wonder if they're deliberately doing it now, just for a bit of cheeky charm.
On the grander Game Pass canvas, *Frank Stone* is just one more brushstroke in a truly dizzying picture. It's apparently the 52nd new addition to the service this month alone, and the 174th new release this year. Bloody hell, Microsoft's clearly trying to make sure we've got enough games to play until the heat death of the universe! It’s a lot to keep up with, and sometimes I wonder if quantity always translates to quality, or if we're just getting a digital buffet where half the dishes are a bit… dry. But hey, more options are usually a good thing, right?
And speaking of options, October isn't done with us yet. We've got a slew of other titles confirmed for Game Pass: *Ball x Pit* (a fantasy roguelite) and *The Grinch: Christmas Adventures* (because nothing says Halloween like Christmas, eh?) dropped on October 15. The 1.0 launch of the sandbox MMO *Pax Dei* is slated for October 16 – always interesting to see a major online title hit the service. Double Fine's *Keeper* (a mute adventure, which sounds delightfully peculiar) on October 17. Flying Wild Hog's beat 'em up *Evil West* returns on October 21. And, hold onto your hats, *Ninja Gaiden 4* is also coming on October 21 as a day-one release. That's a big one, mate! Then there’s *The Outer Worlds 2*, Obsidian's next RPG, scheduled for October 29. Talk about ending the month with a bang!
It's not all additions, though, is it? Game Pass giveth, and Game Pass taketh away. We're bidding farewell to *Cocoon*, *Core Keeper*, and *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed* on October 15. Always a bit of a bummer to see good games go, so if you were planning on diving into those, now's your last chance.
So, what's the verdict on *The Casting of Frank Stone* for your spooky season shenanigans? While its critical reception isn't as stellar as Supermassive's usual fare, it still brings that signature interactive horror flavour, a deep dive into the *Dead by Daylight* lore, and a decent dose of atmospheric dread. Is it going to redefine the genre? Probably not. Is it going to provide a decent evening of jump scares, questionable narrative choices, and maybe a few chuckles over dodgy lip-syncing, all for the low, low price of your Game Pass subscription? You bet your sweet digital wizard hat it is.
It's a prime example of Game Pass's ethos: sometimes you get a stone-cold classic, sometimes you get something a bit rough around the edges, but there's always something new to try. And for a Halloween binge, a moderately-rated interactive horror from the masters of the genre sounds like a perfectly optimistically chaotic way to spend an evening. Just try not to get *too* spooked, eh? Or do, I'm not your digital mum.
Tags: Xbox Game Pass, Horror Game, Supermassive Games, Dead by Daylight, Interactive Drama
Original article: Game Rant