The Casting of Frank Stone- the brainchild ofSupermassive Games' Until DawnandBehaviour Interactive’s Dead by Daylight- has arrived. In it, you follow two timelines: A group of teenagers who, in 1980, set out to film a horror movie at an old steel mill connected to serial killer Frank Stone, and several strangers who, in 2024, are called to a mysterious mansion because they all possess pieces of that film. It’s a tale of fate, with an Eldritch God called the Entity pulling the strings.
The Casting Of Frank Stone: 10 References Only Dead By Daylight Fans Will Recognize
There are odes to Dead by Daylight all throughout, from the objects you may interact with to sounds lifted directly from the game.
While The Casting of Frank Stone has so far received mixed reviews, it’s a story that both Dead by Daylight fans and those who enjoy the Supermassive storytelling formula will enjoy. Unfortunately, the game itself is rather short, with most playthroughs clocking in at under six hours, so if you’re wondering what game to play next, we have a few suggestions.
While Dead by Daylight is not officially on this list (that would be too easy), we suggest playing it if you enjoyed the universe set up by The Casting of Frank Stone. It’sa multiplayer horror gamewhere one player, as a killer, must hunt down four survivors controlled by other players.
Use a Camcorder to Find Your Way in The Dark
In Outlast,you play as Miles Upshur, an investigative journalist who was tipped off about questionable practices at Mount Massive Asylum. To see if those claims are true, you’ll have to get inside Mount Massive and see for yourself, and the game begins with Miles breaking into the asylum late at night. In Outlast, your only “weapon” is your trusty camcorder, so if you enjoyed the use of the camera in The Casting of Frank Stone, you’ll enjoy this. Evil lurks in the halls of Mount Massive and you use your camcorder’s night vision to find your way around the asylum, but use it wisely: The camcorder’s battery does drain over time and there are only so many extra batteries lying around.
Much like The Casting of Frank Stone’s difficulty options, Outlast also offers different levels of difficulty for its playthrough: Normal, Hard, Nightmare and Insane.
We wouldn’t suggest going with Nightmare or Insane for your first playthrough, though, unless youreallyenjoy a challenge.
And if you prefer multiplayer-style games, The Outlast Trials is an up to four-player co-op set in the same universe as the original game.
2Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened
Unlocking the Mystery of the Cthulhu Mythos
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened
If you liked trying to piece together the mystery in The Casting of Frank Stone, then you may enjoy putting your sleuth hat on in the horror mystery Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened. This game is a Lovecraftian-inspired adventure set in 1882, where you play as Sherlock Holmes and, while following a trail of mysterious disappearances, find yourself at the heart of the Cthulhu Mythos, a universe inspired by H.P. Lovecraft.
Set up with a similar structure to The Casting of Frank Stone and other Supermassive games, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is divided into chapters. In each chapter, you’ll interact with objects, ask people questions and interrogate suspects. As you gather clues, you’ll be able to connect the pieces in your journal as evidence that you can use later in the game.
3Song Of Horror
Dark Entity at Play
This game is definitely heavier on the horror than The Casting of Frank Stone was - whereas the events in the latter game revolve around a dark presence known as the Entity, the events inSong of Horrorrevolve around a dark entity known as The Presence. This “Presence” feels like a somehow even bigger threat than the Entity, however, as it is controlled by an AI that constantly adapts to your actions and decisions throughout the game.
Review: Song of Horror: Complete Edition
Song of Horror: Complete Edition is worth a play for any old school horror fan.
Gameplay will be satisfying if you enjoyed your playthrough of The Casting of Frank Stone: a third-person playstyle, interactable objects located in every scene that help you progress the story, and quick-time events where you have to mash key buttons to determine if your character will be able to complete an action or not. There are 13 playable characters in Song of Horror, each with their own point of view about the investigation and their own frame of knowledge about The Presence. Death is permanent in Song of Horror, so you will find yourself meeting the full cast of characters before long.
4The Quarry
Another Supermassive Title with a Similar Vibe
The Quarry
It goes without saying that The Quarry will give you a similar experience to The Casting of Frank Stone - they’re both made by the same studio. And while Supermassive has dozens of games that follow the same chapter-by-chapter, decision-making format, The Quarry made this list because the cast of characters gives a very similar vibe to the 1980s' filmmaking crew in The Casting of Frank Stone.
In The Quarry, you assume control of nine teenage counselors who must survive their final night at Hackett’s Quarry summer camp. A seemingly normal farewell to summer for the group soon unravels into a fight for survival due to the supernatural forces around them… sound familiar? The Quarry has an impressive186 possible different endings, so its replay value is also - in this writer’s opinion - higher than The Casting of Frank Stone.
5Heavy Rain
Strangers Connected by Serial Killer
Heavy Rain
Heavy Rainis a good mix of thriller and mystery. The game revolves around four protagonists that are all connected by the Origami Killer. Much like The Casting of Frank Stone, you control all four different characters, switching between them with each scene, and your actions and decisions will determine who lives and who dies.
Quantic Dream, the studio behind Heavy Rain and several other narrative games, follows much of the same formula as Supermassive, so if you enjoyed The Casting of Frank Stone, you’ll enjoy playing your way through Heavy Rain’s story as well.
6The Sinking City
Investigate Your Way Through Horrors
The Sinking City
The Sinking City is an investigative horror game set in a universe inspired by H.P. Lovecraft. Here, you play a private investigator who seeks to uncover the truth behind what has possessed the city of Oakmont, while trying not to fall victim to the corruption yourself.
The Sinking City is Absolutely Intriguing
This game is open-world with more to explore than The Casting of Frank Stone, and much like your choices mattered in the latter, the investigation system in The Sinking City relies on the people you interrogate and the clues you find in the environment. Here, your life depends on keeping your sanity in check, and your sanity will be depleted through your investigative efforts and by stumbling across horrific and disturbing scenes. If your sanity reaches zero, your story ends, so handle your investigation with caution.
7The Council
Everyone Loves a (Murder) Mystery
Much like The Casting of Frank Stone is separated into chapters,The Council is an episodic, choice-based adventure. Set in 1793, you take on the role of Louis de Richet, who is heir to a secret society known as the Golden Order. In The Council, you must manipulate and maneuver your relationships with other characters using a Social Influence system that will reward you for finding clues and learning about the other characters' histories.
Also interesting is that The Council invokes RPG elements: You pick which class you want to play at the game’s start (Diplomat, Occultist, or Detective) and build up the skills associated with that class to influence your gameplay.
At a cost of less than $2 on Steam at the time of this article,if you enjoyed the mystery and exploration of The Casting of Frank Stone, The Council will surely satisfy that same hunger.
8Scarlet Hollow
Save Everyone … and Try to Save Yourself
Scarlet Hollow
Visually, this game is very different from The Casting of Frank Stone and others on this list, but it’s the gameplay loop in Scarlet Hollow that has earned it a spot on this list. Scarlet Hollow is an episodic adventure where you have full control from the start. You choose everything from the character’s name, gender and background and take the reins of this fully customizable protagonist, who’s been invited to the funeral of their estranged aunt. There, you meet a YouTuber named Stella, who invites you to film a video with her in the woods, and that is where the horror starts to unravel.
Much like in The Casting of Frank Stone and other Supermassive games, your choices here matter. While most of the basic story will not be changed, your choices and decisions will influence your relationships with other characters and decide who lives and who dies. There’s also a Hardcore mode to increase the difficulty of the base game.
Navigating a Zombie Outbreak
The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series
No, you don’t need to be a die-hard fan of The Walking Dead TV show or comic to enjoy what the Telltale series has to offer. The telltale series is an episodic adventure that opens with a pandemic outbreak that turns the dead into zombie “walkers,” but you could have guessed that if you’re familiar with the franchise.
Gameplay in The Walking Dead is very similar to most others on this list: In each episode, you control a protagonist as the story progresses through multiple scenes. In each scene, you are free to explore the area, examine items, and initiate conversations with other characters. Certain choices you make will influence your relationships with other characters, later outcomes of the episode, and whether characters live or die. Quick-time events make a return here, too.
10Until Dawn
Can You Keep Everyone Alive?
Until Dawn
We mentioned this game at the start of this article, so it only seems fitting that the final item on this list pays tribute toUntil Dawn.While, yes, Until Dawn isyet anotherSupermassive game, this one is considered the best of the best - and for good reason. The story - which follows a group of friends reuniting up in the mountains on the anniversary of two sisters' disappearance - is the perfect blend of storytelling and gameplay. Every choice really feels like it matters, and quick time events - which include the need to hold perfectly still and stay quiet - all feel purposeful.
Best of all: an Until Dawn remaster is on the horizon, which promises updated graphics thanks to Unreal Engine 5, so now is the perfect time to put this game on your “to-play” list if you haven’t already.
The Casting of Frank Stone
A horror adventure game set in the world of Dead by Daylight, The Casting of Frank Stone centers around a group of young filmmakers and how a serial killer that plagued the town nearly two decades prior will greatly impact their film for decades to come.
