The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
A fog-shrouded town holds demons born from witch trial paranoia.
The second installment in Supermassive Games' horror anthology, *Little Hope*, arrived in 2020 as an interactive drama published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The story strands four college students and their professor in a fog-choked, abandoned Massachusetts town after their bus crashes. While searching for a way out, the group is hunted by demons whose forms draw directly from the 17th-century witch trials in Andover and Salem.
Gameplay carries over the series' established mechanics from *Man of Medan*: quick time events, two single-player and two multiplayer modes, and collectible items that grant visions of possible future events. The plot branches heavily based on player decisions, which can alter character relationships and lead to permanent deaths for any of the five protagonists.
The developers built the premise around historical witch trial paranoia, pulling atmosphere from the *Silent Hill* franchise, Arthur Miller's *The Crucible*, and various horror films. Exploration was tweaked from the previous game by adding a user-controlled hybrid camera system and making action sequences more accessible. Actor Will Poulter plays college student Andrew, who also appears as two historical doppelgängers, and was promoted as the game's lead. Jason Graves composed the soundtrack, using choral chants and antique string instruments to evoke the 1692 New England setting.
*Little Hope* launched for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on 30 October 2020, receiving mixed reviews. Critics praised the audio design, detailed environments, and character models, but criticized the superficial choice mechanics and the plot twist ending. A teaser at the game's conclusion revealed the third anthology entry, *House of Ashes*, which released on 22 October 2021. Versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S followed in September 2022, with a Nintendo Switch port arriving in October 2023.
Quick Facts
- Title
- The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
- Developer
- Supermassive Games
- Publisher
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Director
- Nik Bowen
- Producer
- Ross Manton
- Designer
- Kalev Tait · Wayne Garland
- Programmer
- Edwin Bell
- Artist
- Robert Craig
- Writer
- Dario Poloni
- Composer
- Jason Graves
- Series
- The Dark Pictures Anthology
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Little Hope retains mechanics from the previous game in the series, Man of Medan, including quick time events, two single-player and two multiplayer modes, and collectables that allow the player to see visions of possible future events. The game features a multilinear plot where decisions can alter the trajectory of the story and change relationships between the five playable protagonists; some choices lead to their permanent deaths. The developers drew primary inspiration from the historical Andover and Salem witch trials to explore themes of mass paranoia, and looked to the Silent Hill franchise, Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, and various horror films to establish the game's atmosphere and psychological horror.
Reader's Guide
Little Hope was released to mixed reviews. Critics commended the game's audio design, along with the detailed environments and character models. Criticism was directed at the superficial choice mechanics and the plot twist ending. The game's narrative follows five protagonists who become trapped in an abandoned town called Little Hope, shifting between characters at pre-set intervals. Supermassive adjusted exploration mechanics from Man of Medan by implementing a user-controllable hybrid camera system and more accessible action sequences. The game's overarching structure is framed by the Curator, an authorial persona who appears during chapter breaks to observe the player's progress. The third game in the series, House of Ashes, was revealed in a teaser trailer at the end of Little Hope and released on 22 October 2021.
Did You Know?
- The game's narrative explores multiple timelines, jumping between the present day and the town's colonial witch trials era.
- Will Poulter plays a college student named Andrew alongside two historical doppelgängers.
- Jason Graves composed the soundtrack using choral chants and antique stringed instruments to reflect the 1692 New England setting.
- The prologue takes place in 1972 and follows the Clarke family, whose house fire kills all but one child.
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