The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me

The fourth and final installment of The Dark Pictures Anthology’s first season, *The Devil in Me*, is an interactive survival horror game released in 2022. Developed by Supermassive Games and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, it places a documentary film crew inside a modern reconstruction of H. H. Holmes’s infamous “Murder Castle,” located on an island in Lake Michigan. The crew must navigate a shifting maze of deadly traps orchestrated by a copycat killer.

The game retains series staples like quick time events, two single-player and two multiplayer modes, and collectible items that grant visions of possible futures. However, it breaks from the stricter linearity of earlier entries by introducing expanded movement—running, jumping, climbing, balancing, and squeezing through tight spaces—alongside tool-based puzzles and a character inventory system. Each protagonist carries a unique item: director Charlie uses a business card to open locked drawers, cameraman Mark documents evidence with his camera, and grip Jamie rewires electrical panels with a multimeter. The plot is multilinear, with timed dialogue and action choices that affect relationships among the five playable characters and can lead to permanent deaths.

The premise draws from the mythos of H. H. Holmes, while its horror elements borrow from classic films and franchises such as *Psycho*, *The Shining*, *Saw*, *Halloween*, and *Friday the 13th*. To accommodate the new movement systems, the development team built physical sets for actors during motion capture. Jessie Buckley, who plays investigative journalist Kate Wilder, was marketed as the lead actress. Composer Jason Graves, a long-time series collaborator, created a soundtrack blending mechanical sounds and classical music to reflect the killer’s nature.

Released on 18 November 2022 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, the game received mixed reviews. Critics praised the Murder Castle setting, its macabre environmental traps, and the audio design, but criticized the clunky execution of the new exploration mechanics, sluggish pacing, and various technical issues. A teaser trailer at the game’s end revealed the fifth anthology entry, *Directive 8020*, which launched on 12 May 2026.