Supermassive Games made a name for themselves in the world of horror video games when they released the hit Until Dawn in 2015. Since then, they’ve made a similar game titled The Quarry, as well as a series of games known as The Dark Pictures Anthology. 

This anthology is a series of choose-your-own-adventure style interactive drama horror games somewhat similar to Until Dawn and The Quarry. The difference is that the Dark Pictures installments are shorter with greater emphasis on player choice. 

While none of the games in the anthology are bad by any means and they’re all definitely worth playing, it’s still fun to compare them to see which is the best of them all. The four games that have already been released have been dubbed “Season 1” to match their TV series inspiration, with the next game, Directive 8020, kicking off Season 2. Let’s see how each entry in Season 1 of The Dark Pictures Anthology rank against each other.

Warning, spoilers for the Dark Pictures games are ahead.

4) Man of Medan

Man of Medan was the first in the series to be released, and it’s unfortunately the weakest. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a ton of fun to play, and it has the scariest opening out of any of the games on this list, but there are some issues that cannot be ignored. The biggest being that once the story’s big twist is figured out, it stops being scary. You’re able to learn early on that nothing paranormal is really happening, eliminating any reason to feel scared. The pacing is also a bit off, with it taking a while to get into the story and the scares.

3) The Devil In Me

The Devil in Me introduced character-specific mechanics, like the camera operator character using his camera’s flash as a light source and the audio engineer using her equipment to follow spooky noises. This was a welcome way for it to stand out. As you explore the creepy hotel, the walls move and the pathways back to where you came from disappear, which is positively spine-tingling. What makes it even scarier is that the story is based on a real-life serial killer in American history.

However, unfortunately, the motion-blur is dizzying with no way to turn it off, and some of the characters are a bit hard to like compared to some of the other games. Also, there are scenes in which the characters could gang up on the killer and they just don’t, which is frustrating. 

2) Little Hope

Little Hope is easily the scariest game on this list. The atmosphere is terrifying, the monsters are grotesque and are specifically designed to match each character, and the witchcraft themes and the sense of being lost in an unfamiliar place are absolutely haunting. The characters are all interesting, and their dynamic is great. There’s also a mystery to uncover throughout, which is a lot of fun.

This one and House of Ashes could honestly both share the top spot, but the twist ending has become somewhat divisive. It turns out that it’s all in the head of one of the characters and that it’s more about whether or not he comes to terms with the loss of each character rather than whether or not they live by the end. I personally LOVE this twist and find it creative and unique, but I also understand that it’s not for everyone. Because of this divisiveness, I’ll toss it at number two even though it’s tied for number one in my heart.

1) House of Ashes

House of Ashes has a threat that’s actually real and is not just a regular human being, which earns it huge points. Outside of that, it’s also fantastic in just about every other way. The story is moving, suspenseful, and focused on interesting and important themes. It’s probably the best and most-captivating story in the series so far. Little Hope is much scarier, but the monsters here are still pretty creepy. The character growth is extremely well-written, and the interactions between each of them are great. The sense of claustrophobia caused by being trapped in underground tombs is spine-tingling.

It’s also worth noting that it has some of the best gameplay and hardest choices out of the Dark Pictures games in Season 1. There’s plenty of fast-paced fights and chases that put you on the edge of your seat and you have to think quickly before someone meets their demise or a relationship is ruined because of what you decided.

These games are all immersive and extremely entertaining. It’ll be exciting to see future installments in The Dark Pictures Anthology.

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