The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
- October 29, 2020
- Supermassive Games
- 5h median play time
Little Hope has some of the best branching narrative that Supermassive Games has ever done, it looks lovely and packs a horror punch throughout.
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Little Hope" is a cinematic horror game in The Dark Pictures Anthology. Trapped in a abandoned town, a group of college students must uncover the tragic history of Little Hope and escape the vengeful spirits haunting them. Every decision impacts the survivors' fate, leading to multiple endings in this thrilling narrative.
Nintendo Switch
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Reviews
- Engaging and immersive storyline with unexpected twists.
- Atmospheric graphics and sound design enhance the horror experience.
- Improved gameplay mechanics and character development compared to previous entries.
- Game-breaking bugs and issues with online co-op mode, including infinite loading screens.
- Disappointing ending that undermines player choices and character development.
- Controls can be clunky and frustrating, especially with point-and-click movement.
- story1,552 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "Little Hope" is a complex and engaging narrative that intertwines themes of guilt, redemption, and supernatural horror, drawing players into a chilling atmosphere reminiscent of classic horror tales. While many players appreciate the depth and twists of the plot, particularly the unexpected ending, some express disappointment with its execution, feeling that the conclusion undermines the choices made throughout the game. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a significant improvement over its predecessor, "Man of Medan," though it is marred by pacing issues and a sense of linearity in character outcomes.
“Little Hope offers an intriguing horror experience that combines a gripping storyline with supernatural elements.”
“The narrative is engaging, driven by a compelling story that branches based on your choices.”
“With its compelling story, strong character development, and immersive atmosphere, Little Hope is a must-play for horror enthusiasts.”
“The story stands out with its chilling premise and themes of guilt and redemption, but it falters with repetitive scares and slow pacing.”
“The ending completely invalidated the entire story, complete waste of time.”
“The story felt cheap and wasn't worth playing the game, the build up was not worth it and it wasn't consistent felt pretty short and was very disappointed and would not play again knowing how the story would go and it doesn't follow up much.”
- gameplay262 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Little Hope" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting improvements over its predecessor, "Man of Medan," particularly in mechanics and controls. However, criticisms highlight persistent bugs, awkward character movement, and an over-reliance on quick-time events, which can detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the branching narrative and replay value, others find the gameplay lacking and feel it often serves as a barrier to the story rather than enhancing it.
“The gameplay consists of a good balance between exploration and intense chase sequences.”
“The gameplay is thrilling, the cinematography, characters, and story are all outstanding and it was easily my favorite game of the year.”
“Little Hope presents a captivating story and great gameplay.”
“However, Little Hope was a buggy nightmare with bad mechanics, worse characters, and a horribly concluded story.”
“The gameplay is really held back, even in the way the movement feels.”
“Awful pacing, thematically incoherent story, completely obscure trait mechanics that will insta-murder your characters with zero input from the player, and one of the worst endings of any game in memory.”
- graphics237 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting their stunning realism, impressive lighting, and detailed character models that enhance the overall immersive experience. The visuals are often described as cinematic, contributing significantly to the game's eerie atmosphere and engaging storytelling. While some minor graphical issues were noted, the overall presentation is considered a major strength, making it a standout in the horror genre.
“The graphics are absolutely stunning.”
“The graphics are gorgeous in scenes.”
“The graphics are amazing, and sometimes makes it feel like a movie.”
“The whole story feels rushed and they relied on 'scary' visuals to make up for the holes, but they failed at that too.”
“Subpar visuals compared to the others, repetitive scares, and bottom-of-the-barrel writing with unclear stakes and uncompelling characters.”
“Gameplay, scares, atmosphere - it's all lacking except for the graphics, which as we know is never enough to carry a game.”
- atmosphere119 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Little Hope" is widely praised for its immersive and chilling qualities, effectively blending psychological horror with supernatural elements. Players appreciate the detailed environments, haunting sound design, and the game's ability to create tension and dread, reminiscent of classic horror films. While some critiques mention an over-reliance on jump scares, the overall consensus highlights the game's strong atmospheric presence as a key strength, making it a compelling experience for horror enthusiasts.
“The game immerses you in a fog-covered town haunted by eerie visions from the 17th-century witch trials, creating a chilling atmosphere filled with suspense.”
“The narrative weaves psychological horror with supernatural elements, creating an unsettling atmosphere where reality blurs with nightmarish hallucinations.”
“The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its detailed environments and haunting sound design, which together create an immersive experience that keeps players on edge.”
“However, the game has no atmosphere or likeable characters or even that cheesy B-movie feel that Until Dawn had.”
“Every single time I started to get into the atmosphere, some ghost would go 'boogidyboogidyboo' or some normal sound would be made absurdly loud to get a cheap jump.”
“The atmosphere is okay and somewhat creepy at times, but of course relies a lot on cheap jump scares and loud noises for its scares.”
- stability105 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with numerous players reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that severely hinder gameplay, particularly in multiplayer modes. Many users experienced game-breaking issues such as infinite loading screens, freezing, and unresponsive controls, making the game nearly unplayable for some. While a few players noted minor glitches or had smoother experiences, the overwhelming consensus is that the game is plagued by significant stability problems that detract from its potential enjoyment.
“Also runs great on Steam Deck!”
“Not that buggy.”
“Good storyboard, no glitches to our coop.”
“I just cannot recommend this game to anyone because it is full of bugs and glitches.”
“The game consistently fails to load when continuing a co-op game - requiring a laughable workaround by disconnecting and reconnecting controllers, also crashes and freezes quite frequently.”
“There are game-breaking infinite loading screen bugs/glitches that prevent us from continuing to play the game, and it happened twice by now. I do not recommend buying this until this has been fixed.”
- replayability50 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
Replayability in this game is a mixed bag; while many players appreciate the branching paths and multiple endings that encourage exploration of different choices, others feel that the ending undermines the overall experience, significantly reducing the incentive to replay. Some reviews highlight that despite the game's short length, it offers enough variation in outcomes to warrant multiple playthroughs, especially for those interested in collectibles or different character fates. However, a notable number of players express disappointment with the story's conclusion, which they believe diminishes the replay value.
“This mechanic adds significant replay value, as players will want to explore different paths and endings.”
“The experience is different for everyone depending upon the choices you make, giving the game a lot of replay value.”
“It's a short game but has replay value if you go for collectibles and endings, character fates, etc. The cast was great, and I really enjoyed the parts of the story from the past.”
“The twist is one of the stupidest twists I've ever seen and ruins all replayability this game may have had.”
“I truly dislike how they handle the ending; it kills any chance of replayability because it just doesn't matter in the end.”
“However, I do think that the ending reveal decreases the replay value tremendously and probably could have been more thought out.”
- music47 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its high quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers praising the soundtrack's variety and emotional depth. While some noted that certain tracks, particularly the end credits song, fell short, the overall consensus is that the music effectively complements the story and visuals, creating an immersive experience. However, a few critiques mentioned that the music sometimes detracted from the gameplay by being too noticeable or jarring.
“Not only does Little Hope have the strongest character models, soundtrack, and visuals of the entire anthology; but the plot, setting, atmosphere, and creature designs are outstanding!”
“The soundtrack, a cacophony of dissonance and harmony, worked in tandem with the absurdity unfolding onscreen.”
“The music is incredibly good, ranging from Gregorian chant, funeral music, to surreal/supernatural ritual music and tribal percussion.”
“The awkward tension between the characters from the very beginning is by far the weirdest part of this mediocre smorgasbord of horror tropes that primarily rely yet again on loud soundtrack stings and jump scares to classify as a horror game.”
“Another thing that disappointed me about the game is the fact that these characters can hear the soundtrack; for example, sometimes characters will say 'did you hear that' when the game played a randomly timed soundtrack that was meant to shock the player.”
“Unfortunately, the music, voice acting, and, most importantly, the plotting are hit or miss, at best.”
- optimization44 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues such as lag, crashes, and stuttering, even on high-end hardware. However, others have noted that the game runs smoothly with good graphics and performance, indicating that optimization may vary based on individual setups. Overall, while some players praise the improvements over previous titles, many report frustrating technical problems that detract from the experience.
“And I have to say that the game boldly stuck to 60fps and did not drop, except for two moments that lasted three seconds when I dropped the frames to 17, but it was only a moment. Overall, this game is perfectly optimized for PC, so you do not have to deal with any reconfiguration and optimization via the NVIDIA panel.”
“Additionally, the graphics and performance of the game were outstanding with no problems encountered.”
“Also, the game looks amazing, and the optimization is really impressive.”
“Poorly optimized (was getting lag with my 4090)”
“Tons of crashes, glitches, and poor performance optimizations abound.”
“Constant stuttering and hard locks despite being well above recommended specs.”
- emotional21 mentions
- 95 % positive mentions
- -10 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game elicits a mixed response from players, with many expressing a deep investment in the characters and their fates, leading to genuine emotional reactions, including tears. While some players appreciate the impactful storytelling and heartwarming endings, others criticize the lack of meaningful choices and character development, feeling that their decisions ultimately had little relevance. Overall, the game successfully creates suspense and emotional weight, but its mechanics can undermine the player's sense of agency and investment.
“This makes players genuinely care about the characters and invest emotionally in their fates, amplifying the game's suspenseful moments and heightening the impact of the twist.”
“I found that Little Hope has a richer and more touching storyline that I could actually get into.”
“The twist at the end was mind-blowing and heart-wrenching!”
“The emotional depth of the story is overshadowed by cheap jump scares.”
“I found the narrative to be dull and lacking any real emotional impact.”
“The attempts at creating emotional moments fell flat and felt forced.”
- humor19 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of intentional comedic elements and unintentional glitches, leading to a variety of laugh-out-loud moments, especially during jump scares and absurd character behaviors. Players find the bizarre twists and character decisions amusing, often sharing laughter with friends over the game's quirks and oddities. Overall, while the game has its flaws, many reviewers appreciate its ability to entertain through humor, making it a fun experience despite its shortcomings.
“It does have some minor bugs if you play it on PC, like a random black screen that might appear or your character clipping out of place randomly, but that's definitely not a huge deal breaker and I actually found these more funny than annoying.”
“This game blew my mind, made me laugh so hard that I pissed my pants.”
“The teacher sounded exactly like one of my teachers in high school, and that was hilarious the entire way through.”
- character development13 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
Character development in "Little Hope" receives mixed reviews; while some praise its strong character arcs, compelling story, and immersive atmosphere, others criticize the limited impact of player choices on character growth and the overall feeling of sameness in the narrative. The character design is noted as a positive aspect, but some players feel that the development lacks depth compared to previous titles in the series. Overall, the game offers moments of strong character development, but it may not fully satisfy those seeking a more dynamic experience.
“While the pacing can feel slow at times, the character development and plot twists make up for it.”
“With its compelling story, strong character development, and immersive atmosphere, 'Little Hope' is a must-play for horror enthusiasts.”
“The character development in 'Little Hope' is also praiseworthy.”
“Your choices do not matter that heavily; there is little character development between everyone based on your emotional responses, and the story feels very samey regardless of what you do or don't do.”
“You also don't get any character development like you did in Man of Medan.”
“I was left with the impression that character development was not complete and there was a missed opportunity for a true climactic moment.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Players frequently note that grinding in the game is excessive, often requiring significant time investment and making the experience feel tedious. While some enjoy the overall gameplay, many feel that the effort needed to achieve a satisfying ending detracts from the enjoyment.
“Time for grinding will be required.”
“You'll be grinding a lot.”
“A bit grindy sometimes.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Good game overall, but a good ending is tedious to obtain.”
“The script is bad, the story is bad, and holding forward and just moving through the game was tedious at best.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game includes in-game advertisements for upcoming titles, which some users find intrusive or poorly integrated, particularly in the context of multiplayer features. Overall, the approach has received mixed feedback regarding its effectiveness and user experience.
“Putting an advertisement for your next game into this game is just a blatant cash grab.”
“Considering the advertisement of playing this with friends, you would assume it would work... or would have been tested more.”
“The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive and detracts from the overall experience.”
Critic Reviews
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope: Hasty and Inadequate – Review
Little Hope is a hasty and inadequate entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology. Making decisions that directly affect your fate is always personal, but in The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope, it doesn't feel as brutal as it should. Fortunately, the implementation of Movie Night mode saves the lacklustre story and prevents it from being much worse.
50%Little Hope Will Make You Abandon All Hope
Abandoned and all alone, 4 college students and their teacher become stranded in an isolated town miles from anywhere after their bus crashes in bad weather. Trapped by a mysterious fog in the town of Little Hope, they search desperately for a means of escape whilst visions from the past haunt them from the shadows. PS4 version reviewed.
40%Second Chances --- The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope Review
While Little Hope may not be the fright fest some wanted, it’s still a fascinating game that’s well worth playing once or twice, if you can get over the nonsensical ending.
75%
