The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me

With its creepy setting and constant threat, The Devil in Me provides a satisfying horror experience for fans of the series.

62%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

stability, optimization

56% User Score Based on 2,807 reviews

Critic Score 76%Based on 3 reviews

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About The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me

The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me is a single player and multiplayer survival hack and slash game with a horror theme. It was developed by Supermassive Games and was released on November 17, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and neutral reviews from players.

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Reviews

56%Audience ScoreBased on 2,807 reviews

story548 positive mentions

stability493 negative mentions

Engaging and immersive horror story with a unique murder-hotel setting inspired by H.H. Holmes.
Improved gameplay mechanics including character-specific inventories, climbing, and exploration add depth and interactivity.
Strong atmosphere with detailed visuals, effective sound design, and intense jump scares that heighten suspense.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, especially in co-op mode, leading to freezes, crashes, and desynchronization.
Slow pacing and excessive exploration sections with clunky, awkward movement and camera controls negatively impact gameplay flow.
Characters are often unlikeable and make illogical decisions, and some story elements are confusing, rushed, or poorly executed.

story
1,545 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35% positive mentions, 55% neutral mentions, 10% negative mentions
The story of "The Devil in Me" offers an intriguing, slasher-themed narrative inspired by the real-life serial killer H.H. Holmes, featuring tense, suspenseful moments and multiple endings that encourage replayability. However, it suffers from pacing issues, occasional predictability, uneven character development, and numerous technical bugs—especially in cooperative mode—that can disrupt the storytelling experience. Despite these flaws, many players find the core narrative engaging and superior to earlier entries in the Dark Pictures anthology, particularly for fans of true crime and horror genres.
- “The story is gripping and full of unexpected twists that kept me guessing the entire time.”
- “From the moment the story begins, you’re pulled into a mysterious world filled with unnerving atmosphere, clever storytelling, and unpredictable turns that kept me guessing at every twist.”
- “The cast of the devil in me truly brings the story to life with nuanced and powerful performances; whether playing solo or in co-op, this game is a must-play for fans of cinematic horror and interactive storytelling.”
- “The story is the weakest in the Dark Pictures anthology, with a cast of unlikeable characters making nonsensical decisions at every turn.”
- “The story is incredibly hard to follow if you miss small details, and many important choices feel like a 50/50 chance with no logical hints, making life and death outcomes feel random.”
- “Played this in shared story mode and it was by far the most disappointing and buggy game in the franchise, with story progression issues, cutscenes skipping, and characters disappearing which broke immersion and narrative flow.”
gameplay
598 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18% positive mentions, 68% neutral mentions, 14% negative mentions
The gameplay in "The Devil in Me" introduces several new mechanics such as a character-specific inventory, stealth/hiding, climbing, and puzzle-solving, which add variety and depth compared to previous entries in the series. However, many players found these additions poorly utilized or unnecessary, leading to pacing issues and interruptions that detract from the overall experience. Additionally, technical problems like glitches, bugs, and clunky controls frequently undermine gameplay fluidity, resulting in a mixed reception where the expanded gameplay is seen as a step forward but is ultimately held back by execution flaws and occasional frustration.
- “The cast delivers solid performances, the story is engaging, and the new gameplay elements—like climbing sections and an inventory system—add a layer of interactivity that helps the game stand out from earlier entries in the anthology.”
- “Gameplay is cinematic and smooth, with exploration, dialogue choices, and intense quick-time event moments all balanced to keep the pacing tight and thrilling.”
- “After "The Quarry", The Devil in Me is a return to form, with added mechanics that don’t break the consistency of the series gameplay and which also allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief because yes - you will have characters dropping like flies if you don’t pay full attention once more.”
- “The gameplay mechanics are a mess and the story line feels like it's dragging me through a boring series that Netflix would create for pennies.”
- “Gameplay is very buggy, the story is basic and not entertaining.”
- “The gameplay is janky and basic; movements are often hard to do... grabbing something, running to an area or just trying to interact with a button prompt often ends up not working as intended, so the game really needs a solid patch.”
stability
505 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 98% negative mentions
The game is widely reported to be extremely buggy and unstable, especially in online co-op mode where glitches often lead to freezes, crashes, desyncs, and interrupted progress. Visual, audio, and control issues are frequent, with many players describing it as nearly unplayable due to numerous game-breaking bugs, requiring multiple restarts. While some experience minor glitches, the consensus highlights pervasive technical problems that significantly hinder the gameplay experience.
- “However, it was not buggy for me at all; I experienced no glitches, which is rare for me, aside from the occasional arm clipping through a wall or door.”
- “The positive I'll give it though: we both played through this on a Steam Deck each (one OLED and one LCD) and the game runs great at 11W TDP limit and a 30fps lock.”
- “Played entire game in 3 player movie night with no glitches.”
- “Buggy mess to the point it's unplayable, as in some moments buttons just don't work etc. Not recommended at all.”
- “Final straw for me was the ending sequence being massively bugged and forcing my friend and I to replay through it over and over just so the game didn't disconnect player 2, force desyncs to prevent QTE interaction, etc. Final 5 minutes of the game took us 1 hour of troubleshooting and double digit attempts to get it to work correctly.”
- “Playing on co-op mode with egregious bugs the entire time and during the finale at the boat scene with the mark button mashing segment if you succeed the game bugs out and freezes for player 1 controlling Kate and player 2 gets stuck on black screen.”
graphics
236 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39% positive mentions, 53% neutral mentions, 8% negative mentions
The game's graphics receive mixed feedback: many praise the detailed, atmospheric visuals and realistic environments, often highlighting improved lighting and high-quality textures that enhance immersion. However, several users report frequent graphical glitches, bugs, stiff or unnatural animations, and a perceived downgrade compared to previous series entries, which at times detracts from the experience. Overall, while the visuals are generally strong and a key positive, technical issues and inconsistent animation quality remain notable drawbacks.
- “The first of all, the graphics are absolutely stunning.”
- “The visuals in The Devil in Me were stunning, with detailed environments and realistic character models that brought the game to life in a way that added to the overall sense of dread and unease.”
- “The graphics are stunningly detailed, with atmospheric lighting that perfectly sets the mood.”
- “The animations and graphics in general are okay, but the motion capture is just insanely bad.”
- “In terms of visuals, animations and audio, this is mostly pretty great. However, the graphics feel like a step backward, with stiffer and more awkward facial animations than in previous games.”
- “Story is stupid, predictable and full of inconsistencies and the graphics are disgusting (clipping and blurry textures everywhere hello?).”
atmosphere
140 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 45% neutral mentions, 5% negative mentions
The atmosphere of "The Devil in Me" is widely praised for its dark, creepy, and immersive setting that effectively builds tension and dread, often capturing the essence of psychological horror through detailed environments, chilling sound design, and well-timed scares. Many highlight the gripping murder-hotel backdrop, atmospheric lighting, and haunting music that enhance the overall experience, making it one of the most atmospheric entries in the Dark Pictures anthology. However, some critiques note occasional pacing issues, predictable jump scares, and technical bugs that at times detract from the otherwise oppressive and intense mood.
- “The atmosphere is dark, detailed, and beautifully designed, making every location feel eerie and alive.”
- “The game constantly keeps you immersed in its dark atmosphere and never lets you relax.”
- “From the outset, the game’s eerie atmosphere, chilling sound design, and sense of dread create a terrifying environment that hooks the player.”
- “Instead of building tension and atmosphere, the game forces you to fight against its mechanics.”
- “There is no tension, no atmosphere, just a yawning void pretending to be a game.”
- “The atmosphere lacks the tension and depth that made House of Ashes so compelling.”
optimization
99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21% positive mentions, 53% neutral mentions, 26% negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with frequent reports of severe performance issues including stuttering, frame drops, crashes, and bugs across platforms, particularly on PC and Steam Deck. While some users experienced stable performance, the consensus points to inconsistent and poor optimization that hampers the overall experience. Patches and updates are needed to address these technical shortcomings.
- “Performance-wise, the game had a lot of stutters, and my character froze multiple times, forcing me to reload the checkpoint.”
- “The game still lacks proper graphical options (very basic graphical options and no support for the modern upscalers like DLSS/FSR/TAAU) and the performance is all over the place.”
- “It's terribly optimized, and you have to fight with the settings just to get a decent resolution because it launches in 8k by default.”
- “Stuttering, freezing, frame drops so bad they turn cutscenes into PowerPoint presentations—this thing runs like it was coded on a toaster.”
- “The game is steam deck verified, but at times performance is really bad. Even with everything set to low, there is a large percentage of time where the frame rate is around 20-25fps; it has a hard time staying at 40fps, generally more like 36-38fps most of the time. There is a lot of stutter, especially when entering new areas.”
humor
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 1% negative mentions
The humor in the game largely stems from its numerous bugs, glitches, and awkward animations, which players often find unintentionally hilarious despite sometimes frustrating gameplay interruptions. While the story and some character dialogue offer occasional comedic moments, most humor arises from the game's technical flaws and rough mechanics, making it more entertaining as a buggy, chaotic experience than a polished horror title. Many recommend playing with friends and a lighthearted attitude to fully enjoy the comedic value these issues bring.
- “The quick time events where sometimes really getting a bit frustrating here because I just don't want to die, not because I made a bad choice but just by missing one damn quick time event. This gets even worse near the end; if you only miss one the consequences are sometimes hilarious. I would be surprised if you manage to save everyone without reloading your last save again; it's very hard not to screw up, I am telling you.”
- “Character models glitch, items float in the air, etc. It leads to some genuinely hilarious moments and it's nothing game breaking, but it does make it feel a bit cheap.”
- “Having said all of that, I had some hilarious moments on stream playing with a friend because of the amount of jank this game has and how much of a buggy mess it was.”
- “Starting from the stupid characters (not funny stupid but just stupid), lack of the lore and finishing with all the new 'jump/crouch/walk for 3 hours' mechanics.”
music
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 42% neutral mentions, 8% negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its eerie, chilling, and perfectly curated atmosphere that enhances the horror experience and complements the story and setting. Several reviews highlight the soundtrack as one of the best in the series, with particular appreciation for the ambient sounds, jump scare cues, and end credits song. However, some note repetition in tracks and occasional issues with audio glitches or loudness during cutscenes, but overall, the soundtrack significantly contributes to the game's intense and immersive mood.
- “And let's not forget the wonderful music, perfectly curated to fit the atmosphere of the story and transport me further into the dark and twisted world.”
- “Also I really feel the need to point out that the signature quartet version of the DPA theme song "O'Death" that plays in the end credits is genuinely one of the most beautiful things I've heard in a while :)”
- “The audio design is probably the best in the anthology yet, with the best acting, best music and just overall ambience.”
- “The soundtrack whispered 'run' while the game said 'nah, walk slowly.'”
- “It’s always the same music, except for the balancing minigame, which I believe wasn’t present in previous games.”
- “Conversely, the soundtrack was quite forgettable, and the body and idle animations of the characters feel rather lifeless most of the time.”
grinding
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8% positive mentions, 11% neutral mentions, 81% negative mentions
Grinding in the game is widely described as tedious, repetitive, and often unnecessarily prolonged, with many players finding exploration, platforming, and puzzle segments frustrating and dull. While some tolerate the grind for extended playtime or a full completion, others feel it detracts from the overall experience, making sections feel like filler rather than engaging content.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Time for grinding will be required.”
- “You'll be grinding a lot.”
- “In the last part of the game, pretty much everything from the start of the maze to the end (maybe the last two hours) was tedious and felt like it would have benefitted from just being cutscenes.”
- “Finally, when this crap happens to result in a character death and you realize you would have to go through all of the tedious parts again just to have another go at not getting bugged at a critical moment, you lose any and all desire to finish this game.”
- “The entire first hour of this game beyond the prologue is slow, tedious platforming with nothing of interest happening - while things start to pick up later, there are far too many segments wandering around rooms, picking up things inconsequential to the rest of the game or story.”
replayability
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35% positive mentions, 56% neutral mentions, 9% negative mentions
Replayability in the game is generally praised for its multiple endings, branching paths, collectibles, and multiplayer mode, providing varied experiences and meaningful choices that affect outcomes. However, some find the replay value diminished due to long, slow-paced sequences, technical issues, or a short overall length, making subsequent playthroughs less engaging for certain players. Overall, replayability is a strong aspect for those who enjoy exploring different story outcomes and achievements.
- “Great replay value with multiple endings.”
- “The branching paths and multiple endings added a layer of replayability that I truly appreciated, as my choices had real consequences on the outcome of the story.”
- “With strong voice acting, improved controls, and plenty of replay value, this is easily one of the best entries in the series and a must-play for horror fans.”
- “The replay value on this game is rather low as most secrets and pictures were found no problem if you can keep characters alive through the end.”
- “Furthermore, this game is the shortest of the series, making these drawn out sequences of linear interactivity feel less like improvements to gameplay and more like a waste of time for the player that detract from replayability.”
- “Also it has little replay value because it takes around an hour just to get inside the main building to set down the equipment and it's just a boring game in general after the first play through.”
emotional
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
77% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 23% negative mentions
The emotional impact of the game is polarizing: many players praise its intense, psychologically draining atmosphere, emotionally grounded characters, and compelling moral choices that evoke genuine investment and heartbreak. However, a significant number of reviews criticize the story and character development as boring or shallow, leading to emotional detachment and frustration. Overall, while some find it a powerful, evocative experience, others feel it fails to foster meaningful emotional connections.
- “It is the kind of game that feels way more intense when you are both emotionally invested and trying to keep everyone alive.”
- “Characters are rich, distinct, and emotionally grounded — you feel for them, worry about them, and get invested in how their decisions pan out.”
- “By the time I reached the conclusion, I was physically and emotionally drained, but I couldn’t deny how exhilarating the experience had been.”
- “A mind-numbingly boring story with an ending that was a complete slap in the face.”
- “Boring gameplay, boring writing, boring story, boring horror, boring choices.”
- “Boring gameplay, boring characters, boring story... not worth buying even on sale.”
character development
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20% positive mentions, 63% neutral mentions, 17% negative mentions
Character development in the game is largely criticized for being minimal, shallow, and poorly executed, with many players feeling disconnected from one-dimensional characters and lacking emotional engagement. While a few reviews acknowledge some moments of depth and improvement compared to previous entries, the consensus is that storytelling and character growth are undercooked, detracting significantly from the overall experience.
- “The character development is noteworthy, adding depth to the overall immersion.”
- “The story is fantastic, the acting is wonderful, character development is great, and the visuals are stunning.”
- “There are some cringe-worthy lines of dialogue throughout, but also plenty of great character development moments and memorable lines, encouraging me to consider my options carefully to ensure they all survived the ordeal.”
- “There is barely any character development, nothing is explained, the end is a disappointing mess.”
- “If you're looking for a good story - the writing is awful, there's no character development prompting you to care about the characters, there's no compelling story going on here, 80% of the game is spent meandering hallways in complete silence with the devs brilliant idea of using the flash of a camera to navigate the endless void, and there is no compelling payoff or big reveal at the conclusion.”
- “Previous entries would have spent the early moments of the game in more meaningful ways - developing the story and characters, allowing the player to get a handle on relationships, motives, and temperaments, but throughout the entirety of this game character development is kept to a bare minimum.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Users overwhelmingly criticize the monetization of the game, describing it as an overpriced and soulless cash grab that fails to live up to its promotional claims. Many feel the pricing is unjustified despite its positioning as a season finale with extended content.
- “I love the DPA because I think it's a creative, artful style of game, but this was straight garbage and felt like a soulless cash grab.”
- “Disappointing cash grab.”
- “In this state, this is nothing more than a shamelessly overpriced cash grab.”

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Critic Reviews

76%Critics’ scoreBased on 3 critic reviews

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Play Times

6h Median play time

9h Average play time

4-10h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 18 analyzed playthroughs

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The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me is a survival hack and slash game with horror theme. Common tags for The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me include trading, story rich and mature.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me is available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 9 hours playing The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me was released on November 17, 2022.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me was developed by Supermassive Games.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me for its story but disliked it for its stability.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan, Directive 8020, The Casting of Frank Stone, The Dark Pictures Anthology House of Ashes and others.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me

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Reviews

story

gameplay

stability

graphics

atmosphere

optimization

humor

music

grinding

replayability

emotional

character development

monetization

Critic Reviews