I appreciate them for trying something new, but god, the new exploration gameplay was so boring. In moderation, it's fine, if a bit lacking, but having exploration after exploration after exploration really ruined the tension and pacing. Especially since they got rid of the fixed camera. Which, yes, the fixed camera was annoying at times, but it felt like a staple of the series. The absence of it, plus the changed exploration really made it not feel like a Dark Pictures Game.

Another factor on that note was the seeming lack of choices. In a choice-based game. There were so many instances where I expected a QTE, only for there to be none. It was so drastic that when they finally did give me a QTE, I failed it because I almost entirely forgot they were a mechanic in the first place. There was also a lack of dialogue choices – multiple conversations happened in full without a single choice option. It made the story feel very railroaded, and I have to wonder how much my choices actually altered.

In terms of an ensemble, the characters were a lot better here than in the previous games. I usually only truly like one or two out of the cast and keep the rest alive out of obligation, but only a few scenes in and I liked the whole group. Charlie went kind of downhill for me (the blood trail scene,,,,,,,,) but I was very happy to see some lesbians!!! On the subject of Kate, I wish they showed more than they told with her. All the characters were constantly calling her vain, but outside of her flashlight being her hand mirror (which is a great writing choice lol), I didn't really see it. And the whole thing with her friend and her survivor's guilt was something I really wanted to see fleshed out more. I saw the slasher vibes in this game, and it would have been cool for them to lean into that and Kate being a final girl.

Easily the best part of the story was the serial killer plotline. Particularly, the interviews between Munday and Sherman; the reveal of Morello pretending to be Du'Met; and all the backstory tidbits for Munday. Honestly, I felt myself caring more about the clues than the murder house, Saw traps situation going on. Maybe I just didn't get them in my playthrough, but I would've loved to see some flashbacks or more of a direct, verbal confrontation with Du'Met. Just. More of him in general.

Also, I feel like more could've been done with the animatronics. Especially in the beginning, where nothing scary happened for like three hours. I think it'd be interesting if we saw more of helper animatronics, like the bartender. And have them 'glitching' out and providing some minor tension in the slow introductory parts at the start of the game. Plus, since Supermassive Games love their plot twists so much, they could've done another ghost/haunting fakeout lol.

This one was so hard to rate because while there's stuff I like or even really enjoy, and the finale is perfect (big slasher vibes and great action), the beginning is literally so unplayable. I can't see myself willingly replaying it, and can you really rate something high if the first segments suck so bad you couldn't even force yourself to do it again?

All in all, the usual missed opportunity I see from Supermassive Games; a genuinely compelling serial killer storyline/backstory that will probably live rent-free in my head for a while; and that slasher finale and epilogue,,,,, <3