The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope gives me a little hope for the future of Supermassive Games’ horror series. Some smart gameplay tweaks ensure that Little Hope still highlights Supermassive's vital role in the modern adventure space, but it also highlights why the studio's future games need to be better than this for those smart changes to really shine.

Little Hope, like its immediate predecessor Man of Medan, is a mashup of horror tropes and subgenres. It borrows iconography from The Blair Witch Project. It borrows its Puritan-era paranoia from The Witch (and Arthur Miller's non-horror play The Crucible). And its conceit, which finds a group of college students and their professor stranded in the woods after their bus crashes, hangs on a premise that will be familiar for fans of Stephen King's The Mist or John Carpenter's The Fog. As the game progressed, I became increasingly skeptical that those threads would come together in a satisfying way. In the end, they don't, but I still had a good time on the ride to that disappointing conclusion.

Little Hope begins with a flashback to the 1970s and a brief introduction to a troubled family of six. Dad is a heavy drinker. The older sister feels isolated and depressed. And, in a hint at the spiritual warfare that will dominate much of Little Hope's second half, the younger sister has been held back repeatedly after church to speak with the reverend. These glowing embers of drama soon blaze up into a literal raging fire when the younger sister leaves her doll on the stovetop. In the ensuing blaze, every member of the family meets their grisly demise, save Will Poulter's Anthony, who helplessly watches on.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope gives me a little hope for the future of Supermassive Games’ horror series. Some smart gameplay tweaks ensure that Little Hope still highlights Supermassive's vital role in the modern adventure space, but it also highlights why the studio's future games need to be better than this for those smart changes to really shine.

Little Hope, like its immediate predecessor Man of Medan, is a mashup of horror tropes and subgenres. It borrows iconography from The Blair Witch Project. It borrows its Puritan-era paranoia from The Witch (and Arthur Miller's non-horror play The Crucible). And its conceit, which finds a group of college students and their professor stranded in the woods after their bus crashes, hangs on a premise that will be familiar for fans of Stephen King's The Mist or John Carpenter's The Fog. As the game progressed, I became increasingly skeptical that those threads would come together in a satisfying way. In the end, they don't, but I still had a good time on the ride to that disappointing conclusion.

Little Hope begins with a flashback to the 1970s and a brief introduction to a troubled family of six. Dad is a heavy drinker. The older sister feels isolated and depressed. And, in a hint at the spiritual warfare that will dominate much of Little Hope's second half, the younger sister has been held back repeatedly after church to speak with the reverend. These glowing embers of drama soon blaze up into a literal raging fire when the younger sister leaves her doll on the stovetop. In the ensuing blaze, every member of the family meets their grisly demise, save Will Poulter's Anthony, who helplessly watches on.

Square Enix has released a 10-hour demo for Dragon Quest XI S - Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition (say that five times fast) on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Even better, Square Enix says all your progress will transfer over to the full game if you decide to purchase it.

One might be shocked to hear that a game’s demo can last 10 hours, given that some games last all of six. Considering Dragon Quest XI players can easily rack up 100+ hours before hitting the ending, it’s a little more understandable.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/24/dragon-quest-xi-s-definitive-edition-story-trailer"]

Square Enix announced the demo in a blog post. You can get the PS4 version here, the Xbox One demo here, or the Steam demo here.

“To be frank, calling this a demo is kind of underselling it,” Square writes. “The download lets you play through the entirety of the opening chapters - a gargantuan chunk of game that could take you around 10 hours, depending on how you play.”

Square Enix also added that players who complete the demo will receive a “little treat” for players who complete the demo, although they’re not revealing what it is.

Dragon Quest XI S is an expanded and enhanced version of the original 2017 JRPG, with new story content, new orchestral music, new battle speed options, a Japanese dialogue track, and an expanded crafting system, among other additions.

Dragon Quest XI S is out on December 4.

Square Enix has released a 10-hour demo for Dragon Quest XI S - Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition (say that five times fast) on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Even better, Square Enix says all your progress will transfer over to the full game if you decide to purchase it.

One might be shocked to hear that a game’s demo can last 10 hours, given that some games last all of six. Considering Dragon Quest XI players can easily rack up 100+ hours before hitting the ending, it’s a little more understandable.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/24/dragon-quest-xi-s-definitive-edition-story-trailer"]

Square Enix announced the demo in a blog post. You can get the PS4 version here, the Xbox One demo here, or the Steam demo here.

“To be frank, calling this a demo is kind of underselling it,” Square writes. “The download lets you play through the entirety of the opening chapters - a gargantuan chunk of game that could take you around 10 hours, depending on how you play.”

Square Enix also added that players who complete the demo will receive a “little treat” for players who complete the demo, although they’re not revealing what it is.

Dragon Quest XI S is an expanded and enhanced version of the original 2017 JRPG, with new story content, new orchestral music, new battle speed options, a Japanese dialogue track, and an expanded crafting system, among other additions.

Dragon Quest XI S is out on December 4.