Until Dawnremains one of the best PlayStation 4 exclusives of all time, especially for fans of horror and choice-driven narrative, since you can shape how your story plays out. It led to developer Supermassive Games creating a whole slew of horror games done in this fashion, which would eventually also include 2024’sThe Casting of Frank Stone, a collaboration with Behaviour Interactive’s Dead by Daylight.

Aside from setting and premise, Until Dawn and The Casting of Frank Stone are more alike than you think in terms of themes and certain story beats. Until Dawn might forever be considered Supermassive’s magnum opus, but how does the Dead by Daylight spin-off story fare in comparison?

Beware of some minor spoilers for Until Dawn and The Casting of Frank Stone ahead!

7Story And Lore - Tie

The Casting of Frank Stoneis a Lovecraftian adventurewith excellent twists and turns across multiple timelines and realities, while, at the same time, being full of Dead by Daylight lore and references. Until Dawn follows a group of friendswho must survive a single nightin the snowy Canadian wilderness of Blackwood Mountain, where terrifying Wendigos lurk.

The stories of Until Dawn and The Casting of Frank Stone intersect by both introducing an original killer that’s stalking your characters, along with their psychiatrist, coincidentally enough; in Until Dawn, it’s The Psycho; in The Casting of Frank Stone, it’s Frank Stone, or ‘The Champion.’ The killers in both stories are also used as red herrings for a much greater supernatural plot that’s taking place, which is a horror of cosmic proportions in The Casting of Frank Stone and horror inspired by Indigenous cultures in Until Dawn.

The Casting of Frank Stone is written by Graham Reznick, who also co-wrote Supermassive’s Until Dawn, The Quarry, and Man of Medan.

6Characters - Until Dawn

The characters would ultimately have to go to Until Dawn. This is mainly because Until Dawn has a longer story length of eight hours versusThe Casting of Frank Stone’s six hours, so you’re with them longer, and they’ll all be better developed as the events play out, which is one of the main issues with the latter. Plus, there are fewer playable characters in The Casting of Frank Stone.

You can still recall characters like Mike, Jessica, Chris, Ashley, Sam, and Josh, and their personalities, even ‘The Stranger,’ who ultimately ends up helping fight the Wendigos with his flamethrower.There’s also more Hollywood star powerattached to them in Until Dawn, as you have famous names like Rami Malek, Hayden Panettiere, Peter Stormare, Jordan Fisher, and Brett Dalton.

The Casting of Frank Stone has its outstanding cast as well, with characters like Chris, Linda, Jaime, Madi, Bonnie, Sam, and even the compelling antagonist, Augustine Lieber, but you don’t really get to spend as much time in their shoes building relationships as you could hope for.

5Graphics - The Casting Of Frank Stone

If the comparison was between The Casting of Frank Stone and the 2024 remake of Until Dawn, this would’ve easily been another tie. While Until Dawn’s graphics were groundbreaking at the time it launched in 2015, the game is beginning to show its age when considering the graphics of newer Supermassive games that have come out since, especially The Casting of Frank Stone,which uses Unreal Engine 5.

Supermassive continues to utilize Unreal Engine, and you might hardly notice any differences regarding models, animations, and environments when comparing it to The Devil in Me, or The Quarry, but you start to see major differences with Until Dawn. That’s not to say Until Dawn’s graphics are completely egregious; after all, the game was created using Guerrilla Games' Decima engine, which Horizon and Death Stranding would also use.

4Setting And Atmosphere - Tie

The Casting of Frank Stone has a retro and modern vibe built into its storythat’s tied to The Entity from Dead by Daylight. Aside from the prologue, the chapters are split between 1980 and 2024.

In 1980, you follow a group of high schoolers who are trying to become famous for a horror movie they’re filming at the seemingly abandoned Cedar Steel Mill where Frank Stone carried out his gruesome murders. In 2024, you follow a group of strangers who gather at a mansion in England called Gerant Manor, which harbors dark, Lovecraftian, and occult secrets.

In Until Dawn, you visit an abandoned sanatorium, eerie mines, and the Washington family lodge on Blackwood Mountain. Every location is equally creepy and suspenseful, and the snowy climate adds even more to the atmosphere. Therefore, both The Casting of Frank Stone and Until Dawn deliver exceptional narrative-driven horror experiences with their use of settings.

3Sound Design - Tie

Sound design is very important for a horror game, and it’s safe to say both games nail it. The unique opportunity with The Casting of Frank Stone is that you get horror giants Supermassive and Behaviour Interactive joining forces to incorporate some audio from Dead by Daylight, which makes everything better.

The sounds all work effectively to create urgency, there’s always persistent eerie music as you explore environments, and then the final sequence with Frank Stone chasing you around Gerant Manor is some of the most suspenseful and movie-quality audio work ever. Likewise, Until Dawn’s prompts, sound cues, and ominous soundtrack from Jason Graves build great tension and atmosphere throughout.

2Gameplay And Branching Story Design - Tie

While both games remain Supermassive to the core and revolve around decision-making mechanics featuring hundreds of branching story paths, relationships, and characters dying based on choices you make, there are some significant differences in gameplay.

Until Dawn has totem collectibles revealing character fates you might potentially want to avoid, while The Casting of Frank Stoneoffers The Cutting Room Floor. It’s a feature that allows you to revisit certain points in every chapter to unlock alternate paths without having to replay everything from the start, but only after you finish the game once (or purchase the Deluxe Edition).

Until Dawn has an interactive narrator,the psychiatrist Dr. Hill, who responds to your choices. The Dark Pictures and The Quarry would further expand on that feature, but this is absent from The Casting of Frank Stone. Augustine Lieber is your narrator for the story, but she’s not Dr. Hill, Eliza Vorez, or The Curator.

In The Casting of Frank Stone,Skill Checks and generators return from Dead by Daylight, plus you have actual ‘FPS-style’ combat using a cursed Super 8 camera to repeatedly banish the green, otherworldly spirit of Frank Stone. Being a PS4-exclusive, Until Dawn makes use of DualShock controls and relies on the ‘Don’t Move!’ mechanic to make characters stay still by having you hold your controller still.

1Verdict - Tie

If you were left feeling disappointed by some of the lackluster offeringsin the first season of The Dark Pictures Anthologyand weren’t impressed with The Quarry, The Casting of Frank Stone does a much better job with its story and impactful choices, while also paying homage to the world of Dead by Daylight.In our four-star review, TheGamer’s James Troughton proclaims, “Not only is Frank Stone its (Supermassive’s) best since Until Dawn, it even surpasses that seminal modern classic.”

That’s certainly high praise for The Casting of Frank Stone, and itiseasily the best Supermassive game since the 2015 title that started it all. You should play both games, as they’re truly memorable narrative-focused horror gems you won’t find from any other studio. And if you’re on PC, you might eventually want to add Until Dawn (2024) along with The Casting of Frank Stone to your Steam library!