Note: In this remake review, I am talking about Until Dawn with the reader’s prior knowledge assumed.
For a refresher on what the game is and how to play it, read Shannon’s full review, originally published in 2015, embedded below.
The latest in PlayStation’s bold strategy to re-release the entire previous generation slate in some form, at least until Dawn has been rebuilt from the ground up with all the benefits of the PlayStation 5 in mind. The original was the game that put Supermassive on the map, complete with choose-your-own-adventure and branching stories that many others have tried, and almost a decade later, it’s still one of their best. I believe it is a masterpiece.
Rumors of a Firesprite-driven sequel may be swirling, perhaps to complement the impending film adaptation, but this remake was handled by Ballistic Moon. Not content with developing a 1:1 copy of the original Torch, the team has taken many liberties with certain aspects of the title’s identity, which has led to some ire from fans (perhaps That’s only natural).
In an effort to modernize Until Dawn, the team sacrificed some of what they felt was essential to the tone and atmosphere that struck the first film.
I’m far from in the camp of people rallying to maintain fixed camera angles, but I can’t deny that much of Until Dawn’s tension can be attributed to them. In fact, being locked into one perspective feels like an important accomplishment in the game’s overarching theme of fear of the unknown, and abandoning it in favor of a freer, over-the-shoulder perspective is a shame. I think so. For me, the character handling was something that needed an overhaul, but still, the sluggish feel of a shopping cart still lingers on someone trudging through the Blackwood Mountains.
Similar fixes have been made to the game’s overall presentation, but I feel it’s something of a mixed bag. Character models and environment detail have been greatly improved, but in the pursuit of higher fidelity, Ballistic Moon has ditched the original blue color grade in favor of a more realistic and dynamic color palette. Again, this feels like a tonal sacrifice, but in this case the game is worth it, as the improved lighting alone looks beautiful rendered in Unreal Engine 5 and is clearly a step above the original. I would argue that it is.
Many of the films have been completely reworked and rescored to give a more television perspective on certain events in the story’s canon. For example, the prologue that begins the events of the game, and indeed its pranks, switches seamlessly between the two action planes, allowing scenes to be reconfigured in a more considered context to the haunting La Roux remix. Yes, creative reshoots were done. “In for the Kill”. It recreates the gritty atmosphere created for Fox’s TV slasher series, but it’s in keeping with the cheesy camp that made the original so entertaining.
Unfortunately, this remake doesn’t take full advantage of the DualSense’s key features. I very much appreciate that Trigger tenses up when making important choices in the story and provides enough feedback to make me reconsider myself, but I don’t think I could have tried harder. I felt that. For a game that relies heavily on cheesy jump scares, the controller’s speaker implementation to heighten that warning doesn’t feel underwhelming. In fact, I can’t say I’ve ever noticed it. So it’s probably best to play with good headphones.
After all, if this is your first experience with Until Dawn, the game on offer is still a classic, almost genre-defining horror title, and still the developer’s best work. But in addition to the fact that the previous generation Until Dawn is now better optimized at a fraction of the price, this is the definitive version of Until Dawn, sacrificing a considered but perhaps misplaced atmosphere. It’s hard to say.
original review
Until Dawn was originally scheduled to be released on PS3 as a PlayStation Move exclusive game. The general premise of the game revolves around eight friends who return to Blackwood Pines to celebrate twin sisters Hannah and Beth’s first anniversary. The twins mysteriously disappear after being chased by a deranged serial killer. The game starts out at a very slow pace, but this is necessary since the game allows you to learn about each character’s personality and their relationships with other members of the group.
The story of Until Dawn follows a trend that is very familiar to fans of horror movies. It’s over-the-top, incredibly cheesy, and full of incredibly glamorous scenes that almost certainly wouldn’t be performed in real life. All of these and more make the game’s story a complete success and one that you won’t want to leave. Your characters will mostly play typical roles, but the freedom of dialogue choice and how your characters ultimately interact with other characters can make the mundane dialogue a lot of fun .
The story is divided by sessions with a psychologist. This set the tone for the game incredibly early on and was one of my favorite parts of the game. Early sessions change gameplay. Whether it’s choosing your biggest fear or phobia, or the character you hate the most, I think it will influence how the story unfolds. This is very reminiscent of Silent Hills: Shattered Memories in a good way and adds a new layer to the story that I wasn’t expecting.
Presenting Until Dawn is a mostly positive experience. The environments are incredibly dark, but everything has detail and there are lots of interesting areas to explore. The game uses light sources such as flashlights and lanterns to position the player and control them with analog sticks or motion controls depending on the control scheme you choose. This light source allows you to focus on the details within Blackwood Pines. The acting in this game is some of the best I’ve ever seen in a video game, with Peter Stormare playing an interesting psychologist and Hayden Panettiere and Rami Malek rounding out the all-star lineup. did. The motion caps and animation are top-notch in the gaming industry, and Supermassive Games should be praised for this.
The music and sound effects in Until Dawn were a highlight for me. This score wonderfully reminds me of some of the best horror movies I’ve seen. Provides a lot of atmosphere when building major set scenes in the game. The sound effects are equally great, with the constant sound of flapping birds, cries from the woods, and other noises keeping you on your toes.
The game is divided into a series of chapters (similar to Alan Wake), which are interesting but strange. On the one hand, breaking up the game into different sections until Dawn works perfectly, but I can’t help but feel that the game was originally set up to be episodic or something like that. did. At the beginning of each chapter, a montage of previous scenes leading to the current scene is shown. This is great for those who are likely to play the game over several weeks, but with most chapters only 30-60 minutes long, it seems like overkill for those who finish the game over the weekend .
Until Dawn is a very interesting game that combines gaming and interactive experience. The first few hours of the game have very little action, which can frustrate some gamers looking for non-stop action. This really starts about 1/3 of the way through the game and doesn’t disappoint until the ending. Until Dawn features a series of gameplay techniques from start to finish. The game is a seamless combination of cutscenes, quick-time events, and character control sections. I found the balance between gameplay and storytelling to be almost perfect.
Most of the time, you’ll be splitting up into pairs or exploring the environment alone. I wish the game involved participating in large group environments more often. I felt that constantly jumping between characters was a negative experience as it often takes you out of the emotional experience and puts you with another character in a very relaxed environment. . I understand that this needs to be done in a horror environment, but I found that it helped relieve some of the tension felt from the crazier set pieces.
There are a lot of collectibles in the game that will help you assemble the story. These range from learning about the murderer to learning more about Hannah and Beth and even other characters in the game. There is also a totem pole that indicates possible sequences to perform that may appear later in the game. In fact, I was surprised at how much time I could spend exploring each environment to find every last clue. That’s definitely a positive and provides a reason to get back into the game.
The most interesting part of Until Dawn is the Butterfly Effect. The theory is that small decisions in life can have multiple effects on your future. Until Dawn makes great use of this theory. The decisions you make during the conversations will affect set pieces and scenarios later in the game. This means that no two playthroughs are the same. This also means that not all gamers will have the same character die in the game. The number of in-game choices and branches is incredibly deep, and players have vastly different experiences throughout the game, providing endless replay value and entertainment during discussions.
Quick time events play a huge role in the game and form a large part of the action gameplay. When running away from a psycho, you are often presented with two options. One is a faster escape route, but requires you to press the button faster. All it takes is one wrong button press to permanently kill one character, which means you have to be on your toes at all times.
One of the most playful elements of Until Dawn was the scare camera. With the PlayStation Camera connected to your PS4, you can automatically record specific jump scare moments throughout the game and share them online. Jump scares are usually completely crap and a horrifying cliché of horror, but the addition of the ability to record your own scares makes it an actually fun feature, and this feature has become a horror game on YouTube. Incorporated into the trend of “Let’s Play” videos of people who are obsessed with it. Look at someone’s reaction.
I played Until Dawn with motion controls and had a lot of fun. Decisions are made by tilting the controller in either direction, and there are certain sections where you need to move the controller to aim and fire. I also do a lot of reading using my trackpad. The PlayStation Camera is also used as a “horror camera” that captures video of scary moments in games.
conclusion
Until Dawn is a thrilling experience. For horror fans, this will be one of the best horror experiences in gaming in years. It strikes the perfect balance between storytelling and gameplay, and never drags on. I always wanted to go back to find out what happened next, which is a rare occurrence in gaming narratives. Those looking for continuous action may be disappointed, but I highly recommend giving it a try for those looking for a unique and new experience.
positive
thrilling story
great action and motion capture
strong atmosphere
negative
slight pacing issue
Price may deter players from participating
