The "Until Dawn" Experience

Until Dawn is a PlayStation exclusive that was initially released in 2015 on the PS4. It fell into this week’s poll as a contender (and lost horribly with 0 votes), and I figured it would be fun to talk about while I take a break from talking about films. I don’t think I’ll go into depth about the plot of this game, so it should stay safe for people to read even if they hadn’t played all the way through.

The reason for this surface-level review is that a remake of the game will soon be releasing for PS5 and PC (October 4, 2024) and there is also news that the game will be getting a film adaptation. A remake sounds great in my opinion, though a live action film adaptation seems…. interesting. For those who have had the wonderful experience of playing a narrative driven game like this, you’ll notice that it took the player’s choices into account to help drive the story forward. It was one of the many things that made this game good (and scary).

Anyway, I’d begin to ramble if I dove further into my thoughts on how a film adaptation would work. I wanted to talk mostly about my experience with the game and how enjoyable I thought it was.

I remember the game being announced and at the time, my love for horror was slowly evolving from movies to video games. The trailer for it intrigued me and Hayden Panettiere was enough for me to be excited. It was pre-ordered from my local GameStop and the waiting game commenced.

Until Dawn released and rushed home to crack open the case, load the game into my PS4, and prepare for a night of scares. The first thing that caught me by surprise by the cinematography. Throughout the course of Until Dawn, you are in control of a group of friends, but everything plays out like a movie. The graphics were good enough at the time that it felt almost like a movie night (until you had to pick up your controller). The characters were all wonderful in terms of style, differing personalities, and personal struggles. Each character felt like they could be someone the player could relate to (especially in moments where their lives were on the line). I was impressed with how each character reacted to a situation especially when choices that were made earlier in the game came up later.

Going back to the game’s narrative, it seemed well thought out in terms of story. The entire game feels like it’ll end one way, but ends completely differently. I would love to be able to experience the twist again for the first time. Until Dawn starts how every horror movie starts, with the friends arriving at their destination. The power gets shut off and mysterious things begin happening around the cabin that sets the characters on edge. It’s as if someone is stalking them, waiting to strike. Their panic and paranoia can quickly have the player freaking out just the same (especially since the player is in control of their fates). Two characters sneak off to break the cardinal rule in horror films and quickly have to find a way out of their situations. Others are slowly figuring things out and they all come together to try and escape their situation.

Or do they…

The anxiety of making the right choices can actually cause a player (me) to make wrong ones. The choices aren’t as simple as having dialogue options. You (as the player) have to choose what actions each character can make and sometimes those choices can be fatal. Until Dawn didn’t hold back on the use of quick time events (QTE’s) and it brought me back to a time where I was frustrated with Resident Evil 6 (curse that game for its HEAVY use of QTE’s). One mis-click or actual miss of hitting a button can cause your character to make a mistake, get hurt, or worse.

Another interesting aspect of this game is that you can talk to a psychiatrist in between each chapter. For a long time, I believed that Dr. Hill (the psychiatrist) was talking directly to the player because of how my decisions (fears) made their way into the actual game. I perused Reddit, wondering who Dr. Hill was and what his part in the game was supposed to be and then found myself on the Wiki page for the character. I wonder if Dr. Hill’s character or involvement was meant to be left up to interpretation, but it seems as if Dr. Hill is a figment of a specific character’s imagination throughout the game. After the events of the prologue, one of the playable characters needed to seek help. Dr. Hill’s presence in the game makes for an even more interesting experience and is sometimes a nice break from feeling the constant anxiety of having to keep the friends alive.

Until Dawn was the first game that I played where my decisions were truly important. I loved the risk of it (I hated it) and enjoyed the story in its entirety. I loved the twist and it truly caught me off guard as I thought that it would play out like a generic horror movie. I think that I would’ve loved it either way, but I couldn’t wrap my head around the story unfolding in the way that it did and it truly became more horrifying as the friends slowly began realizing what was happening to them.

Until Dawn is a game that holds up well almost ten years later and it was nice to see that Supermassive Games opted to release more stories like this. The ones that I have played through have all been captivating in their own way, taking on the challenge of telling stories with a bit of a twist. I don’t want to dive too deep into this as it’ll ruin the surprise, but I think this is an experience that all gamers with a love for horror should try.

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This week's post is a little short, but with the release of the remake right around the corner, I wasn't sure about going into a deep dive. I highly recommend playing this game especially if you're looking for something scary this Halloween season. Until Dawn won't disappoint if you'd like to play something that feels like a movie. Be sure to play at night for full immersion and enjoy if you decide to check it out!

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Catch you next week!

🔪Versa