Many people play horror games for the thrills, the chills, the twists, and the turns, all to get their adrenaline pumping, to feel that fear cranked to 100%. Like many adrenaline junkies, Until Dawn is absolutely packed with different horror movie clichés with a massive turn of events near the end that stumped many of the people I watched play the game. I picked up Until Dawn at some point; I went in completely blind, and when you go in, the twists are sharp. Until Dawn recently had a remaster in October 2024, so I’ve decided to review my thoughts on it because I was reminded about it.
Until Dawn was a video game company’s take on the slasher film genre, taking movie scenes and placing them into an interactive game format, making every choice give a possible different ending. This was a new type of gaming that greatly hooked fans. At the time, the company Supermassive Games was small, but its success caused it to grow much bigger. Until Dawn’s actual gameplay is engaging in the way a movie is, but has choices that some people, including myself, have yearned to have while watching movies; it makes you feel as if you are a part of the game itself, heightening the tense fear.
There are quick time events: you must act fast, and it causes spikes of fear and stress, making it feel more realistic. There are moments when you must keep the controller completely still as if you are truly hiding. The shooting isn’t accurate, but there is a ticking time limit, increasing the stress of the situations you may find yourself in. The suspense really draws someone in. You must save someone, but if you fail a single quick time event, they can die. This immense pressure can actually lead to more stress, causing more mistakes when making choices.
There is also a wide variety of characters with different tropes and personalities: Josh, the typical party jokester who turns out to be an antagonist; Sam, the strong female lead; Emily, the mean girl, Matt, the jock, Mike, the popular boy; Jessica, the popular girl, and Chris and Ashley, who are more dorky but still important. We also have Hannah and Beth, mystery twins, sisters of Josh, who we must uncover the mystery surrounding their deaths. There are supernatural elements, there’s a serial killer, a mastermind, slasher elements, and there’s the typical horror movie romance between the cast. It truly feels as if you are watching a true horror movie.
It’s always best to go into a game blind, so now it’s great. The animation can be off-putting, the dialogue corny, but the story has a titanium hook. There are many clues to be found to not only discover the twins’ fate, but it also reveals a scandal taking place on the land they are spending the week at. Finding clues rewards different endings, giving new perspectives on stories, and even when you finish, you can replay it over and over for so many different outcomes to make the purchase completely worth it.
