It is almost that time ladies and gentlemen. The leaves start to turn brown, the weather starts to turn a little cooler and it starts getting dark earlier. With all that means we are that much closer to Halloween where we watch all of our favorite horror movies, you know, the ones that made us not sleep at night or look underneath our bed with the fear of something or someone hiding with a machete that will strike at any moment. Well Supermassive wanted to get us into the holiday spirit a little early with a late summer release of their horror title Until Dawn.
Originally a PlayStation 3 Move game, Until Dawn takes place in the northern mountains where a group of your everyday high schoolers are on a short trip to a vacation house up in the cliffs. Supermassive Games takes the things that are classic behaviors from old horror slasher films and brings them to life into the characters you take control of which adds some humor and at times made me yell at the screen saying “Really?”. The story surrounds 8 characters who all wanted to be there for one another after an incident that happened in the beginning of the game. They start to realize that mysterious things are happening around them and are now trapped up on the mountain and can’t get help until dawn. Sounds like a typical old horror slasher flick right?
The story is something really enjoyed because not only do we take control of the 8 different characters but we also get to decide who we want to die and who we want to live. It doesn’t matter who dies first or early in the story or even later, it will all have an impact on the story as it continues and I love it because that means multiple playthroughs. However, around the last part of the game Until Dawn felt like it was written by someone completely different. It’s almost like the story went from an old slasher flick to a more modern supernatural flick. Every choice in this game has a reaction to your choice so you need to be careful. I will say there are a few moments I jumped and just one part that really got me and had to gather myself a bit. There is no multiplayer in the game which there is no need for one. However I want to try to Twitch the whole game and have you (the audience) decide what happens to everyone.
The controls are pretty simple and very easy to get a hold of. I had my girlfriend play for a couple of hours and she doesn’t play games at all and she was handling everything like a pro. There are quick time events but its not a galore of them and it makes it more of a make or break point if you miss a particular one and that character could possibly die. I made that mistake and as soon as I finished the game I restarted the game so I can make sure that one character didn’t die. The camera in the game does a fantastic job following you around making you feel like your being watched at every step which made me think while playing that at any moment there will be a jump scare.
The graphics are extremely impressive and at times I was watching a movie. The amount of detail in every character down to their facial expressions are done perfectly. The fact that Supermassive Games used actual well know actors like Hayden Panettiere (Nashville and Heroes), Rami Melek (Mr. Robot and Need for Speed) and Brett Dalton (Marvel’s Agents of Shield) made me feel like I was watching a movie even more. When your inside the cabin there is even dust in the air as you walk around.
The sound is also great with every step you make into the snow to the wood creaking while your walking around in the house fell like you are really there. The soundtrack has moments that grabs your attention more and makes what’s happening on screen even more intense. The voice acting is also great from all of the actors. The acting was so well done to where there are some characters you really hated and wanted them to die as soon as possible.
The Recommendation
If you are a horror fanatic and more of a cinematic gamer I highly recommend Until Dawn to you. It took me about 10 hours to complete and I am on my second play through now. Even if your significant other doesn’t really play games but loves horror movies let them try this and with the simple controls and great storytelling they will be hooked.
