The definitive Until Dawn experience…..
Until Dawn came out almost 10 years ago back in 2015 and it was a critical success with press and fans alike. Fans looking for an interactive murder game were treated to a gem by the folks at Supermassive Games. Almost 10 years on now and it feels like everything is getting the remaster/remake treatment. Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, Uncharted, The Last of Us all getting a modern lick of paint to entice new players to give it a try. It’s Until Dawn’s try and whilst I did play the original back in 2015, I’d forgotten many elements of it. After a playthrough of Until Dawn on the PlayStation 5, it is obvious that this is the definitive edition, and the choice to bring it to new and old players alike was a very good choice indeed!
Right from the bat you’ll notice the improved visuals. Everything seems sharper and scarier than ever before. The game has been rebuilt from the ground up using the powerful Unreal Engine 5 and it certainly shows in both the cutscenes and gameplay. In the PlayStation 4 version, I always felt that the darker seems felt a little jaded so it is nice to see some much needed work go into this area of the game. It certainly immersed me more than before, and the jump scares got me 10x more than they did when I was 26!!!. Maybe I’m getting worse with horror’s as I get older? I think I’ll leave the next one to our resident horror expert, Kyle.
For those who didn’t play the first game, Until Dawn sets on you a story about a group of friends to come together a year after the death of two popular friends. You’re back in the same location, so you know full well, the person, thing that killed them two is still lurking up and ready to kill each and everyone of the returning members. I really enjoyed the story, not just because of its horror elements, but it also focuses on the friendships between the group. each couple has their own distinctive relationships.
Of course, the aim of the game is to keep the friends alive, which is much easier said than done. Did i manage to keep any alive…. Yes, not many though! The game explains to you that your choices will affect you. You’ll also have events where you’ll have to press certain buttons in order to successfully navigate through that scene .These are much better displayed in the remake, I often found myself struggling in the original, but you can also make the prompts bigger in the settings.
Overall, the game lasts around 8 hours for a playthrough. Luckily, there are many paths and choices to go through which make multiple playthroughs so worth it. I’m currently on my 2nd and I am making different choices each time. From a perspective of a whole gaming experience, Until Dawn is great, probably better if you had skipped the original and went straight for the remake. But in hindsight, I would have thought a sequel would have happened more than a remake
Thanks to PlayStation UK for the review code
