“The past is beyond our control. You have to accept this in order to move forward. But there is freedom in this revelation. Everything you do, every decision you make from now on, will open doors to the future. I want you to remember this. I want you to remember this as you play your game. Every single choice will affect your fate, and the fate of those around you.” –

Until Dawn

This is an interesting quote to use to begin a game.

Until Dawn

is a horror game disguised as a horror movie. Developed by Supermassive Games, this game is a PlayStation 4 exclusive, so don’t expect it to launch on the Xbox One or the PC. The player takes control of a group of eight characters you would find in a slasher film. One minute, you will take control of a charismatic “Chad” and in the next sequence, you will take control of a girl bragging about her 4.0 GPA. Whoever it is, your job is to keep that character alive (or let the character die, depending on how you wanna look at this) through serious danger.

As a narrative-heavy game similar to Quantic Dreams’

Heavy Rain

or

Detroit: Become Human

,

Until Dawn

relies heavily on choice and consequences. Imagine the “butterfly effect.” With every decision, you branch into different futures, meaning you can make the right or wrong choice and possibly kill the character you’re controlling. Unlike other narrative-heavy games like TellTale’s

The Walking Dead

, there is no game-over screen or reload from the last save point. Rather, the game will just move onto the next character and continue play should your current character die.

The narrative starts off similarly to a modern horror film. A boy named Josh invites a group of his friends fresh out of high school to an isolated cabin on top of a mountain. If this doesn’t scream shady, be aware that getting to the top of the mountain requires a ski lift. Anyways, this isolated cabin used to be the group’s party spot back in the day. However, in the previous year, the group played a prank which caused Josh’s two sisters to be mysteriously and tragically killed. Now, a year later, the group returns to the site for old time’s sake and to help Josh move on. Nothing creepy about that, right? Except the group is not in the mountains alone. Something is out there… supernatural or not.

Although this sounds a lot like the set up of a spooky film, unlike in horror movies you are not just the spectator. You literally control the choices and actions of the characters and become the people of this horror show. (Don’t bother screaming how stupid you think the characters are for doing things that put them in imminent danger. That’s you.) Honestly, if you hate a character so much, have fun putting him or her in the craziest danger possible.

Until Dawn

has a wide range of characters. Aside from being archetypes of everything you would find in a horror movie, these characters complement each other and complete the whole experience. Characters are meant to evoke some kind of emotion in you. Mike, the chill guy, is there to make things feel easy. He’s funny and charming. Then you have Emily, the girl you would want to shut up. There is also Josh, and the dude lost both of his sisters, so it is not hard to feel sympathetic. The conversations between the characters can be lighthearted, like when Mike and his girlfriend Jessica flirt back and forth with one another. At the same time, there is the obviously toxic relationship between Emily and Matt. If you have seen

Halloween

or

Friday the 13th

, expect similar character tropes to reappear.

Until Dawn

’s map is considerably smaller than most narrative games. That feeling sort of traps the player into the mountains in the game’s world. Like a horror movie, you can’t just pack up and get the heck out of there. Essentially, you are trapped in this small but vicious environment. Every corner you turn, you are met with wildlife jumpscares and a stalkerish serial killer watching you from behind. However, this small world can put you on the edge of your seat. The game reminds you of constant danger. One minute, you are safe in a cabin and in the next you are trapped in an abandoned coal mine with dangers lurking around every corner.

Like most horror movies,

Until Dawn

focuses a lot on jump scares. Those jump scares sometimes derive from actual danger, but other times result from harmless things like a character playing a prank or an adorable squirrel. Despite the heavy use of jump scares, it doesn’t feel cheap or unnecessary. It is sort of like the developers included those scares to remind the player not to get too comfortable with the environment just yet. So, expect your heart rate to spike every now and then.

Earlier, I mentioned the butterfly effect. Well, unlike other narrative-focused games,

Until Dawn

relies on this mechanic to conjure the many different endings you can unlock. Every choice you make, from the most trivial ones to the intense and dangerous ones, comes back to bite you one way or another. You can pick up a weapon and your character could equip it to protect themselves. Miss it, and you might be sorry later. You could be mean to one character only to have them betray you a few chapters later as a result. These choices are often trivial at first, but once they pile up the consequences begin to snowball and things can go wrong very quickly. The developers claim that there are an infinite amount of endings. After a few playthroughs, you will realize that no walkthrough looks exactly the same. However, I have only discovered a few of the endings.

The game’s butterfly effect blurs the degree to which the player is actually in control. This game has two other interesting mechanics that I took note of during my playthrough. First, players each have a relationship bar with other characters which gauge the particular character’s character traits. Ultimately, the more friendly you become with one character, the higher the relationship bar moves up. If you are mean, you can expect the bar to decrease. Similar to each character’s traits. You can lie and watch your honesty meter deplete or pick the cheesiest lines to increase your humor. Additionally, the game has various totems on the ground which provide the player with short glimpses into possible futures. These can predict potential deaths or dangers, provide guidance regarding future choices, and give glimpses of good fortune. These mechanics serve as good predictors or indicators of your progress.

In addition to the main story, players are introduced to some sort of “therapy session” with a doctor who attempts to explore your mind. By “your,” I mean he will ask you personal questions (such as what your fears are, the characters you like in the game, your opinion of them, etc.). It is fairly similar to

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

’ attempt at a psychological profile of the player. It is quite an interesting addition to the game, almost like a pre-chapter check-in before the following sequence. Unlike

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

, the therapy sessions don’t alter the game but rather the game alters your therapy sessions.

The graphics of this game are phenomenal. The ambience, the environment, and the fact that it feels like you are really in a horror movie says something about how immersive

Until Dawn

really is. I find myself admiring the small landscape of this world and how eerie the interior looks. Additionally, the actors who play our lovely protagonists are motion-captured, which means that what you see is what you get. These voice actors performed their respective roles, and it really brings the world to life. Their facial animations are as clear as it gets. You might even recognize a few familiar celebrity faces in this game if you look hard enough. Despite the clear facial reactions though, character movement can feel clunky at some points, as the characters move in an obviously-unrealistic direction, almost like dolls. But, the facial expressions and voice acting definitely make-up for any awkward animations.

Until Dawn

is a great narrative game for players who are looking for a good slasher movie but would rather play a game instead. It has the traits of a good

Halloween

film and even something as supernatural as

The Blair Witch


Project

. If you are looking for a good 10-to-12-hour interactive horror experience, I highly recommend picking up

Until Dawn

. But, for our readers who might be a little too scared, there are plenty of playthroughs on YouTube if you are looking for a nice scare this Halloween.