[BLOG] Until Dawn Review!

Post Reply
Kawaii Lis
Posts: 0
Joined: 09 Sep 2015, 15:22

[BLOG] Until Dawn Review!

Post by Kawaii Lis »

This is a blog post. To read the original post, please click here »

Ever wanted to be part of a horror movie? Well now is your chance!

Until Dawn by Supermassive Games on the PS4 lets you make the decisions of who lives, and dies in this interactive survival horror.



Image



The storyline of the game is very much your classic horror movie plot; set in a secluded cabin (which is more like a mansion,) on a mountain that is owned by the dad of Josh, and his twin sisters, Beth and Hannah. The game begins with eight teenagers having a party, and playing a practical joke on one of the twin sisters, causing the twins to run into the snow, never to be seen again. One year later, the story continues with Josh inviting the eight friends back to the cabin to commemorate the day his sisters went missing. All is fine until they find themselves trapped on the mountain with a killer on the loose.



Image



As it is an interactive game, there isn’t a whole lot you need to do in the ways of gameplay. It is kind of like watching a movie, but having involvement of what happens by pressing buttons in quick time events. However, they have improved this type of gameplay by including multiple playable characters and ‘the butterfly effect’ to the game. Having this mechanism in the game means that you as the player, not only have to make your choices quickly, but also decisively, as making one choice in the game can change how things will play out later on. For example, deciding to pick up a weapon can change your options and potentially save the character’s life. Another example is choosing what you say to a character; this can change the storyline but can also affect the relationship between them. They have also made it so that all of the playable characters can either live or die so it is up to the player to decide who they want to live.



Image



Throughout the game there are many things to pick up and collect; these include clues and also totems. Totems allow the player to see into the future and depending on the colour of the totem, the player will see different things; for example the death of a character or a guidance clue to what a character should choose to do later.



Image



The graphics of the game are stunning. If you are one of those gamers that likes to stop and do a bit of sight seeing you won’t be disappointed with the scenery and also the footprints the characters make in the snow. It does also mean that the gory parts of the game are very graphic, but if you are a fan of horror you will appreciate the detail. Motion capture has been used for the characters which really brings them to life, from their movements to their extremely detailed facial expressions, which can be seen when the player stops moving the controller. The camera will zoom in to the character’s face, really showing off the detail used and also showing you the emotions the character is feeling at that point in time.







A couple of things that I personally didn’t like about the game is that the controls can’t be inverted, so if you are an old style gamer like myself, you may find aiming the controls on shooting quick time events a little tricky. The other thing is that when you complete the game, you have the option to select the chapter to start your second play through. However it does not save the second play through over the top. Not a massive deal, but if you accidentally killed the first person (like I did), it means that in order for said character to live through all the outcomes, you will need to go back to a specific point in the game to start again.
Overall, the game really draws you in to the storyline and can easily be played multiple times as there are so many choices to make and things to collect. I really enjoyed the game and if you are a fan of horror films/games this is definitely a game for you!



I'ma give it 8.5/10

~Kawaii
Post Reply