Suppermassive Games thriller/horror captivates gamers in the first few hours but fizzles out toward end.
Behind jump scares, a menacing atmosphere and villains creepy enough to give you second thoughts about turning off your lamp at night, Until Dawn is a must play.
That’s until the game burns out in the second half — becoming watered down with clichés.
Developed by Supermassive Games, Until Dawn feels, and plays, a lot like a game that had charisma when production started, yet the passion faded toward the end.
Story
Until Dawn follows eight teens who become trapped in an snowy, isolated lodge during a getaway weekend gone wrong.
Following the death of their two friends at the lodge the year before, the eight friends become hunted down by a masked creep, a man wielding a flamethrower (uhh...) and the supernatural.
With Hayden Panettiere starring as protagonist Sam, the star-studded cast grips gamers into an eight-hour thriller, as the voice acting is one of the strongest facets of Until Dawn.
The developers replicate nostalgia horror films like Scream and Halloween early and often — something that fans of the genre should enjoy. Sam and her friends will screech in panic because of their idiotic decisions or stubbornly split up into small groups only to be hunted down later.
The first four to five chapters are arguably some of the most captivating in gaming, as players’ fears and emotions are gushed into a whirlwind of madness. Matt, the “jock” of the group, can be dragged into a cave and impaled by a hook. Jess, the token “ditz” of the group, can be thrown down an escalator and have her jaw ripped off.
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Without spoiling anything, the game’s twist halfway through unfortunately weakens the overall experience. As a gamer, the madness and turmoil in the lodge can be exhilarating and fast-paced, yet when the group pieces together the mystery of the masked creep, the game starts to become stale.
Not only stale, the game's plot also becomes muddled with mistakes. Characters piece together clues they shouldn’t know about, and character motives become unclear while the story trips over itself toward the latter half. Unanswered questions remain way after the credits roll, and it seems Supermassive Games is more interested in preparing for a second game rather than finish off what it started.
Gameplay
Until Dawn relies on quick time events (QTE) and a “butterfly effect” — similar to games like Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls — to carry its narrative.
Players can make multiple choices during tense moments. Whether it’s hiding behind a wall or taking a leap of faith through a closed door, characters’ fates are determinant of the player’s choices.
Similarly to other QTE-based games, “your choices affecting the outcome” disclaimer is deceptive. Certain characters have “story armor,” or can’t die until a certain act, and many of my choices really didn’t alter the overarching structure Until Dawn is going for.
Sure, Supermassive Games doesn’t want players to kill off the characters right away, but a game promising ultimate freedom would’ve been refreshing.
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Until Dawn also has “stats” for each character, but this gameplay tweak really didn’t add much depth because of the lack of character development. Players are just naturally rushed into the horror without much substance to their thoughts and beliefs toward another character.
Again, some characters were asked to either “comfort” or “assert” themselves in a conversation, but neither affected the overall storyline and what some characters did to another. It’s aggravating and a gameplay trait that could’ve been more utilized.
Regardless, the game is gorgeous. Minus some texture pop up in bigger environments and some character models slightly glitching thanks to camera perspectives, the facial features in Until Dawn are some of the best around.
Final Verdict
Until Dawn’s first half is a blast, but sadly, the second half of the narrative falls flat. And for a game that heavily relies on its story, Supermassive Game’s horrorfest loses its touch towards the end.
Score: 3/5
@Lukeoroark
lr514812@ohio.edu
