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Until Dawn

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Until Dawn
Developer(s)Supermassive Games
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Writer(s)Graham Reznick
Larry Fessenden
Composer(s)Jason Graves[1]
Platform(s)PlayStation 4
Release
  • NA: 25 August 2015
  • EU: 26 August 2015
  • AU: 26 August 2015
  • JP: 27 August 2015
  • UK: 28 August 2015
Genre(s)Interactive drama, survival horror
Mode(s)Single-player

Until Dawn is an interactive drama survival horror video game developed by Supermassive Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4.[2] It was originally scheduled to be released on the PlayStation 3 and feature PlayStation Move support, but in August 2014, the game was reintroduced as a PlayStation 4 exclusive,[3] and was released worldwide in August 2015.[4]

Until Dawn was met with a positive critical response upon release, with praise directed at the visuals, 'choice' mechanic, horror elements, music, characters, voice acting, and gameplay design. Most of the criticism the game drew concerned the second half of the story, the camera angles, character movement, and the game's partially linear plot.

Gameplay

Until Dawn is designed to be played multiple times, as players cannot see all content with a single play-through.[5] Each playthrough lasts about nine hours in length[6] and the game mechanics utilize an in-game system called the "Butterfly Effect" in which any choice of action by the player may cause unforeseen consequences later on.[7] For example, locating a weapon in an earlier chapter may allow the player to pick it up down the line when a chase scene leads back to the same room. Throughout the game, players will make difficult decisions during ethical or moral dilemmas, such as sacrificing one character to save another.[8] The Butterfly Effect system blurs the line between right and wrong decisions and it is possible for players to keep all eight characters alive as well as having all eight of them die, allowing for many different paths and scenarios as well as offering several different endings for each character.[9] Until Dawn has a strict auto-save system to prevent players from reloading a previous save file to an earlier point in the game if they regret an in-game decision they have made. The only way to change the player's choice is to restart the game from the beginning or continue to the end and start a new game.[10] The developer has stated that Until Dawn has "hundreds of endings" but that should not be taken literally. Different endings have different variations depending on the combination of characters alive at the end of the game.[11][12]

The gameplay is focused on exploration, quick-time events and discovering clues as well as making decisions.[13] There is an in-game system that will keep track of all of the clues and secrets players have discovered in total, even if there are multiple playthroughs; these clues will allow the player to piece together the mysteries of Blackwood.[14] In terms of the gameplay mechanics and theme, Until Dawn has been noted to be similar to Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls.[15][16]

Plot

On 2 February 2014, seven friends: Sam (Hayden Panettiere), Mike (Brett Dalton), Chris (Noah Fleiss), Ashley (Galadriel Stineman), Emily (Nichole Bloom), Jessica (Meaghan Martin), and Matt (Jordan Fisher) are celebrating their annual winter getaway at the Blackwood Pines lodge, owned by their mutual friends, Josh Washington (Rami Malek) and his twin sisters, Hannah and Beth (Ella Lentini), located near Blackwood Mountain in Alberta, Canada. The five of them (minus Chris and Sam) prank Hannah, who flees into the forest in humiliation. When Beth discovers her, the two are hunted by a creature who corners them into a cliff, where they fall and are presumed dead. The chapter is followed by a therapy session with Dr. Hill (Peter Stormare), who poses a question to his patient; these sessions will come up in following chapters and will affect what contents of the game that will be shown. His patient is concealed with the first-person view at first, but is later revealed to be Josh.

In 2014, ten friends; Sam, Josh, his twin sisters Hannah and Beth, Mike, Jessica, Emily, Matt, Ashley, and Chris have gathered together at the Washington Lodge on Blackwood Mountain for their annual winter getaway.

During their celebrations, half of them decide to play a prank on Hannah, who's romantically interested in Mike. While Josh and Chris are passed out drunk in the kitchen, Mike invites Hannah up to his room. Unbeknownst to her, Jess, Emily, Matt and Ashley are hiding under the bed and in the closet. As Mike convinces her as she starts taking off her clothes, Jess accidentally reveals everyone and in doing so, humiliates Hannah just as Sam bursts in to warn Hannah, finding out that it was too late.

Hannah runs out of the cabin and into the snowy woods as everyone runs after her, trying to apologize and convince her to come back. Beth suddenly appears after hearing the commotion and asks them what happened. After learning that Hannah has been humiliated, she angrily tells them off and chases after Hannah. As Beth finds her way into the middle of the woods, she locates Hannah crying in the middle of a small clearing and comforts her. Suddenly, they hear a violent noise and run from an unseen pursuer.

As they're cornered at the edge of a cliff, Hannah slips and falls while holding Beth's hand, taking her down with her. Beth manages to hang onto a large branch at the edge of the cliff, with Hannah on her other arm. The next moment, a strange man crouches by the edge of the cliff and extends his hand, but Hannah and Beth both fall to their apparent deaths, never to be seen again.

On the one year anniversary of the disappearances of Hannah and Beth Washington, the remaining seven friends accept Josh's invitation back to mountain and make their way there. As the group separates to partake in their own festivities, their seemingly idyllic getaway begins to quickly turn sinister in more ways than one. Mike and Jessica head to a guest cabin for some alone time and Jessica is kidnapped by an unknown creature, and Mike chases after her in an attempt to save her. Depending on his choices during the chase, he either finds her dead or unconscious but she disappears as the elevator she's laying on falls down the shaft. Mike then follows a mystery man whom he believes killed Jess to an abandoned sanatorium, in which he explores and discovers information about a mining accident in 1952, which resulted in miners being trapped following a cave-in. Experiments and studies were done on at least one survivor by doctors at the sanatorium, and a reporter ran into trouble trying to find out more on the cover-up.

Ashley, Chris and Josh use a Ouija board to communicate with spirits and receive communication from either of the Washington twins. Josh, convinced that either Ashley or Chris are messing with him, storms off. Chris and Ashley investigate the clue that the spirit communicated, but Ashley and Chris are knocked unconscious by a mask-wearing psychopath and Ashley is kidnapped. Chris tracks her down and finds Ashley and Josh on the deadly end of a Jigsaw-like trap and must choose between saving one of them. After learning of a maniac on the loose, Matt and Emily locate a radio tower and call the mountain rangers for help, who inform them that assistance won't arrive until dawn, at the earliest. An unknown creature tries and fails to enter the tower and then causes the tower to collapse by cutting one of its cables, sending it toppling into the mines. In the chaos that follows, Emily and Matt are separated in the mines, and either or both of them could die trying to make their way out. Meanwhile, Sam is stalked by the psychopath and chased throughout the lodge. In continuous interludes, a psychiatrist, Dr. Alan Hill, conducts an interview with an unseen figure, asking questions as the narrative progresses. In each interlude, Dr. Hill's office grows more grotesque and dilapidated, reflecting the choices the player makes during each interview interlude. Depending on how damaging the choices of the player have been to the protagonists, Dr. Hill himself may change in appearance, becoming sickly and maimed. Eventually, he is revealed to simply be a hallucination in the psychopath's mind.

As more sinister events unfold, the psychopath reveals himself to be Josh, who was playing a prank on the group the whole time in retaliation for the prank that indirectly got Hannah and Beth killed the previous year; the group captures him and leaves him tied up in a shed while some characters that are outside of the lodge experience supernatural elements. In the abandoned mines, Emily finds Beth's head and grave and learns that Hannah had actually survived the fall off the cliff and had buried Beth, only to dig her up weeks later and feed off her corpse as a result of extreme hunger. As the friends uncover clues about the past, a local resident who had been stalking the group, subtitled as The Stranger and referred to by the characters as "Flamethrower Guy/Dude", reveals himself to the group as not the Psycho or Mystery Man, but a protector of the mountain. He explains that the mountain is infested by Wendigos, former humans who were possessed by evil spirits after consuming human flesh, and that they will not be able to escape to safety until dawn, when the Wendigos cease their hunt. Chris and The Stranger decide to rescue Josh, but discover that he has vanished; The Stranger is decapitated by the Wendigo soon after. Sam, Mike, and the remaining survivors flee to the lodge basement for safety.

Mike returns to the sanatorium in search of Josh, hoping to find the key to the cable car, but encounters dozens of Wendigos, forcing him to destroy the sanatorium in order to escape; meanwhile, Sam discovers more information about the Wendigos and follows him. They eventually find Josh in the mines suffering from extreme hallucinations. He willingly gives them the key. Mike helps Sam reach the surface, but Hannah, who is revealed to have turned into a Wendigo after being forced to eat Beth's body, drags Josh away. Sam, Mike, and whoever is alive between Chris, Ashley, and Emily, flee from the Wendigos to the lodge only to encounter Hannah and two other Wendigos. The Wendigos begin to fight each other, resulting in gas being released from the furnace into the lodge. The group uses the gas leak to destroy the lodge, killing all of the Wendigos and any survivors still inside just as dawn breaks and rescue helicopters arrive. If Matt and Jess are still alive at this point, they have separate encounters with the Wendigos in the mines and attempt to evade them and reach rescue.

In a post-credits scene, the group conducts interviews at a police station where they explain their story. If Josh has survived, two policemen exploring the mines discover that he has feasted on the remains of The Stranger and turned into a Wendigo.

Ending Main article: Credits Good Ending: All of the characters survive and during the credits, police surveillance footage shows each character's interview at the precinct. Sam convinces the police to investigate the mines and in a post-credits scene, they do so and find a shocking revelation.

Neutral Ending: Some characters die and during the credits, police surveillance footage shows the surviving characters' interviews at the precinct. The deceased characters' death scenes will be shown in a montage. Depending on who is alive, there will be a post-credits scene that shows the police investigating the mines and finding a shocking revelation.

Bad Ending: Everyone dies and during the credits, their death scenes are shown in a montage.

Development

Until Dawn was announced for the PlayStation 3 at Gamescom 2012 and was originally set to use the PlayStation Move controller.[17] It was announced as a first-person video game, and the players were expected to use the PlayStation Move controller to control the flashlight and torch, as well as to switch between the game's eight different playable characters.[17] It was developed by Supermassive Games, who had previously worked on other PlayStation Move games including 2010's Start the Party!.[18] A trailer and gameplay footage was shown to the public.[19]

The game was originally set to be released in 2013. However, no more details about the game were provided, and the game had not been released as of late 2013. Until Dawn was reportedly cancelled, but Supermassive later clarified that the game was still in development.[20]

Until Dawn was re-introduced at Gamescom 2014. The title now served as a PlayStation 4 exclusive and would shift to a third-person perspective.[21] The PlayStation Move feature was replaced by the DualShock 4's motion sensor. In addition, the torch feature was scrapped in favor of a more traditional level approach, with the characters becoming playable at different parts of the game.[22] In addition to the trailer, a gameplay demo was released.[23] According to Supermassive, the game's transition from PlayStation 3 to PlayStation 4 has led the developer to rebuild the game and to rewrite its story, so as to create a more cinematic experience, and to make the game to feel "darker and fundamentally more terrifying". It has also been revealed that Until Dawn would utilize the upgraded Killzone Shadow Fall engine.[24]

On 26 May 2015, Sony announced that the game would be released on 25 August 2015.[25] Players who pre-order the game would receive a bonus mission which features Matt and Emily. Besides the game's standard edition, there are also an extended edition and a steelbook edition that is available for players to purchase.[26] On 31 July 2015, Sony confirmed that the game had been declared gold, indicating it was being prepared for duplication and release.[27]

As Until Dawn features gore and blood, almost all of the death scenes were censored or edited, other scenes involving decapitated heads were censored, and if a character died, the credits were edited to showing a picture of the character and their time of death instead of showing a clip of their death in the Japanese version of the game.[28][29]

Reception

Critical response

Until Dawn received positive reviews. It received an aggregated score of 80.37% on GameRankings based on 71 reviews[30] and 79/100 on Metacritic based on 103 reviews.[31]

Lucy O'Brien of IGN gave the game a generally positive review, giving it a 7.5 out of 10. She praised the "creepy" environments, "tongue-in-cheek" tone, and the choices the player is forced to make. She did however dislike certain characters, particularly 'Doctor Hill', and the second half of the game, mostly the story's focus, calling it "silly" and "derailing". She thought that the game was flawed but enjoyable and felt that the story dragged down the game's overall quality.[40]

Game Informer's Jeff Marchiafava gave the game a positive review, with a score of 9/10. He praised the player decision making mechanic, which he felt dynamically changed the game's experience and story. He also praised the game's score, which he called "superb", the voice acting, the story, which was thought of as "intriguing and exciting", and the visuals. He called the gameplay "simple yet effective" and thought it was "engaging", but he criticized the game's animation, which he described as "awkward". Marchiafava stated that the game is a "remarkable experience that horror fans shouldn't miss".[35]

In her mostly positive review for GameSpot, Alexa Ray Corriea scored the game an 8/10, saying that she was surprised by the game. She particularly complimented the narrative because she considered its branching paths have significantly altered the game's story, saying "choices matter in big ways and affect the rest of the game". She also liked the actors' performances, calling them "incredibly good", and the overall replayability. Negative comments were concerning the story, mostly towards the end, and the "unflattering" camera angles. She also said "the visuals can be wonky at times".[37]

VideoGamer.com's Tom Orry gave the game a positive review. He scored it an 8/10, citing the horror elements, acting, "lovely" visuals, and the player choice mechanic as positives, even though he had some minor criticisms. Orry felt that the game had exceeded his expectations and added that the simple gameplay, alongside the story, successfully gives players a thrilling and malleable experience.[42]

Destructoid's Chris Carter gave the game a 7 out of 10. He praised the game's environments, collectibles, and premise. However, he criticized the game's story, which he thought was predictable, and the over-exaggerated acting. In addition, Carter felt that the game lacked meaningful choices.[32]

GamesRadar's Louise Blain gave the game a 3.5 out of 5, calling it a "beautiful" "bloodstained love letter to every horror movie you’ve ever seen". She enjoyed the jump-scares, pace, visuals, and overall tone, but criticized the game for being "painfully" short. She disliked the decision making mechanic as she thought that the system was diminished due to several set plot points.[39]

Giving a mixed review for Polygon, Philip Kollar scored the game a 6.5/10. He found the game "generic", even though he thought it had offered him a unique experience. He did not consider it a great game, but he thought that the game was good enough to keep him engaged. He added that the narrative structure of the game could serve as an example for future narrative-driven video games.[41]

Sales

The game was the sixth best selling weekly software in Japan, selling 17,472 copies. The release of this as well as Dragon's Dogma Online provided a slight boost in PlayStation 4 sales.[43] In the United Kingdom, Until Dawn was the second best-selling software for the week of 29 August 2015, debuting at No. 2 in the UK retail software sales chart, only behind Gears of War: Ultimate Edition.[44] According to the NPD Group, Until Dawn was the seventh best selling game in the United States in August 2015.[45] Supermassive executive producer Pete Samuels stated that the sales of the game far exceeded their expectations.[46]

Awards

Date Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2015 Golden Joystick Awards Playstation Game of the Year Nominated [47]
The Game Awards Best Narrative Nominated [48]

Spin-off and potential sequel

In an interview with PlayStation LifeStyle, executive producer Pete Samuels stated that Supermassive Games is exploring the possibility of continuing Until Dawn.[46] A spin-off, titled Until Dawn: Rush of Blood was announced by Sony at Paris Games Week 2015. Described as an arcade shooter, the game's development began in the middle of Until Dawn's development. It is set to be released for the PlayStation VR.[49]

References

  1. ^ Greening, Chris. "Jason Graves creates a cinematic horror score for Until Dawn". Video Game Music Online. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Until Dawn, The Unfinished Swan, and Journey Confirmed for PS4". IGN.com. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Gamescom 2014: Until Dawn is Now a PS4 Exclusive, Uses the Killzone: Shadow Fall Engine (Updated)". playstationlifestyle.net. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  4. ^ Samuels, Pete (26 May 2015). "Until Dawn Launches on PS4 August 25th". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  5. ^ O'Connell, Jason (17 July 2015). "Until Dawn Will Redefine the Interactive Genre". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  6. ^ Scammell, David (14 August 2015). "Until Dawn 'around 9 hours long', 'has hundreds of endings'". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  7. ^ North, Dale (14 August 2015). "Until Dawn has hundreds of endings and thousands of branches". Destructoid. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  8. ^ Takakashi, Dean (26 August 2015). "10 tips for surviving the night in Until Dawn". VentureBeat. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  9. ^ "Save (Or Kill) Everyone in Until Dawn With These Choices". The Escapist. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  10. ^ Kollar, Philip (17 August 2015). "Until Dawn: The Surprising Ambition And Curious Fear of Supermassive Games". Polygon. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  11. ^ "Until Dawn Unveiled Official Website for PS4". Supermassive Games. 25 March 2015.
  12. ^ Co, Alex (15 August 2014). "Until Dawn "Around Nine Hours" Long, Will Have "Hundreds of Endings"". Playstation Lifestyle. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  13. ^ Prahl, Kyle (24 August 2015). "Until Dawn Review: Choice and grisly consequence". PlayStation Universe. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  14. ^ Hillier, Brenna (24 August 2015). "Until Dawn is Telltale with unlimited time, funds and jump scares". VG 247. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  15. ^ Morgan, Thomas (25 August 2014). "Until Dawn may be the horror-themed Heavy Rain you've been waiting for". Eurogamer. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  16. ^ Kaszor, Daniel (24 August 2015). "Until Dawn review: A full-fledged horror movie in a surprisingly slick interactive format". The Financial Post. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  17. ^ a b Byles, Will (14 August 2014). "Until Dawn: New PS Move Horror Game Announced for PS3". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  18. ^ J. Seppala, Timothy (24 August 2015). "The real horror of 'Until Dawn' is that Sony sent it to die". Engadget. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  19. ^ "Until Dawn Gamescom Trailer [HD]". Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  20. ^ Scammell, David (13 December 2013). "Has Until Dawn been cancelled?". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  21. ^ Walton, Mark (14 August 2014). "Until Dawn's Hollywood-Infused PS4 Reboot is Absolutely Terrifying". GameSpot. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  22. ^ Liebi, Lance (12 August 2014). "gamescom 2014: Until Dawn is "a horror game unlike any other, anyone can survive, anyone can die."". GameZone. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  23. ^ "Until Dawn rebooted for PS4 and it's terrifying". Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  24. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (12 August 2014). "Until Dawn has been "refocused, rewritten, rebuilt" for PS4 and DualShock 4". VG 247. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  25. ^ Phillips, Tom (26 May 2015). "PS4 exclusive Until Dawn finally has a release date". Eurogamer. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  26. ^ "Until Dawn release date confirmed new trailer debuts". Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  27. ^ Moser, Cassidee (31 July 2015). "Until Dawn On PlayStation 4 Has Gone Gold". IGN. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  28. ^ Makuch, Eddie (27 August 2015). "See How PS4's Until Dawn Is Censored in Japan". GameSpot. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  29. ^ Phillips, Tom (27 August 2015). "Until Dawn death scene censored in Japan". Eurogamer. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  30. ^ a b "Until Dawn for PlayStation 4". GameRankings. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  31. ^ a b "Until Dawn for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  32. ^ a b Carter, Chris (24 August 2015). "Review: Until Dawn". Destructoid. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  33. ^ L. Patterson, Mollie (24 August 2015). "Until Dawn review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  34. ^ Whitehead, Dan (27 August 2015). "Until Dawn review". Eurogamer.
  35. ^ a b Marchiafava, Jeff (24 August 2015). "A New Dawn For Interactive Storytelling - Until Dawn - PlayStation 4". Game Informer. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  36. ^ Vazquez, Jessica (24 August 2015). "Until Dawn Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  37. ^ a b Ray Corriea, Alexa (24 August 2015). "Until Dawn Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  38. ^ Bloodworth, Daniel (24 August 2015). "Until Dawn Review". GameTrailers. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  39. ^ a b Blain, Louise (24 August 2015). "Until Dawn review: a dark night rises". GamesRadar. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  40. ^ a b O'Brien, Lucy (24 August 2015). "Until Dawn Review". IGN. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  41. ^ a b Kollar, Philip (24 August 2015). "Until Dawn review: a cabin in the woods". Polygon. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  42. ^ a b Orry, Tom (24 August 2015). "Until Dawn Review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  43. ^ Ramsey, Robert (2 September 2015). "Japanese Sales Charts: Until Dawn and Dragon's Dogma Online Give Us Something to Write About". Push Square. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  44. ^ Orry, James (1 September 2015). "UK Video Game Chart is a real chart for real men". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  45. ^ Hilliard, Kyle (10 September 2015). "August 2015 NPD: Madden Is King And Until Dawn Has A Solid Showing". Game Informer. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  46. ^ a b "Supermassive Games: Until Dawn 2 Being Discussed, Sales "Surpassed Expectations"". PlayStation LifeStyle. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  47. ^ Reynolds, Matthew. (September 2, 2015). "Golden Joystick Awards 2015 voting now open to the public". Digital Spy. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  48. ^ "Nominees". The Game Awards. Retrieved 13 November 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  49. ^ Martin, Matt (27 October 2015). "Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is a "fast-paced arcade shooter" for PlayStation VR". VG 247. Retrieved 28 October 2015.

External links

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