Until Dawn

Until Dawn is a third-person horror game that follows a group of friends who travel to the snowy Blackwood Mountain lodge for an uneasy vacation after a terrible tragedy the previous year. With all seven friends joined together, they explore their cold surroundings, but something dangerous hides in the shadows. To survive the night and make it off the mountain alive, you'll make important decisions, recover clues, and switch between characters during this chaotic and terrifying adventure. Acting like an interactive movie with multiple branching paths, Until Dawn is a frightening journey that's great for players of all skill levels who love the horror genre.

Main Game Features

• Uncover a gripping horror mystery
• Major decisions change the outcome of the story
• Third-person exploration and quick-time events

Story

The story in Until Dawn starts off with a group of friends partying on Blackwood Mountain, when a mean prank turns south, resulting in the death of two party-goers. One year later, the survivors return to the mountain for another party, this time with tensions high and suspicions abound. As the friends split up, they are ambushed by an unknown assailant, who begins picking them off one by one. With the weather growing worse and the situation becoming dire, the friends must band together and uncover the identity of the masked killer or die in the process.

Similar to games like Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human, Until Dawn has a sprawling narrative that can veer off in numerous directions, all based on your actions during important moments. During your time on the mountain, you'll control several of the main group, making decisions and overcoming obstacles. Depending on your approach to these problems, characters may die, clues may be missed, and the ending will be changed. Thanks to this, the story in Until Dawn is not only creepy, bloody, and unsettling, but is also worth experiencing multiple times in order to get the full narrative.

Gameplay

Generally speaking, Until Dawn emphasizes its storytelling over the gameplay, providing players with a cinematic night of terror. As such, the gameplay takes a passive role, with most action scenes requiring players to complete quick time events rather than traditional third-person combat. For instance, when you are attacked by the main villain or encounter a dangerous booby trap, you'll have to press a button within a limited window or suffer the consequences.

Other gameplay elements include limited exploration, where you'll walk around environments looking for objects of interest or clues. You'll also spend a good amount of time chatting with your fellow survivors, forming alliances or betraying each other. While the gameplay is slow-paced at times, it adds a lot of suspense to the overall experience, fitting well within the style of the story. If you're looking for a hectic shooting game, you'll probably be disappointed, as Until Dawn is a slow-burn interactive adventure with a handful of moments of action.

Conclusion

If you appreciate story-based adventures that contain more character development than shoot-outs, Until Dawn will definitely satisfy your horror needs. The main cast includes some interesting and nuanced characters, while the overall plot is full of twists and surprises that will leave your jaw on the floor.

Pros

• Effective scares and a creepy atmosphere
• Branching story paths
• Worth playing multiple times

Cons

• Some underwhelming characters
• Gameplay can feel passive
• Unnecessary motion controls