Until Dawn Reviews
Until Dawn is a horror themed version of Heavy Rain or Beyond if they were made by talented work-for-hire journeymen instead of an inconsistent auteur
Until Dawn is everything that Quantic Dream games have tried to be – unsuccessfully – for the past decade. It emulates horror movies while demonstrating a clear understanding of what makes those movies work, its focus on consequence is nervewracking and intricate, and its story is silly but strongly delivered.
Until Dawn is the proper slasher game fans have always wanted, and succeeds at creating a wildly unique and enjoyable narrative experience. Beautiful graphics and sound, amazing performances and engaging stories make this a must-play for any horror fan.
Until Dawn puts player choice above everything else, and for a horror game that's rather unique. But be warned that the game is more interactive movie than game.
There is no doubting the actors commitment to their archetypes, though, and their performances are a big part of why you start to warm to even the coldest character. You end up wanting them all to survive, unlikely as that seems.
I really enjoyed my time with Until Dawn, and I'm itching to replay it. In many ways, it reminds me of Quantic Dream games like Heavy Rain, except it works and works very well. It respects its characters and the player while offering those same kind of immersive cinematic experience those games went for. If you're a horror fan, Until Dawn is a must-play. It's a love letter and a fresh creation of its own and worth seeking out.
If you like this genre, then Until Dawn is worth checking out for its outstanding production values and its solid, but somewhat predictable, writing.
Until Dawn is a pleasant surprise, and something that fans of interactive stories will really appreciate. As a schlocky horror it's a success, but its fiction actually goes beyond simple slasher – even if it remains intentionally silly throughout. The sometimes sloppy controls will irritate, while the performance capture could have been better, but neither of these issues are nightmarish enough to pull you out of the popcorn flick plot, which is buoyed by the impressive, if not gigantically impactful, butterfly effect. A ridiculous romp is what was promised, then, and this one will keep occupied all night long.
Until Dawn is definitely a nice surprise. Despite not being marketed as a huge exclusive like Uncharted or God of War, it's arguably the best one available on PlayStation 4 with the exception of Bloodborne; if you like horror/thriller movies and you don't mind Quick Time Events, you're definitely in for a treat.
Despite the butterfly effect's premise, a ham-fisted story means you won't care about who might live and who might die. It's not enough to save the game from disappointment, and in the end, Until Dawn is its own self-inflicted nightmare.
Until Dawn struggles with clunky video game elements and rough pacing, but mitigates it with B-movie slasher mainstays and a willingness to embrace player failure.
Equal parts teen slasher, action adventure, and psychological horror, Until Dawn throws a lot at the board and nails only some of it. But its biggest win is choice--permanent, unpredictable, and meaningful.
Sometimes funny, sometimes cheesy, sometimes downright scary and tense as hell, Until Dawn is one wild ride, and while not everyone will think it's worth the entry price, I couldn't be happier with the end results.
While Until Dawn lacks complex gameplay, it counters with compelling characters, astounding visuals, and a thought provoking storyline. A masterful fusion of art forms, Until Dawn is a refreshingly self-aware experience that no thriller fan should pass up.
Suspenseful, engaging, well-written horror story. Very good voice acting. Highly detailed world to explore.
"Until Dawn's" overall experience is inconsistent. The production values are impressive, but too seldom did it rely on atmosphere and score to build its tension and regressed into predictable jump scare tactics. And as a game that bills itself as one of near endless possibilities, the choice system doesn't change much of the story. It fills the horror spot in the PS4's library that has since been vacant, but a better thriller is bound to take it's place soon.
When Until Dawn was announced, expectations were low, because I was afraid that Supermassive would simply follow the same horror movie tropes without innovating. But how wrong I was, as, thanks to the "butterfly effect" and some savvy game design, there are multiple ways to experience fear here. Some groan-worthy moments do set in (especially when it comes to some character behaviors), but overall it's an experience that horror fans will gleefully eat up. And that's something you can't really say every day with products from this genre.
While there are flaws here and there, Until Dawn is a very well put together experience, mixing great graphics and complex storytelling in a super-tight package. If you fit its very specific target, meaning that you enjoy the specific kind of horror it reproduces, and you don't mind old-style adventure-like gameplay and quicktime events galore, you'll find it a really exceptional and fairly unique game, that will scare the hell out of you in all the right ways.
Until Dawn is an excellent change of pace from the norm. There aren't a lot of games quite like it.
Until Dawn expertly combines choice-based gaming with horror movie mechanics, delivering a game that will be tough to forget. It's so good, in fact, that it will be hard to overlook when it comes time to name this year's best.