Until Dawn Review

  Until Dawn is a game where you watch a bunch of stupid teenagers die in gruesome ways. That's like judging a book by its cover because Until Dawn is so much more.

  Josh Washington suffered a tragic lose of his two sister when his friends played a dirty prank at the Washington's cabin. Just like any right minded person he invites everyone back to make amends! All of his friends agree and this starts a night full of terrors, mystery, and jump scares.

  What unfolds is a classic horror story, but it does everything so well. All the clues, and plot-lines fit  together perfectly in the jigsaw puzzle that is Until Dawn. Everything that happens has some sort of meaning and all the different things you find all fit together when the story starts to become whole. There will by many surprises along the way and you will never want to set the controller down as you are invested in this game.

  I have heard people call this jump scare the game and rightfully so. Some of them are a little cheesy but everyone will jump at least once on their first play-through. The snowy mountaintop added with the lore behind it will make this one creepy experience. As you walk through the woods you will be on the edge of your seat waiting for that next jump scare. Until Dawn successfully achieves that horror movie feel, for the player never feels safe.

 The acting is pretty good even if there are a few hiccups along the way. The facial animations take a cue from LA Noire which means they are well executed but a little over exaggerated. All this combined with perfect character movements make these people seem real. Their actions may be a little stupid ,but that's what you expect from a horror movie. The personality of the characters themselves are all different and for the most part unlikable. To be honest the only person I really liked was Sam who doesn't really get involved with the shenanigans and gossip of everyone else. I have a soft spot for Mathew just because he has to put up with Emily. Emily has to be the worst character ever invented! At-least you can make it through the night without anyone surviving. Sometimes that's tempting when you are playing with this bunch of idiots!

 Your choices determines who lives and who dies. Every little thing you do effects the outcome and its all based on the butterfly effect, which the game makes abundantly clear at the beginning. Character choice is where Until Dawn succeeds as you make difficult decisions in the ever growing convoluted story. You can find totems throughout the play-through that warn you of upcoming deaths or help you make the right decisions. It's all categorized thoroughly in the butterfly menu where you can track the outcome of each of your choices. There are a lot of quick time events and segments where you have to keep the controller still. They keep the heart pumping for sure, but the game is a bit over reliant on them.

Until Dawn is not for everyone since there is not much gameplay. If you enjoy Telltale style of games and the horror genre then this is for you. Until Dawn is successful in what it attends to do, so it receives a score of 8.5 out of 10.