If you’re looking for a game to keep you up all night, Until Dawn does exactly what the title insinuates. A PlayStation 4 exclusive, this beautifully motion-captured game explores a dark and twisted mash-up of all the horror cliches you can imagine and throws them into one 8-hour experience. If you start the game around 10 o’clock at night, you’d successfully binge the episodic storyline by the time dawn comes. And the best part is that the game will change based on the choices you make…
…to an extent. Some events and choices, no matter what you do, always have the same outcome. But what makes Until Dawn even more exciting and thrilling is that all 8 of the main characters you play as have the ability to perish to the supernatural forces around them. There’s a different ending for how you plan your actions, and all of your actions have consequences.
Sometimes, the game moves so fast through quick-time events or split-second decisions that you have to think on your toes or else the game chooses for you. And sometimes, doing nothing is the right choice, too. Even if the game doesn’t give you as much freedom as it advertises, its still breathtaking to see your own consequences play out in real time.
If you’re not a horror junkie, this is a game that you can play with a group of friends, as I did, and share in the screams. Sure, jump-scares are of plenty, but there’s a story that delves way beyond those basic scares. Or, if you’re looking to enhance your experience even more, you can play in PS Virtual Reality. Regardless, it’s an experience everyone should enjoy at least once before shelving it for eternity.
