Until Dawn (PS4)
I wrote a while back about why some people (me included) watch horror or play horror games. I am huge fan of horror movies and I've watched a lot of them. Good ones and bad ones it don't matter, I've always been fascinated with horror. But once you've seen enough of them they tend to become quite predictable and well, not that scary. You could say I've taken a well needed break from watching horror movies (playing games instead) but I think it's time to start watching again. That is all thanks to Until Dawn. A game that pays tribute to teen slasher/horror movies but offers the player the power to decide the fate of it's characters and the outcome of the story.
The first thing you'll notice about Until Dawn is that they've used the real actor's body and face in the game and there are a few familiar faces. Namely, Hayden Panettiere (Heroes), Rami Malik (Mr. Robot) and Peter Stormare (Fargo). This already makes the relationship to the characters well established from the beginning of the story.
Since the game is an homage to teen slashers like Scream, Evil dead and Cabin Fever the premise is very cliché. A group of teenagers go to a remote cabin in the mountains a year after their friend´s mysterious disappearance and what follows you can only guess. Even if the premise seems predictable enough, the story is not. There are some twist and turns you wouldn't expect and that keeps it all interesting until the very end. Until Dawn.
The most interesting part of the game is of course that you, the player, have the power to influence how the story unfolds and who lives and dies. Your actions have so called butterfly effects. Small things you do can have huge consequences. It's not all about your choices either. Some actions require luck and skill in the form of quick time events (QTE). Where you have to push the right buttons at the right time or skillfully use a weapon. Naturally, I wanted to try and keep everyone alive during my first (but not last) playtrough. It proved to be harder than I thought and only a few characters survived.
Until Dawn is more of an interactive movie than a game and you start to wonder if this is the future of movies (or games). By giving the power to the player to decide the outcome, comes both the sense of accomplishment and anxiety. You feel competent when your actions turn into something good but well you know, the opposite is also true. When you're constantly trying to make the best choices but at the same time always questioning your actions it can cause some serious anxiety. Which is kind of the point I guess. That is also what makes games, and especially games like this, so much more engaging than watching a movie. Because you are in a way, part of it.
The first thing you'll notice about Until Dawn is that they've used the real actor's body and face in the game and there are a few familiar faces. Namely, Hayden Panettiere (Heroes), Rami Malik (Mr. Robot) and Peter Stormare (Fargo). This already makes the relationship to the characters well established from the beginning of the story.
Since the game is an homage to teen slashers like Scream, Evil dead and Cabin Fever the premise is very cliché. A group of teenagers go to a remote cabin in the mountains a year after their friend´s mysterious disappearance and what follows you can only guess. Even if the premise seems predictable enough, the story is not. There are some twist and turns you wouldn't expect and that keeps it all interesting until the very end. Until Dawn.
Until Dawn is more of an interactive movie than a game and you start to wonder if this is the future of movies (or games). By giving the power to the player to decide the outcome, comes both the sense of accomplishment and anxiety. You feel competent when your actions turn into something good but well you know, the opposite is also true. When you're constantly trying to make the best choices but at the same time always questioning your actions it can cause some serious anxiety. Which is kind of the point I guess. That is also what makes games, and especially games like this, so much more engaging than watching a movie. Because you are in a way, part of it.
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