Premiered in 2015 by Supermassive Games, Until Dawn is a horror game with a narrative that puts players in a tense, decision-rich experience based on traditional slasher movies. Located on Blackwood Mountain, an isolated mountain, the game follows eight friends who get back together one year after a fatal crash, only to discover that they are hunted by a secret killer.
Narrative and Atmosphere
Taking inspiration from horror franchises such as Saw and The Descent, Until Dawn spins a twisted, jump-scare-filled narrative complete with a supporting cast of genre stereotypes. The game succeeds by splitting the difference between homage and innovation and crafting a story that, despite being familiar, holds players through branching narratives and surprising twists
Gameplay Mechanics
Central to Until Dawn is the “butterfly effect” system, where player choice has radical repercussions. The system ensures that any decision, however small, can have utterly disparate results, like the survival or death of characters. Quick-time events and exploration sequences also keep players guessing, demanding focus and quick reflexes to stay alive from the dangers of the game.
Visuals and Sound Design
Upon release, Until Dawn was praised for its stunning visuals, which managed to capture the foreboding mood of its mountain environment. Character models, while sometimes hovering at the edge of the uncanny valley, were well acted by actors such as Hayden Panettiere and Rami Malek. Added to the visuals is a chilling soundtrack by Jason Graves, which raises the tension and emotional stakes of the game.
Reception and Legacy
Critics lauded Until Dawn’s compelling narrative and new mechanics. IGN gave it a 7.5/10, complementing its “robust choice-and-consequence system” and its loving tributes to horror clichés. GameSpot gave it an 8/10, complimenting the game’s “thoughtful experiment in how far you can go with multilayered player-driven narrative games.” Polygon, while complaining about pacing issues, admitted to its addictiveness, saying it’s “not a great game, probably not even a good one, but it does things I want every narrative-based game going forward to learn from.”
Conclusion
Until Dawn stands as a prime example of what interactive storytelling can do in a video game. Blending the cinematic and player choice, it provides an experience that will suit both fans of horror games and newcomers. It is not faultless, but its influence on the genre and its role within the narrative-driven game genre endure.
Written by : Pranjal Bapna