Welcome to The Attic, will you survive the night?

I’m just gonna go for it right at the beginning here and make a very bold statement: Until Dawn is the most fun I have ever had playing a horror game. Yes, I am dead serious. Is it the scariest game I’ve ever played? No, not at all. I would probably give that nod to Alien: Isolation (or possibly Outlast, which I have just started. Review to come!). But where Isolation fails (frustration to degrees I cannot explain into words), Until Dawn excels. The reason I mention Isolation a lot when talking about horror games is because it does so much right, and yet its difficulty and unforgiving nature makes me want to scream. It is the most unnerving game I’ve ever played, and I adore that. But if a game also makes me want to take a sledgehammer to my console, we’re gonna have some problems.

Now Until Dawn is not as terrifying, but that’s not to say it isn’t scary. There are moments that will make you jump and cringe. They even utilize the PS4 controller’s sensor mechanic, so when you need to be silent while hiding, you must hold the controller absolutely still. There is an indicator on-screen during these moments, so you can see how you are doing, but this doesn’t lessen the tension you feel surging through you. These moments don’t happen too often to become repetitive, so I really love when they come up, and I hold my breath without even thinking. By now you have no doubt heard the story, so I won’t dwell on it too long. Also, as I always do, I will avoid all spoilers for your sake…

A group of teenagers get away to a ski lodge in Canada, but their party weekend turns dark when a prank goes horribly wrong, leading to a tragedy no one saw coming. A year later (present day), they all decide to return to the lodge and try to put the past behind them. Before they know it, this trip turns sinister, and things go from creepy to terrifying. In case you’re sitting back thinking this game uses every horror cliche in the book, I honestly can’t argue. But it feels unique enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, and sometimes cliches exist for a reason: they work. I don’t want to say anything else, because I went into this game in the dark as far as what happens next, and I wouldn’t change that for the world.

Instead I’d like to spend the rest of this article discussing what I love about Until Dawn. For starters, the branching story line floored me once I realized how much every choice can really affect who lives or dies. One character’s choice early on can lead to the certain death of another later on. This “butterfly effect” shows up early on, and makes a note to tell you when you’ve made a choice that will determine fate later on, for better or worse. Although you won’t know until later how each choice will affect anything, until you watch it play out.

The visuals of Until Dawn are stunning, and what stands out most for me is the motion capture detail. They had each actor come in and captured their expressions, the way they delivered the lines, and how they looked while moving, running and climbing. They took the time to not only get the voice acting done, but the actors movements as well, and that really pays off here. In lots of games they focus mostly on mouth movement, and sometimes throw in independent eyebrows for good measure, which can turn out really goofy. In this game you feel like you’re truly getting the actors full performance, and it’s brilliant. It may not be the most realistic faces you’ve ever seen in a game, but I bet it’s near the top of the list. It’s worth mentioning that Hayden Panettiere is fantastic as Sam. Not to be overlooked, the rest of the cast is great as well. Included here are Peter Stormare, Rami Malek, Brett Dalton, and Meaghan Martin, who have all been in a slew of other things.

The pause screen shows a beautiful life-like image of whoever you’re in control of. Their facial expression changes every so often. It’s fascinating to watch.

Lastly, I have to comment on the cinematic experience as a whole. Until Dawn doesn’t just feel like a game, it feels like a movie that you have a hand in along the way. It’s stunning, the lighting effects are superior, the story and characters feel like they could come out of next year’s slasher hit. Some of the plot twists are somewhat obvious, but then they throw in a few more that I promise you won’t see coming.

To wrap things up, I’ll say it again: Until Dawn is the most fun horror experience I have ever had. It’s a goddamn blast from start to finish, and it’s all I want to do or talk about since I started it recently. The replayability factor is huge here, due to the changing results. On my first playthrough I only had 4 survivors, but apparently if you choose everything correctly you can keep EVERYONE ALIVE! So while you can finish it in under 10 hours, you’ll go through it numerous times seeing how everything can play out next time. In fact, I’m gonna wrap this up and go play it again. You should all do the same. Until Dawn is a Playstation 4 exclusive, so if you don’t have that console yet, go buy it. Seriously, I loved this game that much.

Stay scared,
Dark Princess