Survival Until Dawn

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I started Until Dawn ready to experience a typical horror movie atmosphere in game form, and I got just that. I personally am a huge fan of horror movies and the stories they tell, the monsters, killers, and of course the sex and comedy commonly found in most scary movies. The brilliant addition that Until Dawn adds to this formula of horror is the ability to be in the shoes of those involved. The ultimate task given to the player is to save the characters you play as. You have to make the right choices, find clues, and discover the mysteries and story of Until Dawn.

(The character Sam, played by Hayden Panetierre)

You start off in the role of one of two twin sisters a year before the events of the rest of the game. To sum it up, you're playing as Beth, and her sister your, Hannah, is bullied by her friends and as a result runs off into the frozen wilderness. Playing as Beth, you chase her down and are both forced off of a cliff to what may or may not have been your demise, which is left unclear at the time. You are then sent forward into the present day, one year from the anniversary of Beth and Hannah’s disappearance. The first of the friends you play as is Sam, portrayed by actress Hayden Panettiere. Sam was Hannah’s best friend, and is coming up to the sister’s family lodge along with the others. Josh, Beth and Hannah’s brother, invited them all up to commemorate the anniversary of their disappearance. It struck me as a sad evening without much fun involved, but little did I know there would be tons of drama, jokes, and of course, sexual tension.

(The start of my evening)

As I made my way up to the lodge as Sam, there were several camera shots of me being followed by someone with a machete. I couldn’t tell if they were trying to lead me astray with showing me this machete man, or if I was actually in some sort of danger. After making my way to the gondola that would take me to the lodge, I reached my first decision of the actual game - to snoop or not to snoop. I came across the backpack of one of the playable characters, Chris. His cellphone was ringing and poking out. I had two choices on the matter. Look at the phone, or zip up the bag and forget about it. Now, I don’t think that it’s any of my business to see who’s sliding into Chris’ dms, so I decided to be a decent human being and zip the bag up. This turned out to be a good idea since Chris immediately walked up and scared the crap out of me. Had I been looking at the phone I may have been discovered, and negatively impacted my relationship with him, leading to a Butterfly Effect of unknown nature.

(Gondola ride)

The Butterfly Effect was another cool idea that they tell you about in the beginning of the game, and reiterate through Chris when he brings it up on the lift. The decisions you make in Until Dawn will set you on a path to a different ending, with all sorts of consequences. As I made my way through transitioning from character to character, I decided to be as uninvolved in the drama and nonsense that poured into the game. However, as more people gathered at the lodge, it became unavoidable. One of my favorite moments was a section where you play as Matt, a jock character who is dating Emily and you are forced to take sides between her and another girl named Jess. The argument is all about the two having dated Jess’ current boyfriend Mike. This was the exact thing I was trying to avoid, but of course I was quickly thrown into the middle of a potential catfight with nowhere to run. Even though Emily was the one who actually initiated the verbal jousting contest consisting of throwing around titles such as “slut” back and forth, I decided to side with Emily.

(Josh and Sam)

After all of this went down, Josh decided to banish Mike and Jess to a secluded cabin, a perfect way to set up any romantic rendezvous. The journey began by being able to take a selfie in the moonlight with Jess which was absolutely legendary. There is no better way to begin a terrifying walk through to a secluded cabins filled with banter, and sexual jokes than a selfie. Despite the character actors looking like they were in their late twenties, I felt that they did a great job acting like early twenty somethings. The latter tends to be a common issue in most horror movies. I was extremely impressed by how well the characters were portrayed as I played the game.

(Highlight of Jess and Mike's epic walk)

I really enjoyed Until Dawn for many reasons. The story was exceptional, the graphics were incredible, and of course the typical horror movie hijinks were absolutely hilarious to me. I think that Until Dawn was a great game for players like me. It has many qualities that I really enjoy in games and on top of that it feels like you, as the player, are making decisions and finding clues that actually impact the outcome of the game. This was my first time writing about a game that wasn’t considered an indie game. I’m really glad that I got a chance to play this game, as well as have it as my first mainstream game post on my blog. It’s a true horror experience where you get to be at the helm and change how the story turns out - and who survives until dawn.