I know Until Dawn got a remake recently, but here I’d like to talk about the 2015 original game and why it is among my favorite thriller games of all time.
The game was so good, not only did it get a PS5 remake, but it also got a movie adaptation (though the story was entirely different).
I had to wait a pretty long time to play Until Dawn, in fact, it was always on my list, but I never got the chance until I finally got myself a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription. I went through the catalog and saw that Until Dawn was there, and I was over the moon.
So, I put the game on download through my Xfinity Internet connection and went to make myself some coffee. By the time I got back, the game was already loaded up and ready to go.
And so, I began my adventure through the Blackwood Mountain as I traversed, trying to solve the mystery. Here are some things that I absolutely loved about the game, making it one of my all-time favorite thriller games.
Each Character Has a Unique Personality
One thing I loved about the game is that every character has a unique personality, making it easy to love some and hate others.
For instance, Mike has a courageous personality, while his girlfriend Jessica is witty and good-looking, and pays a lot of attention to the way she looks.
Then there’s Matt, who is a jock and a gentleman at the same time, and his girlfriend Emily, who is profoundly annoying and rude. Then we have Chris, who is a nerd but also funny at the same time, and his potential girlfriend, Ashley, who is sympathetic and brave at the same time.
Lastly, we have Sam, who is the bravest of them all and tries to be a friend to everyone around her.
Non-playable characters include Josh, who is mentally unstable but a great prankster, and his twin sisters, Beth and Hannah, around whom the whole plot revolves. You’ll have a great time delving deep into all of the characters and getting to experience the story from their eyes.
The Story is Captivating
The game starts with a tragedy, and the events of the game take place a year later.
However, the cinematography is so great that it feels like you’re living through each moment. Not just that, but the story keeps building up, and it gets so intriguing that you just can’t let go of your controller. With every passing chapter, you have this sudden urge to tell yourself, “just a little more,” “just one more chapter,” and you end up playing longer than you expected.
Plus, there are multiple settings in the game, and they change as the story progresses. I’ll get to that in the upcoming section.
All the Eerie Settings in the Game
There are a couple of locations that you can visit in the game, and each of them has its own eerie vibe.
For instance, there is Josh’s family’s cabin in the mountains, which in itself gives a sinister feeling throughout the game. There is the abandoned sanatorium and the mines. Each location holds significant importance, and its significance becomes clear as the story unfolds.
However, while playing the game, the settings make it very easy for you to immerse yourself in, to the point that it actually feels like you’re in the game, experiencing everything firsthand. Therefore, the setting has a lot to do with the overall vibe of the game, and I really love how much effort the developers put into the game.
The Beautiful Concept of “The Butterfly Effect”
The butterfly effect states that an event as small as a butterfly flapping its wings can branch into more events that could lead to big ones, such as a hurricane in another area. That is exactly the concept that is used in Until Dawn as well.
Every choice that you make alters the story accordingly. Therefore, you have to be smart about all the choices that you make in the game. Not only does your choice affect the consequence, but it also alters your relationship with the people around you.
So be calm and think before making a choice, especially if you want everyone to survive until dawn.
Insane Quick-Time Events (QTEs)
If there’s one thing Until Dawn has been known for over the past 10 years, then it’s the QTEs that you must follow in the game to make sure every character survives. One slip up and your character could die, so you have to make sure that you are attentive, even if it means that you have to sit on the edge of your seat.
There were some of my favorite things about Until Dawn, and I really feel like you should give the game a shot too, so that you don’t miss out on one of the best horror thrillers of all time.
