A Frosty Reception?
Halloween is almost upon us, the spookiest season of all, the vampire equivalent of Christmas. Is there a better feeling than getting a whole month to indulge in horror movies and videogames? Choosing between the two mediums can be a tricky choice, hence the genius idea behind Until Dawn, a title that combines the slasher film genre with video game interactive choice-making. Until Dawn was a surprise hit on the PS4, one which started a loose franchise of VR titles and spiritual successors. Almost a decade from its release, Until Dawn has earned enough of a following to warrant a remake but do the same chills work ten years later?
A “cabin in the woods” style slasher experience starring among others, Rami Malek, Hayden Panetierre and most importantly Peter Stormare, Until Dawn was fairly warmly received in 2015. Though quick-time events and so-called “impactful decisions” are often derided gaming tropes, a game that embraced horror genre cliches so openly was a great match. The most interesting application of this is in the “don’t move” segments. Advised to hold your controller as still as possible, these are the most tense moments in the game, far more engaging than simple button prompts. In this regard the remake is
Night of the Living Dorks
So there have been some strange, controversial “improvements” to the experience. The lighting alterations are especially noticeable. Earlier scenes are brighter and the more cinematic lighting techniques have been reduced, a very weird choice for a game that homages slasher cinema. Fixed camera angles, a horror game staple, have been replaced with a consistent third-person camera. Despite this, it’s worth noting how excellent this game looks. Although some of the celebrity likenesses and motion capture have dated (always the peril with photorealist aims) the snowy murderous atmosphere is still extremely immersive. Bizarrely for a PlayStation remaster, the frame rate remains at a locked 30fps, which is a pity as an improvement here would have helped sell the package as a definitive improvement.
However, while the story and characters are authentic to the slasher genre (aka full of cliches and very annoying respectively) those films are usually around 90 minutes long. This experience is around eight hours long so hanging out with these dorks can be a real drag. This does open opportunities for audience revenge by deliberately pushing them to their doom but it would have been powerful to have an incentive to save them. The variety of occurrences make the game replayable but it’s doubtful how many players will be so taken with the story to bother seeking out the variables. One incentive for replaying is a wide array of collectables to seek out. From prophetic totems that hint towards story possibilities, to clues surrounding the narrative mysteries these can actually make the story seem more intriguing than it is when played out straight.
Final Girls and Final Thoughts
As a way to play Until Dawn, there’s not enough new or even improved here to recommend for returning players or newcomers. For those dying for a Halloween title to play alone or with pals who can’t find a preowned copy of the original, you could do worse than this remaster. Otherwise, wait until the price is slashed. Maybe this is the ultimate meta twist for Until Dawn? As icons like Freddy Kruger, Michael Myers and more found out the hard way: horror remakes suck.
Stay tuned to GamEir. Come talk with us on Twitter (@gam_eir), Facebook (@GamEir), and Instagram (@GamEir).
I promise we’re nice! Keep up with our streams over on Twitch (GamEir) and our videos on YouTube (GamEir) and we’ll give you all the latest content.
Leave a Reply