Earlier this week I spoke at length about the style of video game that I prefer to play currently. By and large I’m all about playing games that give you a lot of decisions to make, ranging from dialogue options to actions taken to how I’m allowed to react to situations. In researching my earlier blog post, I discovered this hidden PS4 exclusive game that had just been given a fresh release date of August 25th. Until Dawn is a survival horror video game that allows you to control the actions and narrative of 8 friends as they go on a road trip to a remote cabin where a killer lies in waiting. The story may seem cliché, however the method in which the story unfolds is anything but cliché. The game plays out like an interactive movie where you can choose how the characters talk to each other, what actions they take, and how they react to the intense situations set before them. Check this brief gameplay demo out:
As you can see, you are given a lot of options over the course of that short demo. Do you run or hide when the killer is after you? How do you get a broken door to open when the tension is mounting? Can you hold still long enough for the killer not to notice you? It all ads up to an experience in which you can determine the heart of the character. You get to create whether they stay and fight or if instead they choose to run away. The possibilities seem endless.
What I find fascinating about this choose-your-own-adventure approach to gameplay, is that it makes playing through the game multiple times an interesting challenge, in which you can opt to find all of the different ways you can alter the story with your choices. Admittedly, a lot of the choices will likely only be cosmetic in their consequences, resulting in some slightly altered dialogue. But there has to be more to the weight of these decisions. Supermassive Games, the developer of Until Dawn, has stated that each play though will be unique, as you can make decisions that will keep all 8 friends alive or end up getting them all killed, and any other variation inbetween. 3 alive, 5 dead is possible, as well as 6 alive, 2 dead. If you stop to think about it, that means that the decisions that you make have the potential to see entire scenarios being altered significantly by when and how characters live or die through the course of the story. There could be hundreds (if not thousands) of variations possible to the story, depending on how you control the characters and their actions. The rabbit hole on this could possibly go very very deep, so deep that it could take a whole lot of play throughs to see the majority of the content hidden in Until Dawn, and you know what? That would suit me just fine. I love pouring long hours into games with compelling gameplay experiences. Provided that Supermassive Games keeps the choices and the consequences fresh and unique, we should be in for a real treat in late August.
Until Dawn is a Playstation 4 exclusive title that will be available for purchase on Blu Ray disc or digital download on August 25th. It will have expertly acted performances from an amazing cast featuring Peter Stormare, Hayden Panettiere, Brett Dalton, Rami Malek, Nichole Bloom and many more. With a ton of endings and a robust variety of ever changing content based on your every decision, Until Dawn may end up being one of those rare gems of a game that entertains thoroughly without having to rely on being purely an action title. Likely to become a cult classic, and almost certainly a big hit for house parties and group gaming sessions, I can’t wait to start playing this game later this summer. If nothing else, the ubër nerd in me can’t wait to see all of the trouble that the cheerleader, the nihilist and Agent Ward get into when this game launches. Should be a whole lot of fun!
