Ten years have passed since the original PS4 version of Until Dawn was released, and it significantly impacted horror games. If you care to delve back into my review, you’ll find that I certainly enjoyed the game at the time.
Here’s how the logline for that original title appears:
Only Your Choices Determine Who Survives
Eight friends are trapped together on a remote mountain retreat, and they aren’t alone. Gripped by dread, with tensions running high, they must fight through their fear if they all hope to make it through the night in one piece.
Play as each of the eight characters and experience fear like you never have before. Every decision you make in your terrifying search for answers could mean the difference between life and death, but for whom? Your actions alone will decide who survives Until Dawn.
• Choice & Consequence – Make the impossible choices, where every decision in your terrifying search for answers could mean the difference between life and death, but for who?
• Butterfly Effect – Carve your path to survival with branching story lines that promise no two experiences will be the same. The choices you make may ripple unseen into moments of grave peril, or they may very well save a life.
Since then, Until Dawn has inspired The Dark Pictures Anthology of games, along with what many call a spiritual sequel in The Quarry, which I also loved playing when it was released two years ago. Meanwhile, a film based on Until Dawn just completed shooting. It is directed by David F. Sandberg (Lights Out), written by Gary Dauberman (Salem’s Lot) and will see Peter Stormare reprise his role of Dr. Alan J. Hill from the game.
But before we get to the movie, Sony has released a PlayStation 5 version of Until Dawn, designed for the next generation console.
Of course, if you played the original PS4 version, the question would be whether you should double-dip for this upgraded, remade version. It’s a fair thought, so I went to the official landing page for the game to grab the talking points about what’s changed from the PS4 to the PS5 version:
Scarily good looking
Rebuilt in UNREAL® Engine 5, the power of PS5 consoles brings new life to a horror classic with realistic lighting and ray-traced shadows. Explore the eerily-lit interiors of the lodge, the oppressive darkness of the mines and moonlight-bathed mountain wilderness in stunning detail.
Filmic frights
Revised cinematography, reworked narrative elements and reframed scenes improve the look, flow and emotional impact of the story, while updated character models better convey the mental and physical states of the protagonists.
Terror from a new perspective
The fixed camera perspective of the PS4 original is replaced with a third-person camera, allowing you to explore the environments from previously unseen angles. Experience all-new character movement animations and interactions as you explore enhanced and new locations.
The sound of fear
Music and sound design has also received a complete overhaul, including reauthored audio and a brand new score from legendary horror composer Mark Korven (The First Omen, The Witch).
This all sounds great, but the proof is in the playing, and I can tell you that I have thoroughly enjoyed revisiting Until Dawn ten years after first putting the disc in my PS4. I didn’t remember all the details of the original, so it genuinely feels like I’m playing a new game. I have zero recollection of the choices I made back in 2015, so it’s fun to feel surprised around every corner. Until Dawn is in the vein of classic slasher films like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday The 13th, which means that characters are going to get picked off (in theory, at least), so you’d best hope the choices you make for each of them will keep them alive for as long as possible.
The character work was and remains strong in Until Dawn, and it’s pretty cool once again to see a pre-Oscar Rami Malek as Josh, one of the lead characters. Plus, any media that features Hayden Panettiere in a horror role should be okay with everyone, considering she’s a legend in the genre, thanks to her work in Scream IV.
While it may not have Terrifier 3 levels of violence, Until Dawn doesn’t mince on the horror, and there are gory killings to be found, not to mention lots of f-bombs and sex talk. This is a recommendation, not a criticism because the game wears its ’80s slasher film inspiration on its sleeve. If you love that era and those sorts of movies, Until Dawn makes you feel like you’ve been thrown into one.
Whether you’re a gamer who was there when Until Dawn dropped ten years ago or are a horror fan looking for a frightening, edge-of-your-seat next-gen experience, you really can’t go wrong choosing to revisit this legit classic, at least in real life. In the game, mind you, make a wrong choice, and someone may not make it…until dawn.
