Until Dawn

Until Dawn is everything that Quantic Dream games have tried to be – unsuccessfully – for the past decade. It emulates horror movies while demonstrating a clear understanding of what makes those movies work, its focus on consequence is nervewracking and intricate, and its story is silly but strongly delivered. It’s the best David Cage game not made by David Cage, and it’s the best interactive horror flick you’ll play.

Until Dawn succeeds on so many levels of story telling and creates this amazing interactive survival horror experience.

If you are opened minded to a non-traditional gaming experience and enjoy horror games and/or movies, I would highly recommend giving Until Dawn a try.

While Until Dawn lacks complex gameplay, it counters with compelling characters, astounding visuals, and a thought provoking storyline. A masterful fusion of art forms, Until Dawn is a refreshingly self-aware experience that no thriller fan should pass up.

Designed by passionate horror fans, Until Dawn is a love letter to the era of slasher movies, a game fully aware of its ridiculousness that asks players to join it for one heck of a ride. Whether you play it by yourself or with a friend or two, this is an adventure worth partaking in.

One aspect of this game that I really like is the inclusion of a psychiatrist who speaks to you between chapters.

Until Dawn takes Heavy Rain's mechanics and refines them, adding a delicious horror sauce and going to town with the result. It is absolutely brilliant in every conceivable way.

Even though the gameplay elements may be a little light compared to most games, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Until Dawn. The story kept me captivated and very few games succeed at creating such a creepy and unsettling atmosphere.

Until Dawn is a great mixture of all the cliches of the YA thriller genre, beautifully wrapped in a Heavy Rain formula. Supermassive Games did excellent work on the narrative; graphics and soundtrack are top notch, and so is the Italian voice-over.

If you can get past that stereotype and your usual reaction to Hollywood horror, you’ll find that Until Dawn is one of the most original and polished games in the interactive horror genre...The game really lives up to its promise and vision, and that’s a rarity in an age of hype.

Until Dawn expertly combines choice-based gaming with horror movie mechanics, delivering a game that will be tough to forget. It's so good, in fact, that it will be hard to overlook when it comes time to name this year's best.

The script kept me entertained and feeling like my decisions mattered throughout my 10-hour playthrough. Thanks to some good twists, a few fake-outs, and limitless jump scares, Until Dawn would make a solid horror film. As a piece of interactive fiction, however, it's a remarkable experience that horror fans shouldn't miss.

Until Dawn is the proper slasher game fans have always wanted, and succeeds at creating a wildly unique and enjoyable narrative experience. Beautiful graphics and sound, amazing performances and engaging stories make this a must-play for any horror fan.

It hits on all the right notes, has interesting variation outcomes from the butterfly effects, it looks great, and it’s the closest we’ve come to being in a horror flick. Sometimes funny, sometimes cheesy, sometimes downright scary and tense as hell, Until Dawn is one wild ride, and while not everyone will think it’s worth the entry price, I couldn’t be happier with the end results. I had such a blast with it, I started it over immediately to complete again, a rare thing these days. They aimed to go for an interactive horror movie experience and they absolutely nailed it.

Until Dawn captured the slasher flick perfectly: typical story, typical teens. Jason, Ghostface, and the fishhook killer from I Know What You Did Last Summer would be proud. However, I cannot stress enough; people not into the horror genre probably won’t enjoy Until Dawn nearly as much.

Horror, and actual consequences makes for an enthralling game let down only by the slow beginning.

Until Dawn is the best port from a movie genre (teen slasher) to an interactive experience.

A linear experience gameplay-wise. You make choices, which affect the story, but you have go where the director tells you to. A very pretty, intense, interesting and at times, scary experience nonetheless. [Sept 2015]

Until Dawn is an interesting adventure with a script worthy of Hollywood that mixes deep characters with complicated decisions. It is much more than a game of the slasher genre.

I’m sure it won’t be for everyone, but if you enjoy horror movies like Scream and want to experience the genre with some agency in the story’s outcome, Until Dawn is a great choice.

Until Dawn is a crash course in branching narrative, pumped with adrenaline and pure fun. Even if you replay it a couple of times from beginning to end, you will not be bored.

I absolutely recommend the game, but it should only be played a single time—once the surprise wears off, the flaws become too great to ignore.

In Until Dawn the results of your choices really matter, which makes the game as unique as all possible endings it offers. The scary place where you write the script yourself is graphically superb. The Hollywood cast makes the picture even more perfect, although the animations are not always of the same great quality.

Ultimately, Until Dawn is a bold experiment that pays off far more than it doesn’t.

The story plays with clichés just to surprise you with something totally unexpected.

For all those minor issues, my initial run through Until Dawn is still one of the more satisfying games I’ve played this year.

Until Dawn is the best cinematic horror game to torment players this past decade. It doesn’t hit every beat, but by morning you will have experienced terror, tension, and tragedy, and killed a few of your friends – if you even survive that long.

An easy recommendation for those looking to munch on some popcorn while you get the crap scared out of you.

What’s most surprising is just how well Until Dawn manages to pull you in. What starts as funny and lighthearted eventually becomes quite terrifying. At the beginning, you’re just shaking your head at the ridiculous things these guys say, ready for a self-centered character to get horribly maimed, but once you’ve spent most of the night with them, you eventually want to save everyone you can. And of course it wouldn’t be complete without some shocking revelations.

If you like Quantic Dream's games and think the idea of that style mixed with an "I Know What You Did Last Summer" or "Scary Movie" style narrative would be good, you're probably going to really dig it.

Unfortunately, not every “branching point” is real. If you’re destined to fail, you’ll fail no matter what you choose. Sometimes your decision will be overruled by others, and once – even by your own character. Still, there’s not a whole lot of those false branches. [Issue#201, p.56]

Until Dawn has a smart, layered and well-told story that’s exciting, fun to play and gets real scary at times. Developer Supermassive Games claimed a spot on our list of favorite storytellers and restored our faith in the 'interactive movie’-genre.

Choice and consequence. It's a brief for Until Dawn. It's just like a good horror movie (ok, little cliche) but, actually ıt's a horror game. But sometimes you ll forget that truth, really.

Supermassive Games surprised us with a game that reminds us the standards established by Quantic Dream on interactive dramas with plenty of tension, suspense and horror. A decent length accompanied by a good dose of tension and scares make us think that the result of this experiment was generally positive. The visuals, presentation and soundtrack are good as well.

Until Dawn is a fun, gripping, immersive adventure that you’ll play on the very edge of your seat. It’s a little too short (even with the butterfly effect greatly enhancing the longevity), the story is only mildly impressive, and the camera doesn’t always cooperate. But spurred on by great performances, a disturbing atmosphere, a decision-making system that might be unparalleled in video games today, and a very personal approach to interaction, the game makes a strong case for a purchase.

Until Dawn is a very interesting take on the Heavy Rain concept, mixed with the slasher/horror genre, and a few tributes to the survival horror games. If you enjoy Quantic Dream games and horror movies/games, you shouldn't miss it.

It's tense, smart, and able to arouse the player's curiosity until the end. Some design choices are a bit controversial, and the acting is not always spot on, but it's definitely a great homage to horror movies.

Gameplay-wise, not exactly a killer app, but anybody who looks at those visuals will be dead impressed. Short, but plenty of reasons to replay, and it’s the spookiest game since Alien: Isolation. [November 2015, p72]

Until Dawn plays with you. It’s an extended metaphor for horror games, one that prides itself on how much it predicts – and counteracts – what you’re doing. If you care about the advancement of meta-narratives and the player/game relationship, this is for you.

Supermassive delivers what could be described as the definition of “sleeper hit”. It’s an ode to teen horror movies of the ’80s with well-thought story, dialogues, and a plethora of choices and consequences.

A little different to what we were expecting, Until Dawn is still a great experience for horror enthusiasts, and something we really hope Supermassive builds on in the future. [Issue#261, p.66]

What we have here is a fun story with enjoyable game mechanics and a true feeling of it being your story, with actual impactful choices lending a level of replayability unseen to date in similar games.

A starry cast, gorgeous visuals and great performance capture makes it burn brightly during the short running time. [Oct 2015, p.86]

Until Dawn is a fantastic blood scrawled love letter to all things horror – the slasher genre in particular. Even though all its ideas come from decades worth of scary movies, seeing these elements uniquely worked into a game is highly effective.

This interactive horror movie is heaps of fun and packed with moments that'll have you and anyone watching jumping out of their skin. Being able to kill off characters you don't like is more fun than you'll want to admit. You'll definitely want to play it more than once too to put the cast through hell again and again.

If you like slasher movies from Halloween to Scream and back, you’ll get your kicks out of Until Dawn. The often mentioned butterfly effect is underutilized and merely an illusion, but the script with its twists and turns will give you chills and the occasional scare. Nice.

If horror is your thing then you have no excuse not to buy it.

Until Dawn is a great example of interactive cinema. Here we have a great looking game with interesting characters and truly impactful decision making moments. The story isn't groundbreaking but the entire product is a well thought out slasher that doesn't allow to save your progress manually (and that creates tons of tension!).

Until Dawn ends up being one of this year's most interesting games on PS4. It takes the butterfly effect to an interactive level with great success. Choosing the horror genre to set things in motion is amusing in every aspect.

Until Dawn is an interactive, 8-hour long horror experience in which you decide what happens to the characters. It is very much like a horror movie, meaning the story is predictable and there are a lot of cheap thrills. But, the way in which your choices and actions all influence the story are excellent and make this game one of a kind.

At first glance, a good video game adaptation of the classic horror slasher with outstanding performances, graphic design, and especially huge number of options to help you experience a different story every time you play.

Fans of the genre will feel right at home because Until Dawn definitely nails it.

The slasher film is played out. But the slasher video game just may have a chance.

The horror movie the game reminds me most of is Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods. Not from a narrative sense, you understand, but in the way it lampoons the genre, while never losing sight of what bloody good fun it can be.

Until Dawn proves to be both visually and narratively compelling.

Until Dawn is surprisingly good, with well-written characters, incredibly good looks and a thrilling atmosphere through and through.

Until Dawn is a fine mix between P.T., Evil Within and Quantic Dream games. It's quite unprecedented and it makes us see this production as an interactive TV series rather than a video game ; and somehow, we really like it.

Until Dawn is a video game that should jump to the "to-play" pile for those gamers who love classic horror and want to see the high-quality that the PlayStation 4 can deliver when it comes to faces and character interactions.

Until Dawn is a very, very fine game, with a quality, intriguing, and intelligent narrative rolled around the concept of player choice. It's also another example of why Sony is the best blockbuster publisher out there because it's happy to do stuff that breaks away from the safe conventions of expensive games.

Until Dawn follows many games that use the "interactive storytelling" technique, and despite some rough edges offers a very good and unique experience.

This game tries and accomplishes blending movies and videogames into one unique experience. By doing that, Supermassive Games takes away some freedom from the players side, but compensates with huge replayabity.

When Until Dawn was announced, expectations were low, because I was afraid that Supermassive would simply follow the same horror movie tropes without innovating. But how wrong I was, as, thanks to the "butterfly effect" and some savvy game design, there are multiple ways to experience fear here.

Despite the stereotypical characters and some uninspired phases, Until Dawn offers an engaging and tense experience, thanks to the good atmosphere and to the moral choices related to the butterfly effect.

At its best, the game lives up to its title, in that players will be glued to it all night, until dawn, exhilaratingly racing to one of the many potential endings.

Until Dawn kept me intrigued from start to finish. I came for the campy teen horror movie feel and left extremely impressed with how well rounded and influential an experience Supermassive Games delivered. This is a game that you'll be talking to your friends and colleagues about for years to come as you'll find no two experiences are alike no matter how hard you try.

Until Dawn is a true survival horror within a story-driven game, where all choices have consequences. It has a fantastic atmosphere and you will certainly be scared.

Terrifying night in the snowy mountains is a surprisingly exciting adventure. The interactive video structure works great, grabs your attention and keeps your eyes peeled to the screen, even if horror is not your favourite genre.

Ultimately, Until Dawn is a clever romp through horror movie tropes that is good for those who want fun interactive narratives. It’s cheesy, and there’s perhaps less to do with it once you’re done than I’d like, but it lacks the rough edges of many other narrative-first games...Personally, if we got a few more of these each year and a few less samey shooters, I wouldn’t mind one bit.

With its immersive world, branching narrative, and lifelike character work, Until Dawn will have players on the edge of their seats while pounding them with jump scares and a bone-chilling soundtrack. Having previously worked on ports and smaller titles for Sony, Supermassive Games have shown that they can play with the big boys and we can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

Perhaps more proficient in keeping the player tense than in delivering legitimate scares, Supermassive Games' PlayStation 4 exclusive Until Dawn is an interesting blend of survival horror and choose your own adventure.

I think anyone looking for a solid horror game are going to be pleasantly surprised by Until Dawn. I actually found it even more enjoyable playing with an audience, especially one that’s more scared of horror games than me. Until Dawn delivers on multiple fronts and it's a welcome addition to any PS4 owner’s library.

It could have been a near masterpiece if not for the tonal shift halfway through and if Supermassive committed to either going in the over the top Cabin in the Woods direction or delivering a taught and intelligent slasher like the original Black Christmas. Still, Until Dawn is gripping through its nine-odd hour running time and never lets off the gas.

Equal parts teen slasher, action adventure, and psychological horror, Until Dawn throws a lot at the board and nails only some of it. But its biggest win is choice--permanent, unpredictable, and meaningful.

As a schlocky horror it's a success, but its fiction actually goes beyond simple slasher – even if it remains intentionally silly throughout. The sometimes sloppy controls will irritate, while the performance capture could have been better, but neither of these issues are nightmarish enough to pull you out of the popcorn flick plot, which is buoyed by the impressive,

Until Dawn doesn’t always live up to the potential Supermassive Games envisioned for its ambitious PS4 project, but the game succeeds in enough ways to make it a fascinating and engrossing twist on the horror genre.

In terms of gameplay mechanics it's incredibly simple, but that works in the its favour, leaving you to become fully engrossed in the thrilling and malleable storyline. If you fancy a gory treat that hits plenty of high notes, Until Dawn is highly recommended.

Make no mistake, this is more of an interactive movie than a “game,” but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth experiencing.

I didn't expect to have so much fun with Until Dawn, and the depth with which my choices mattered and affected the final outcome encouraged repeat playthroughs. The visuals can be wonky at times, but in the end Until Dawn succeeds in being a thoughtful use of familiar mechanics, a great achievement in player-driven narrative, and a horror game you shouldn't miss.

Until Dawn doesn’t hide what it’s trying to do. It’s a game that focuses on story and QTE heavy gameplay. It has linear design driving it, while only deviating from the course with player choices, which affect the direction of the story. If you can accept these things, and realize it’s not perfect, then you’re going to probably enjoy Supermassive Games’ horror show.

Until Dawn is a game constructed by people who understand how to manipulate its players’ sense of control. It’s informed by a deep study of horror films and smart in its consideration of how to employ this understanding in an interactive medium. It only fails in its uncharacteristic acceptance of a few outmoded tropes.

More linear than you'd like, but this is a well-crafted and replayable horror experience. [Oct 2015, p.66]

If you are keen for a heart-pounding horror game, you could do far worse than Until Dawn, even if it doesn't fulfill its true potential.

Until Dawn is fun and will keep you on the edge of your seat, but it is also a one-off experience. The game has its flaws but it delivers, because it doesn't try to revolutionize the industry, only to satisfy horror movie fans with silly lines, stereotypes and above all else, jump scares that will make you laugh out of nerves.

Until Dawn is a flawed, but fun experience. Though an unfocused story means it falls short of greatness, it’s an otherwise entertaining homage to the curious traditions of horror movies which pays off your in-game decisions with occasionally shocking consequences.

There’s a well written and unchanging lore here. It’s campy, but it’s horror and was never billed as anything else.

There are a few big twists, some of them you will see coming from miles away, and a few that you won't. But I did mostly enjoy my time with the game. I don't necessarily know when I'm going to go back and play again, but I am interested to check out a few of the other twists. I have a hard time justifying the $60 cost to anyone but fans of this kind of game.

Even though I have my issues with Until Dawn, I was strangely absorbed into this beautiful, yet awful world where I was able to experience a Hollywood horror movie in video game format.

Each gruesome death brings a sharp pang of regret and leaves you wondering if it might have been avoided. [Oct 2015, p.114]

Until Dawn goes off the rails a bit in its final third act, when it trades creepy psychological horror for something more tangible but also more ridiculous. But it’s a weirdly compelling story that does a great job of making you, the player, feel invested in how the tale unfolds and how many of these kids make it out alive. It’s like an adults-only Scooby-Doo mystery with blood, swearing and sphincter-clenching scares.

It had the chance to become a great narrative experience, but the story, halfway through, really changes what was built on sound foundations. If you love the Heavy Rain genre, this might still be worth a shot, but be prepared for some unexpected turns.

Until Dawn is a good game, with a number of issues which can prevent people from liking the overall experience. The game is quite similar to Beyond and Heavy Rain but with a very different plot. If you like both of these kinds of adventures and the horror movies, you'll find in Until Dawn a very good deal.

Think of it like a Telltale adventure with a much better presentation. If you're looking for a deeper, more interactive title, this isn't it, but it does its best to make your choices feel meaningful. And once you've played Until Dawn, comparing your story with your friends' is pretty satisfying.

It's a near-perfect adaptation of an average slasher/monster film. It's a fun romp through a horror movie, and the tension of all characters being able to live and die contributes well to the overall feel. At the end of the day, though, it's not exceptional and lacks replay value. A $60 price tag is too high for the experience, especially with companies like Telltale Games and Dontnod Entertainment offering similar experiences for lower prices.

Until Dawn knows exactly what it is, and it doesn't pretend to be anything more. In that process it allows for some predictable plotlines, hammy acting, and lack of meaningful choices, but I'm glad that it exists, and every horror fan owes it to themselves to play it at some point -- especially at a price cut.

As cheesy horror goes, you've never had it this pretty or entertaining but when it comes to a one off experience, Until Dawn is expensive interactive terror.

A barely interactive horror film about typical American teenagers. You know, with a cabin. In the woods. And a psychopath. We’ve all seen that, we’ve heard these dialogues, we all know these characters. Still Until Dawn has a pretty good story and is a nice homage to horror flicks and despite being a collection of simple QTE’s can both engage and surprise. [11/2015, p.44]

It's a game that's generic while being unlike anything else I've ever played. It's bad in some very evident ways, and yet I want everyone I know to try it. It's not a great game, probably not even a good one, but it does things I want every narrative-based game going forward to learn from.

This B-movie horror game uses all the clichés and shocking moments. Even though it's all about choices and quick time events, it's still an adrenaline ride. [Issue#256]

Until Dawn struggles with clunky video game elements and rough pacing, but mitigates it with B-movie slasher mainstays and a willingness to embrace player failure.

One of the more successful interactive movies of recent years, but that’s really not saying much given the lack of gameplay and horror thrills.

In the first couple of hours Until Dawn is a really intensive horror game, that most certainly will scare the hell out of you. Unfortunately the story isn’t sufficiently well written to hold up in the almost 7 hours it takes to finish the game. And yes, after a while the jump scares feels a bit annoying.