Until Dawn (2024) Review

Once again PlayStation has delved into the barely dusty section of its archives to compensate for its lack of new releases, with 2015’s Until Dawn the latest game to get the remake treatment. I reviewed Supermassive Games’ seminal horror title back in 2015, awarding it an 8, praising its excellent tension and various endings, and playing it through again I was reminded of how fun this formula can be when executed correctly. But playing it through again also highlighted how unnecessary this remake feels, with its improved visuals coming with minimal gameplay changes, a few new scenes and a premium price of $109, with no upgrade path for owners of the PS4 version, making it a hard sell for those looking for a replay. However, for first-time players it is a different story.

For those who haven’t played Until Dawn, the premise sees eight teenagers revisit Blackwood Pines Mountain 12 months after two of their friends disappeared without a trace. In true teen slasher film style, what starts as a happy reunion descends into another nightmare and a fight for survival. Over the course of the night, you’ll take control of the characters at various points and make decisions that will shape the narrative and determine who lives and who dies.

Back to Blackwood Pines Mountain

It sounds pretty straightforward – just don’t die – but sometimes surviving is harder than it sounds, with some deaths seemingly coming out of nowhere (a small gripe I have with the game at large). To give you a helping hand, you can find Totems strewn throughout the game that will give you an insight into events that can potentially have a big – even fatal – impact. These are crucial to find if you’re hoping to survive the night without seeing any characters meet their demise. Though, if some of these kids don’t die is it really a teen slasher? At least the first time anyway.

Ballistic Moon was the studio tasked with giving Until Dawn a makeover (sadly they suffered layoffs before the game’s launch), and as expected it’s had a graphical upgrade thanks to Unreal Engine 5, which sees some incredible lighting and character models, and improved environmental details that help to heighten the immersion.

If you’ve played any of Supermassive’s other works, such as The Quarry or The Dark Pictures games, you’ll know what to expect, with choices impacting what happens in the story and to the characters. Every now and again you’ll have to deal with some QTEs to avoid obstacles, enemies, and even death itself. Like with the original, the patterns do become a little repetitive, taking away some of the tension, but it’s a minor issue given my partner would have crumbled under the pressure several times.

Light my way

There have also been changes to the camera system, with Ballistic Moon ditching the fixed cameras for an over-the-shoulder viewpoint for the most part. This is a change that I’m happy with, as it makes the game feel more modern and immersive, and it gives players greater freedom to explore, but it does come at the expense of some of the tension that fixed a camera system brings. The other downside to this is that the characters have the turning circle of a truck that makes it hard to navigate doorways and other areas at times.

New content has been added to help flesh out the story, with the new prologue being the most noticeable addition, allowing players to get further insight into the events that saw the Washington sisters disappear. Other new scenes will hint towards the future of the series or let you explore new areas of Blackwood Pines Mountain and grab new collectables.

Another addition worth talking about is the game’s accessibility options, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given it’s an area that Sony excels in. There are a whole bunch of settings that players can tweak to ensure their playthrough is the best experience for them, such as the ability to auto-succeed Don’t Move sequences and how QTEs are displayed.

The best thing about Until Dawn is that the original was a well-paced eight or so hours, frequently putting you in the shoes of different characters, which kept the narrative moving nicely. It was also well written, with the largely unlikeable cast of characters brought to life by a group of burgeoning actors (at the time), with some going on to find success, such as Rami Malek and Hayden Panettiere. It’s a great way to spend a couple nights during this year’s spooky season if horror games are your jam.

No more fixed cameras

Final Thoughts

While Until Dawn remains Supermassive’s best rendition of its choice-driven horror games, this remake (a term that feels generous) feels like nothing but a cash grab and a move to fatten the PS5 game catalogue given you can buy the still perfectly fine original for $25 and there’s no upgrade option for existing owners. However, if this is your first night on Blackwood Pines Mountain, this new version is a great way to experience the game, but it will come at a cost.

Reviewed on PS5 // Review code supplied by publisher

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