Remakes of video games are not always created evenly. There are many more superficial remakes, such as 2018’s Shadows of the Colossus or 2020’s Destroy All Humans, for each truly revolutionary Final Fantasy VII Remake or Metroid: Zero Mission! They essentially transfer all of the original content onto a new, more aesthetically pleasing game engine without significantly altering the gameplay. Until Dawn strongly belongs to the latter kind. Its eerie snowy mountain backdrop and colorful cast of lustful youngsters have never looked better, but its intense, life-or-death decision-based gameplay is essentially the same as what I recall from the 2015 original. It is difficult to recommend Until Dawn because of its general lack of gameplay improvements and glaring performance issues, especially considering that its high price makes it seem more like a daylight robbery than a must-have case of moonlit murder.
It is still essentially the same game, therefore that sentiment is still accurate. Even though Supermassive’s later choose-your-own-misadventure horror games, such as The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes in 2021 and The Quarry in 2022, have nearly equaled it Until Dawn is still the best example of the developer’s well-developed use of the choice-and-consequence-heavy formula. The film’s schlock horror plot is filled with amusingly graphic scenes reminiscent of Saw, The Descent, and Poltergeist. Hayden Panettiere, Peter Stormare, and Rami Malek lead the cast, with their characters still holding up well nine years later despite the dialogue that occasionally makes one cringe.
For this remake, everything has been rebuilt on an entirely new engine (Unreal 5), and it shows in both good and negative ways, even though the cast and secluded Blackwood Pines environment stay the same. Undoubtedly, the enhanced textures and significantly better lighting lend this interactive horror movie a much more realistic edge. Several pleasant environmental details are also included, such as snow that crumples beneath your feet and the sun’s rays reflecting in a gondola’s window.
On the other hand, these improvements come at the expense of a frame rate that is frequently just as erratic as the terrified teenagers on screen. At its worst, this refurbished Until Dawn is also prone to breaking apart entirely, much like a serial killer’s victim on a saw blade. Although I could complete my playing without ever being abruptly brought to the PlayStation 5 home screen, another IGN staff member noted that the first half of the eight-hour plot featured no fewer than six crashes. Until Dawn should be about saving its ensemble of characters from an unexpected demise at the hands of a monstrously malevolent force, not some unintelligible Sony error number.
Adolescent Future Damages Totems
Searching your surroundings for totems becomes more of a burden due to the sloppier movement. Once more, gathering these strewn-about Native American relics offers you quick peeks at possible character outcomes that help guide your choices. However, this time around, their locations have been switched around, probably to make it harder for returning players to find them. That is all well and good, but I wish the procedure of really setting off the premonitions had not become so complicated.
In the first Until Dawn, you discovered a totem, turned it over to reveal a character might have died, and then continued. The totem must now be picked up, carefully moved up and down, and rotated left and right before a little flicker of light appears anywhere on its surface, revealing the vision. It simply serves to needlessly prolong what was formerly a reasonably rapid and simple operation. It just feels clumsy and awkward, like trying to recover a pick from an acoustic guitar after you have dropped it into the soundhole.
The only noteworthy new gameplay mechanic is this token totem twist. Until Dawn retains all of its previous choices, quick-time events, and possible character outcomes, except a slightly extended prologue and a new scene after the credits that raises the possibility of a sequel. Unfortunately, the popular pass-the-controller cooperative gameplay that was first introduced in later Supermassive Games adventures has not been carried over to this game. It is more customizable to individual preferences, though, so you can simply eliminate the “Do not Move” sequences—which tell you to keep the controller as steady as possible—from the pause menu, for example, if you discover that your hands are too trembling for them.
Verdict
The reimagined Until Dawn boasts a significant visual enhancement that places it on par with some of the most visually stunning horror games available on the PlayStation 5, and Supermassive’s iconic horror tale is just as graphic and gruesome as it ever was. Nevertheless, the new over-the-shoulder viewpoint somewhat detracts from its cinematic flare, and its frame rate is rougher than that of even the most determined axe murderers. The remake’s premium price tag is not justified by the few new gameplay features, such as the useless totem-turning mini-game, and movement is noticeably slower and more sluggish than it was in the original. This is especially true given that the original is conveniently located next to the remake in the store. If you are still set on playing this clumsy horror remake, wait until the price is reduced instead of worrying about the eight possible victims hidden inside the cottage in the woods.
