Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Ballistic Moon
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
Online: No
ESRB: M
In an age of remasters and remakes, the question lies if they are always necessary. Technology is constantly changing, allowing developers the opportunity to bring older video games to an entirely new generation. However, what constitutes a remake? Is it rebuilding it from the ground up and completely recreating the game from scratch? Or is it acceptable to use the existing dialogue, voice acting, and the original motion capture with a graphics upgrade? Does adding in new scenes sway the argument either way? Until Dawn blurs the line between remake and remaster. Although it is being called a remake, it better aligns with the remastered category. I enjoyed playing Until Dawn just as much as the original, but $60 for a game I have already played with minimal improvements is not cost-effective. Original lines are used, the cut scenes are mostly exact to the original, and the storyline and dialogue are almost identical. The only significant difference is the graphics. Is that enough to warrant purchasing? Yes and no. It is a great game that is thrilling, scary, and downright campy, but I would recommend waiting until a price drop to pick up this Until Dawn remake.
My first impression was being in total awe of how realistic all the people and scenery looked. Everything is so crisp and clear I could see each pore and wrinkle and the character’s sweat even glistened. The lighting is breathtaking and creates an eeriness, which adds to the immersion. The soundtrack and sound design are haunting yet beautiful, complimenting the aesthetic. Unfortunately, that immersion is frequently broken by glitches and uncanny valley-like body movements. I’m unable to say with certainty if they did new motion capture for the game though it appears like they used the original motion capture sessions, and the technology was too outdated to sync up with the graphical upgrade.
The women in the game predominantly look off. Their posture is rigid, and their body movements are unrealistic. The skin tone doesn’t match itself occasionally, often resembling an inexperienced fan trying to mod their favorite game. The movement of the characters while walking around also leave much to be desired. I did love the change from fixed camera angles to third person, but the movement is buggy, and I often found myself walking into things. While I understand that we live in a day and age where games are released in an unstable state at times, I would prefer the studios delay release rather than not give us the best possible version of a game.
The developers of Until Dawn, Ballistic Moon, forged from former developers of Supermassive (the studio that created the original Until Dawn), are at least proactive in fixing any problems with the game — they issued a statement on social media inviting fans to contact them with any tech issues. On the other hand, the studio also laid off several employees a month before the game was released, which makes one wonder if that affected the final product. Furthermore, an unfortunate circumstance is the timing of the release date, as another highly anticipated horror-themed remake, Silent Hill 2, was being released within the same week and at a similar price point. Two similar game remakes released around Halloween will lead consumers to compare the two and ultimately have to choose one over the other, which doesn’t bode well for Until Dawn.
Not to take anything away from the work that went into the game as it does look like a lot of time and effort were invested into the remake. I did play it all the way through and thoroughly enjoyed every moment. I am a fan of the original, as it opened up a new way to play video games and terrify audiences and the personalized experience and branching narrative was truly one of a kind. This brand-new version also has great accessibility settings, which allow even more people to enjoy the game. I wish they could have incorporated a way to make it co-op as Supermassive did implement that into their later games. That would have made it into a proper remake for me.
Overall, the Until Dawn remake is a stunning game, however it does have its flaws which will hopefully be corrected with future updates. Gamers playing it for the first time will enjoy the storytelling and structure of the game, and those returning will appreciate many of the upgrades and added scenes. I can’t say if it was a necessary remake as the original game is only nine years old and still holds up, and at this point I recommend holding off on purchasing it until the price gets an adjustment and the current glitches are corrected.
Sony provided us with a Until Dawn PS5 code for review purposes.
