PLATFORM: PC / PS5 (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
When the original Until Dawn launched in 2015, horror fans were treated to a campy, tense, gory game where you, as the player, fought to save the characters you connected with most whilst allowing the ones you didn’t take a liking to meet a grizzly end. Not even ten years later, a new generation of gamers and horror lovers have been gifted with a “remake” of Until Dawn.
We say ‘remake’ because although it is technically a remake, it is more of a remaster with added scenes and a superb graphical and technical overhaul.
The story follows a bunch of friends who, on the year anniversary of the disappearance (and death) of their friends Hannah and Beth, head back to the mountain retreat of the deceased’s brother Josh (Rami Malek) – with new relationship dynamics happening between the friends – before a threat looms over them and sends them into a fight for survival.
Although a few scenes have been added/changed in this remake, it still captures the essence and feeling of the original from top to bottom. One of the biggest changes was the change from static camera angles to an over-the-shoulder perspective. As huge fans of the original, we found it quite a big change but a welcome one that actually added to the overall immersion of the experience.
In spite of the fact that games that are less than ten years old don’t need to be remade as backwards compatibility exists Until Dawn is one remake that is a welcome upgrade as it is a more narrative and cinematic experience than some of its peers. The only thing that is a slight red flag is the extortionate price tag that may put die-hard fans off before a price reduction.