Until Dawn - Mother's Basement Review

[@benellis8662]

Alot of the cheap jumpscares have really good justification. It's the fact that they were set up by Josh to be cheap jumpscares.

[@Da_Swifta]

I mean, in fairness cheap jumpscares is the most common horror movie trope, and this game was basically made to play on horror movie tropes in an interractive video game.

[@cjcathead2468]

Some of them towards the beginning kind of don't though which I think was his point.

[@keremgulbin9142]

It still doesn't excuse the fact that they're cheap jumpscares.

[@CDexie]

@@keremgulbin9142 Yeah, doing tropes ironically doesn't mean that you aren't just... doing tropes.

[@Kutsushita_yukino]

Watching normies die is quite entertaining

[@theonegoldengryphon]

The best explanation I've seen for why Hannah seems to be the strongest/most intelligent of the wendigos and why josh transformed so quickly, is because there's one wendigo spirit that is more powerful and ancient than the rest. The Makapichu. If you unlock the entirety of the "Events of the Past", you see that this sucker has been on the mountain for generations, and seems to be the ultimate monster. Some people speculate that since its spirit was released right after the girls fell, Hannah became the new Makapichu. If that is the case, it's not much of a stretch to think that after Hannahwendigo died, Josh became the Makapichu- since its spirit is stronger, the transformation happened quicker.

[@MelloParasite96]

I also thought about the Makkapitew but other than that it might just be because of each of the wendigo's age. Mike mentioned that the transformed miners had been around for nearly 80 years, meanwhile Hannah/Wendigo only transformed like a year ago. So it would be logical that young one beats the old ones.

[@morgana7842]

The One Golden Gryphon plus the flamethrower guy killed the makapichu right after they fell so it's spirit was released when they fell

[@RationalOrc]

yep, the average person living today is much healthier and taller than people 80 years ago.

[@AichiKitsune]

just a theory. maybe Josh's transformation takes shorter time than the miners, because he is more mentally unstable, therefore more likely to give in to the wendigo spirit. also it is very strongly implied that Hannah is possessed by the 'alpha-wendigo', maybe that allowed her to keep some memories? and because it is 'only' a year she is not completely gone.

[@shanecle]

Nice! Also, if you look at Josh's "Wendigo form", he still had his hair and his clothes and kind of human features ... so he had not completely, 100% transformed into a full blown wendigo ... he was probably 30% transformed ... and on the way to becoming a wendigo.

[@Cobalt360Degrees]

This game really fucking got to me. Mostly because of the Wendigos. They actually *are* from Native American folklore, and I've been terrified of them since I was really little. They've been in obscurity from the mainstream for so long that it never occured to me that they'd be in the game. When they showed up I damn near stopped playing altogether, but by then I was invested.

[@turboyabo864]

have you seen wendigo from the hulk , his been in wolverine and x men and hulk and spider man , his probably a less scary version of a wendigo but he dose work fast and quick

[@Carstein666]

Are Wendigos really obscure? Of course. they are not as overused as zombies and vampires. But I've certainly encountered them in various games and books(though they not necessarily portrayed close to actual myths). Just from what comes to my head immediately. They certainly exist in Lovecraft Mythos (and that's not an obscure piece of media at all). Pen&paper RPG World of Darkens had them (as far as I recall, they were one of werewolf tribes). Talking about video games, they exist in MMORPG The Secret World. So yeah, they are not particularly new monster in popular media (but, again, also not overexposed).

[@SallionMang]

Lol they fight wendigos in Supernatural. There was a story titled "The Wendigo" that basically everyone at my elementary school had read.

[@idigamstudios7463]

@@Carstein666 They aren't so much obscure as wildly unfaithful to their source myths. Until Dawn is actually one of the best depictions I've seen in pop culture because, while the wendigoag aren't responsible for the bad weather trapping the group like they often are in the mythology it is used in tandem with them. In Until Dawn they are also shown to be pretty clever in how they hunt (in the myths they usually have the same intellect they had as humans.) Certainly did a better job with the myth than Supernatural.

[@Roseforthethorns]

They scare me so effing much.

[@FatTexanGamer]

I know I'm late to this, but here's the deal with the wendigos. The game does a good job of getting the lore behind them in comparison to how they are portrayed in other things. Wendigos are weak to fire, which is obviously shown, and mainly reside up north and in forested and mountainous areas. They are constantly looking for food because they are always hungry, and store up any bodies they capture so they can feed when they are inactive. Alongside being efficient hunters, they possess immense strength and can imitate human voices to lure in prey (which is what one can do to who I think is the one named Ashley.) The transformation is also represented well. The wendigo spirit possesses anybody who consumes human flesh when on the mountain. However, it's more of a mental state than anything. So, a strong willed person (presumably the Miners) will take longer to turn as opposed to a very mentally unstable person (like Josh) who will likely turn within a couple of days. Either way, the turn is inevitable. My only issues with these wendigos are how they are played out, in the sense that the characters are able to avoid these master hunters fairly easily and that the wendigos rely on vision to see. However, I am willing to forgive these because it is a game.

[@Brisarious]

I actually really liked the credit sequence at the end. The kids (and remember, they are kids) being able to react to the events of the game from a position of relative safety I think really drives home the contrast of their otherwise mundane lives with such an extreme and probably traumatizing experience. Especially so for characters like Mike who never really had time to process what he was dealing with, because he had to be so active in actually dealing with it.

[@dragonheart1236]

Mike is in an adrenaline rush for pretty much the entirety of the latter part of the game. So him being able to reflect afterwards is a nice touch, because that's realistic.

[@Niivers]

Also, I'm not sure if anyone even did it but me (because no one mentions it), but with the chris/ashley handgun scene, you can wait out the timer completely, and she'll still open the door for ya later. I personally felt it was the most in-character option, because I mean, Chris doesn't seem like the bravest dude to shove that gun in his face, and obviously he wouldn't even think of shooting ashley. He definitely gave off a heavy indecisive vibe, and I felt like that was a lot of his character.

[@TheQrstOne]

Niivers wasn't that predicted by the totem?

[@fukkthisnewupdate8882]

Niivers I would have probably done that purely because I couldn't choose.

[@beetar.t.6153]

I did that because I thought the totem predicted it.

[@tardisandcinnamon]

@@beetar.t.6153 The totem does predict it. Waiting out the timer is the "correct" option in that scene but the only actively bad choice if you want to get everyone out alive is shooting Ashley

[@DarthOmix]

My biggest problem with Until Dawn - and really the only problem I have with it - is that it touts itself like every choice will drastically change everything, and the differences aren't anywhere near as major as the game would like them to be. It's like they had a big ambition and the opening reflected that, but there was a budget problem and the ambition was cut down.

[@sleepysera]

I agree :) The game is fun and your choices DO matter in who lives and who dies, but the way they present it is as if your choices will affect the entire narrative, as if there are tons of story paths that could happen, when, in fact, nothing at all changes; you might just end up with a few less characters in the police station later and a few different lines of dialouge during that.

[@jammer523691aj]

It's still better than other games like Telltale's The Walking Dead where none of your choices actually matter at all.

[@moge820]

It's not as bad as Telltale though, at least characters can survive/die if you want them to

[@PermianExtinction]

Not reaIly arguing with you or against you but... I think the best part of the entire game is the part where you're in the old sanatorium and you're finding out about the wendigo curse from the logs of the doctors. I think the horror atmosphere is the strongest, the few videos and photographs detailing the transformation are deliciously creepy, (and also you can have a wolf along for the fun) and I was most intrigued in the parts where I was first learning about the strange new monster. Which was your favorite part?

[@mothersbasement]

+PermianExtinction You know, that might very well be it. Everything with Mike in the sanatorium, both times you visit it, just works. The first time through when you're chasing the stranger and finding all his traps (DAT BEAR TRAP YO) is so damn tense, and the second time around with all the cages and the stuff about the miners transforming is amazing. But to avoid stealing what you said, I'm gonna say the whole run with Emily and Matt up to the watchtower and then down through the mine. Finding beth's head on the pike especially.

[@PermianExtinction]

Yeah, the mine run was so good, I agree. I think because it served the same purpose: putting the characters in danger while giving constant tidbits of real information that revealed the truth about the main mysteries of the game. I mean, you'd been waiting to find out what happened to the girls the whole time. You know -you think- they both died but you also suspect there's more to it than that.

[@raccoonavi]

Wolf. Best part.

[@roarshach13]

I do quite like this game. But my biggest problem with it is that they tell you so many things rather than showing them. Like the several times they call Matt a dumb jock when I honestly never actually got that impression from him. Emily recounting how he oafishly flirted with a cashier fell flat for me because I didn't get to see it happen. Same thing with Emily pointing out she's on the honor roll and is oh so smrt. Not to mention how every single character is introduced by telling you their three personality traits. Stop telling me what these characters are and just let me see that for myself, game!

[@aojpictures]

roarshach13 There is actually a good part when you play as Emily when you first properly meet the Wendigo, and as you're running away from it she's showing a lot of initiative by throwing down rocks and lighting fires to block the path. It's a great sequence and really shows how she can think on her feet far more effectively than the others. Unfortunately, that comes after a long time of dealing with her whining, and it's about halfway through the game too.

[@roarshach13]

Aidan Owen-Jones I've heard people use that example and yes I can definitely see that. But personally I feel like any character would do that. I could be wrong. That's just the impression I got.

[@aojpictures]

That feeling might come from the fact that you're an observer of horror movie tropes, so a lot of things that would be very hard to think about in such a stressful situation seem very obvious to an audience. However her "smartness" is kind of undone when after she shuts a door on the Wendigo after that sequence, and then she leans against it and breathes a sigh of relief instead continuing to run. Relative to what we see everyone else do (i.e. pull a gun on Emily because she got bit), she certainly seems above average to me at least. But then again, that is relative to the others, who are...well, the others.

[@hinasakukimi]

emily was also the only one to question josh's death, push for them to go to the radio tower, and to stay away from the lodge since that's where the killer would expect them to go. those are all pretty vital, smart things to do. but then there are moments where she acts dumb again so eh, idk.

[@roarshach13]

***** Hm...I missed all that. It has been a while. But what I said about Matt still stands. He didn't feel like a dumb jock to me.

[@Vokoca]

I've actually really appreciated all the dumb early jump scares as a very effective and on point throwback to all the b horror movies it was emulating, but maybe I was giving it too much credit?

[@sopranoshelley]

Hey, Emily definitely gets better through the game too. She is actually a badass, surviving on her own in the mines and escaping the wendigo. She's resourceful and pretty easy to get her through to the end of the game as long as you don't shoot her.

[@LilJbm1]

It isn't about how "badass" Emily is, it's about how shitty of a person she is. She's selfish, only cares about herself, treats everyone around her like shit, acts entitled, basically the type of person NOBODY wants to be around, and that's why the game calls her a "bitch". She is one. The definition of one.

[@idigamstudios7463]

@@LilJbm1 I think that the dev team over compensated with her because she's honestly the most genre savvy of the group, if she's too likeable then she easily, I wouldn't say becomes a mary sue but she would definitely overshadow the cast. Unfortunately they went too far the other way and didn't make her likeable enough. Personally I still kind of like her because it is still realistic for someone under severe stress to lash out, even at friends, but I'll also admit I'm in the minority and know exactly why.

[@cjcathead2468]

@@idigamstudios7463 Honestly I just like her because she slapped Ashley.

[@ienzio7795]

@@LilJbm1 she's someone who I would want on my survival team, not someone I want as a friend

[@narbeep8313]

Is it weird that I only like Emily because of how much of a bitch she is? I just kinda appreciate the way they wrote her, not necessarily saying that I really like her. She also has some of the most iconic and memorable lines in the game, I mean, her lines are so poorly-written that I love her even more.

[@sfd7307]

I always thought Josh's rapid change into a wendigo was because of the number of spirits simultaneously converging on him. Before they were split up into a lot of different hosts, but when you catch the lodge on fire, many are set free at the same time. Basically, higher wendigo spirit dosage = faster turning time??? ;w; maybe

[@Blue_Jay_97]

You only need to find Hannah's journal to 'save' Josh. It causes Sam to tell Josh what happened, resulting in Josh recognising Hannah.

[@Rossy167]

I personally felt like the tale of a grieving schizophreniac and a bunch of nuanced teenage wankers (as a nuanced teenage wanker myself) was much, much stronger than the supernatural Wendigo stuff. What I'm saying is that the human drama was much more compelling to me than the supernatural drama, and that's what made Until Dawn amazing and not simply just great.

[@clockknight13]

DO I HEAR A 999 REVIEW INCOMING? come on do it please?

[@clockknight13]

+clockknight also, have you played the sequel yet?

[@benellis8662]

+clockknight VLR broke my mind.

[@NotAGoodUsername360]

Ben Ellis And ZTD broke my heart

[@MrL0LiTube]

its on now . . . 3 years later

[@oakgreenoak]

>"Did the wolverine just crawl into the cupboard and close the door behind itself?" Maybe it crawled in through a hole in the floor? One time I found an opossum in the cabinet under my bathroom sink that scared the bejeezus out of me. Small terrifying wild animals can definitely pop up in floor-level cabinets and cupboards unexpectedly and unwantedly without the door being open. Unfortunately.

[@brigidtheirish]

Or it nosed the door open looking for a place to sleep and the door closed behind hit because of physics. My cat did that all the time.

[@VannaValentine]

Wow, someone else agrees that Sam and Mike are easily the most likeable characters. A lot of people say Matt or Emily, and some Chris. But I just find Matt so intriguing because he takes it upon himself to just try to do his best and to keep everyone safe.

[@KarishmaChanglani]

DeNile Reid I thought Emily was just universally hated

[@jamessunderland8360]

Karishma Changlani a lot of people actually like her lmao.

[@zanakate7319]

I personally didn’t find Sam very likeable because of her lack of flaws, but Mike was definitely the most likeable to me

[@SE0LARZZ]

dan ward lovin’ that profile picture ;)

[@risgord6990]

Actually the wendigos weren't a creation by the game studio, they where actual creatures from Native American culture and thats what I think makes them amazing. The studio didn't need to create one off, generic spooky monsters to insert into their game, they took a relatively obscure creature from an actual culture and brought it to life for the game (accurately to, if what I've read about them is correct). And put real effort into making them scary. It seems to me that the scariest movie/game/book monsters are the ones that are so close to human, yet all short in one way or another, so souls who lost their humanity because of an Native American curse surely fall into that creep factor.

[@elsie8757]

I assumed he was talking about their designs and the way they moved, not attributing the concept of Wendigos in general to being a creation of the studio

[@ashleyschroeder1843]

he explicitly said even though they didnt create wendigos. he was talking about their design not the wendigo legend

[@killerslowpoke]

I think the whole miner wendigo thing took months only because it took months for everyone to lose their shit, and at the very end of the time they were trapped, they started eating each other and the curse was awoken. After everyone who survives is found by the search party, I'm assuming they had to wait until they could go search the mines as suggested by Sam. When Hannah finds Josh, she takes him into the caves and traps him there, so pairing this treacherous situation and his schizophrenic hallucinations, he could've been pushed by his own logic or his hallucinations to eat the leftover people to survive, which sped up the process of him becoming a wendigo.

[@Beery1962]

Good review overall, but the reviewer makes some important errors. Firstly, he misses the point of the relationship bars, fails to see how people can change (as Emily CAN change from dependent bitch to sympathetic badass - if you play her and Matt carefully) and because of that, fails to see the game mechanic that determines how the character arcs develop and which ending the player gets for each survivor. Clue: the burning lodge scene is not the "ending". Aaaand at the end of the review, the reviewer fails to appreciate that there are multiple ending interviews. A real pity, because some of them are really well acted - especially Mike's if he shoots Emily. Especially ironic is that the reviewer says that it would have been unreasonable to expect the developer to make multiple ending cutscenes - which is actually what the developer DID DO! Then there are things he just gets totally wrong: 8:45 - you don't need to find "all" the Twins clues to "save" Josh - you actually only need to find one clue, and if you find the totem that leads you to it, it's really not hard to find. Also, Josh recognizes Hannah because Sam explains that she survived her fall. Sam knows this if she finds that clue - not "all the clues", not "trophies in Josh's house" - just one clue. 9:11 - Hannah recognizes Josh because he yells her name. And wendigos don't "lose all traces of their humanity" - the Stranger explicitly explains that this is NOT the case. 9:21 - turning into a wendigo doesn't take a month - it takes only a few days. A clue you find in the sanatorium explicitly shows this. In these cases, the reviewer totally drops the ball, criticizing the game for his own misunderstandings. Everything the reviewer says "muddles the game's lore" is, ironically, due to his failure to understand the game's lore, which is perfectly internally consistent - if you pay attention.

[@GenmaTheSamurai]

And the reviewer reviewer also seems to set a standard for the reviewer for this game with variating paths and many small details which can be very easy to miss, and thus criticizes his failure to notices them. Not noticing or caring for the fact that not everyone would notice those details, and the reviewer was praising the game all things considered, thus making the review reviewer's review, a unnecessarily mean-spirited comment towards the reviewer. but legit though, the reviewer has a name lmao what's the point referring to him that way.

[@ricardodeleon3041]

And the reviewer of the reviewers reviewer fails to notice that the review was never mean-spirited as it was just a critisim wich was entirely valid as the original reviewer did the eaxact same thing, not only was it the job of the original reviewer to learn the things mentioned but to experience them if he wants to call his video a review, otherwise it just comes up as a personal heavy biased rambling on the guise of a proffesional review. the reviewer of the reviewers review must take that on account as he makes a counter review if he does not want to look like a fanboy without a solid argument

[@joel2754]

oof

[@Dracolord1208]

You only need the last note the journal to save josh. its simply did u go left in the pool and it saves josh. its still very video gamey but its not a completion thing. great video tho ^_^

[@Menuki]

The speed at which he turned had to with the fact that he isn't resisting the transformation. He was fairly unhinged by the end of it, not a whole lot keeping him human.

[@Blizzic]

I honestly find this game more hilarious than scary. It's basically "bad horror movie: the game" and me and my friend had a ton of fun laughing at all the dumb characters and gratuitous jumpscares.

[@fishfish6135]

To be fair, it had a much better plot than a majority of horror films nowadays. Which is hilarious considering how many tropes it borrowed and yet it had a much more original tone. That said I absolutely love monster horror so I'm 100% biased lol

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

Except it would actually be a good horror movie.

[@fishfish6135]

The One and Only Michael McCormick Let's be honest though, the bar isn't set very high xD

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

+Fish Fish Point.

[@naivnaib]

I find it to be sad. just because of Josh.. he really didn't deserve that ending.. (watched matpat's video)

[@reyntime5697]

YES!!!!! 999 deserves all the praise it gets! Thank you for mentioning it in your review and I really enjoy the fantastic content you keep putting out about my favorite games!

[@antonioscendrategattico2302]

You really made me wish I owned a PS4 to play this game, tbh. I find it really impressive that a lot of work went in the game's mechanics, to try and create an interactive experience. It's something REALLY hard to do, and something I had never felt like it was done in a game.

[@kingdaphnes]

You only need to find Hannah's diary in the mines for the thing with Josh at the end.

[@generalgarchomp333]

the jumpscare at the end was hilarious, especially because i was looking at the comment section at the time. i was like tf?

[@LoneSilverwind]

I noticed that you said that the windegos were a combo of werewolf, vampires, and zombies. Was this meant as a generalization? Because the Windegos of Until Dawn are a spot on realization of Aboriginal myth and folklore.

[@mothersbasement]

+Professor Renegade I mean that they mix elements of modern interpretations of those specific monsters into their depiction of the wendigo - like the decayed-looking flesh and milky white eyes are clearly taken from zombies, whereas the way that the skin and bone stretches during the transformation draws on the body horror elements of modern werewolf movies, and the way that they move and stalk their prey reminds me a lot of modern, more bestial takes on vampires like the strain. There are tons of other sources they draw from, obviously, so yeah, those specific examples were a generalization.

[@LoneSilverwind]

+Mother's Basement Fair enough. I guess beneath the surface this is a more subtle way of reinforcing the horror movie motif.

[@duncanallaire2392]

Geoff's analysis is totally valid, but I really enjoyed the game because I completely missed all of the cues to realise the serial killer twist, and the jump scares still really had me. Honestly? Gonna replay with all this in mind, maybe try to get all the collectibles and really put the mystery together

[@PeanutButterC00kies]

Am I the only person who got every teen to live on my first try without a guide? ._. I feel like a basic understanding of common sense and horror tropes can get you pretty far in a game like this

[@ApprenticeNr1]

For me, Until Dawn fits into a category I call infinitely replayable games. There are games (mostly rpgs like Pokemon and Dragon Quest) that I play only once, the main reason being that having only one save file means i would lose at least 100 hours of work. Then come games like Journey or Dark Souls, which have so much atmosphere that you can replay them a ton but doing so too often would sort of ruin the magic. Until Dawn, however, has enough of a world and story that I can come back to it many times without worrying about having the experience ruined. I don't want to say that it's because it's more shallow than the others I mentioned, but it feels that way, especially when you compare it with 999. Even though the latter is designed with replayability in mind, I put it in with 2nd category. A huge part of the reason is the crux of choice-based games: the multiple endings, or more specifically, the "good" or "true" ending. Usually, getting the best ending on your first playthrough of a choice based game is incredibly rewarding, since it makes you feel smart as all hell (like getting the geth-quarian peace first try. Hard? Not really. Satisfying? You bet.). In 999 they blend the Safe and Coffin endings together (even going all meta by having the player transfer info from one playthrough to another, like the "telepathy" in the story), so you can't get the true ending the first time through, which annoys me but ultimately serves the story better. In UD you can get the best ending with all 8 surviving on the first go, but it isn't very hard if you pay attention and know your horror movie tropes, like you said. It may make you feel smart as a player, but it's not as rewarding as the former. Ultimately, I agree that 999 is the (much) better game, since the multiple playthroughs required to "win" increase your investment in the story and characters by a lot, even more if you're a completionist like me and have to know the full story with all 6 endings. Technically, UD has 256 (not unique) endings, but one is enough to get the complete experience. UD excelled at being a campy horror flick that you can start up and finish in 4-5 hours whenever, but I would take the mindfuck that is 999 any day, as long as I haven't played it in a while. Like I said, it would ruin the magic.

[@DianaDxD]

Honestly the most thing that surprised me with the entire game is Mike's character development. I immediately hated him for the prank he did and I found his and Jess's relationship annoying cuz they throw sex puns around 😑😑😑. But after Jess gets taken and (if you fail at the quick time events enough during the chase) gets killed that's when his character goes from annoying horny douchebag to a caring self sufficient bad ass. Plus his interactions when you can pet the wolf and give it a bone always warms my heart🥺🥺❤❤

[@running_renegade1452]

13:18 It is actually a real life folk lore/supernatural creature.

[@acadiansm]

I actually liked this game, and would like a sequal. I did like the variation on the ending "interviews".

[@aprilfrenzy]

No idea if this has been said already, but the whole "Josh and Hannah recognize one another" thing only relies on you finding a picture of Hannah with the tattoo (seriously, any picture showing that tattoo fills this part) and finding the final journal of Hannah turning into a Wendigo so that Sam tells Josh that happened. That's seriously all it takes to "save" Josh: one tattoo picture and the journal.

[@fishfish6135]

T-rex's vision isn't based on movement. AHHH, I love Jurassic Park but I HATE it for it's misinformation D:

[@SpoilerofGames]

I.. I liked heavy rain...

[@mothersbasement]

+SpoilerofGames the great thing about games is we're allowed to disagree about stuff. I just happen to hate it with a burning passion, but if you had fun with it that's totally cool too.

[@thegeekclub8810]

Thank you for taking some time in this review,to obsess over 999. This is a big part of why I decided to ask for it for Hanukkah last year, and it's now one of my favorite game of all time.

[@thefairybug40]

"HoW dId ThE aNiMaL gEt InTo ThE cLoSeD cAbINeT?!" Okay, city-slicker.

[@itzloveone]

I really liked the epilogue because watching it, I got a sense of dread knowing that, in universe, these characters I had gotten attached to would never heal. They would never get a chance to. No therapist can help you recover from seeing people killed by creatures that they will believe are figments of your imagination.

[@matman000000]

I wouldn't say the early jumpscares are a weakness. They're intentionally cheesy and shallow because Josh designed an unimaginative spooky mansion to prank his friends. A part of why the later sections are so scary is because you drop your guard during the slasher storyline and just enjoy the schlock and character interactions, only to be surprised by the real threat. The only problem is that people who don't know about the twist might be alienated by the early clichés, like I was when I saw preview videos from the house.

[@felixrivera895]

"Micro transations!" Ooh thas scurry. But seriously I think the subpar horror in the first half is designed to set up and condition you to not be ready for the Real horror.

[@AtrociousJake]

It's been years & I'm still upset at how I kept everyone alive until literally the very last decision of the game. Great video!!

[@pumpkinofglory]

There's literally only one clue that makes Josh recognize Hannah. It's the journal. If Sam finds it and tells Josh about it, that's how he recognizes her.

[@MrCannibalMan]

I feel as if the distinct tonal differences between the wendigo portion of the plot and the fake psycho killer portions are super intentional. I don't feel cheated by the shift in tone as you were. In fact, the campy, stupidly placed animals and fake danger flags are super reminiscent of that style of horror that I feel like the team was going for. It not only pulls a bait and switch in the veins of bad or at least derivative horror movies well, it pulls the rug out from under you with a legitimately terrifying plot in the background with the wendigos. I think the moment that the player starts seeing the two plots as separate but overlapping is a huge moment that not only rewards the player for figuring out the puzzle, but it naturally spikes the tension without the game even doing anything. Suddenly the jump scares and the misunderstandings become not only frustrating, but you become infuriated with these idiot kids in the face of real danger. It pulls you into the horror movie mindset not once, but twice, coaxing the player into the absolute absurdity of the set up. Suddenly the fake psycho killer doesn't matter, it gets you to buy into the threat of the wendigos. That said, I do agree that the game well overuses the jumpscares and tropey horror cliches a bit too much for my tastes. I think that was probably a necessary evil in order to really stick the point to players who might not be so well versed in horror movie logic. Those who love horror movies are giddy at the detail, frustrated at the kids and those who have a good understanding but less passion for horror will unfortunately just be left frustrated as a result. So the overuse of the tropes targets the two broadest playerbases the game could have: those who don't know horror at all, and those who know it far too well. Regardless, great review :)

[@jessica4972]

As far as the needing all the twins objects to "save" josh, that's not actually the case, you just need to read the diary that was left and make sure Sam knows about it so she can tell josh.

[@ethanhudson2009]

I think it’s alright that josh turned so fast. He definitely wasn’t as far gone as the other wendigos. It took less than a year for hannah to turn into a full wendigo so josh losing his humanity and growing a few fangs is believable I think.

[@shanecle]

Exactly, Josh was not yet a full blown wendigo. He still had his hair, clothes and some human features ... he was transforming, but not fully transformed ...

[@sollymadeit]

I agree about the jump scares... one of the scariest horrors I've ever seen half the time it is pure suspense and the feeling that you are helplessly in danger

[@TigerKirby215]

But the biggest question we need to ask is this: How does Sam's towel not fall off?

[@toakamar8369]

Seeing Raven and Estelle on your shelf honestly made my night because I freaking love Tales of Vesperia!!!

[@buckwade3874]

Dark aesthetics in general are meant to make you feel tense, but when they're ALWAYS there, that tenseness becomes numb. Simply put, it's like constantly drinking coke vs taking a sip here and there. The latter will have more impact.

[@TheCrystalike]

I love your channel and the plethora of anime/game figurines shown in the intro, can't wait to see more game reviews and anime opening analysis videos from you! Keep up the awesome work!

[@zachs_way2749]

I got through this game with everyone alive on my first playthrough with pure, dumb luck.

[@submariNervous]

I always assumed the reason Hannahdigo recognized Josh was because they're _family._ The person we hear the declaration of "once they're a wendigo, they're gone" from was _The Stranger._ How could he _possibly_ know how Hannahdigo would respond to the _one_ member of the cast who she still liked? I'm not saying The Stranger's information was _completely_ unreliable, I'm just saying his information is only reliable for _the miner wendigos._ Think of it this way: A person who has years of experience dealing with black bears, but _no_ experience with grizzlies, would _not_ be prepared for a grizzly bear if it suddenly showed up.

[@maninthebox0]

You don't have to find all the twins clues for josh to survive. I didn't and he still did...unless that was patched after this review. I did find enough to know Hannah had the tattoo and the wrist watch and journal so Sam could tell Josh what happened.

[@WatchfulVendor]

I absolutely love Until Dawn, just wanna throw this out there: Shenmue 2 has a singular instance of a "don't move" mechanic. It's a neat moment that really fucks with your head.

[@evadavidson3030]

the most likeable characters are Sam and Mike ? Well I disagree about mike I think Matt is much more likeable than him

[@gemmal2271]

I thought so too! Mike is a narcisstic asshole who is part of the reason why Hannah and Beth died! He used Hannah's crush against her. Not only that he is really and cocky, cheats on both of his girlfriends vice versa. (Who were both best friends)

[@jordanmartini4960]

Just started the video so idk if I'm saying something you already talked about but man this game came out of nowhere for me and I definitely was impressed but man some parts had me stuck on the pause menu tryna collect myself lolol especially the Sanatorium with Mike. Just holy shit_sa

[@TikkyNoSurname]

I love Until Dawn. In one of my recent books, Wendigos play a role (as you all know, it's an old story, that has been used a few times - e.g. Supernatural, the second episode already). And THAT'S exactly how I pictured them to be. They're even quite similar, when it comes to how they react to noises and how they move. It kind of gave me an even more vivid picture of what I already had in mind, without needing to copy it.

[@quiettimegaming3642]

My gf played through and I was actually impressed by exactly how different the playthroughs can actually be, albeit subtly. Like I had NO IDEA that taking shortcuts could have so much impact on the story as a whole... For example, my GF took the safe route and still would sometimes fail the skill checks/qte’s. And when Mike was chasing Jess, I had no idea that sue could die if you didn’t risk taking any shortcuts and fail led skill checks...

[@RodericGale]

I quite enjoyed Until Dawn when it came out, and even in my mind I still think of it as a good game. The problem is, it didn't really leave much of an impression on me, I forgot that it even existed until I saw this video in my subscription box. It is an enjoyable game and certainly worth playing once or twice though. Good review shitbag

[@TheUazula]

okay wow so i just started watching your videos and ive nearly gone through them all.... your clarity and presentation is always fantastic. you always manage to say what i can never put into words about an anime or a video game. i love your content so much and Im so happy i subscribed! cant wait for more!!

[@dbrokensoul]

Until Dawn was my first PS4 game and it was awesome. I like it so much because of how it utilize the motion sensor of the controller amazingly. The Don't Move mechanic was brilliant and tilting head by tilting controller feel immersive (although kinda make my arms sore in the long run). I hoped the touch pad is used more although I admit it already done much more than most game that could improve experience using it. One thing that I hate is replaying it doesn't make it faster. You know what to do and what would happen by, boy, those teenage walk so slow. I know they want to make it realistic by not making them running in safe situation but the long walk on the mountain with Mike and Jess is sooooooooooooo boring.

[@cappedminer369]

What about the video where you find all the totems

[@TheRealEvilkitten3]

emily is probably the best character, honestly. like yeah she's a bitch but she owns that shit. plus girl's made of fucking iron - the game tries harder to kill her off than anyone else.

[@TK0921]

I think the "impersonal" feel of the ending kinda makes sense. The way all the characters are isolated away from each other in a police station interview gives the feeling that the characters are separate from each other and that this experience might have had a lasting and damaging effect to their relationship with each other which, to be fair, it likely would in real life. I'd imagine after something like this that these characters would probably never really speak to each other again and would part ways especially if the player made some of the more hostile or less intelligent choices. Granted it makes more sense thematically the worse the players performance was throughout the game but this is mitigated by the fact that if you do well the characters lines clearly reflect that. As for the cheap and non threatening jumpscares early on in the game, I feel like those just increase the effectiveness of the legitimately tense sections later on. Since they all like to prank each other all the time it gives them a reason to doubt that there's a "real" threat at first. It has that moment where they think it's just another prank from their friends when it's actually the killer! OOOoooOOOooOOOooo! Which is still technically a cliche but I think it gives a nice gradual build up to something like the Wendigo rather than just being "suddenly scary monsters everywhere". I appreciate that the game has a sliding scale of threats from "guy that seems scary but is actually the good guy" to "psychotic friend whose revenge prank may legitimately hurt his friends" to "mystical scary bogeyman".

[@knightshade2654]

The wendigo *is* an actual monster, though. One of the videos on the menu tells an old story of a Cree man who ate his family, and therefore became a wendigo. Not to take away for Supermassive, as it is always interesting to learn about different culture’s monsters.

[@zalectrathefearless7250]

the face Sam makes at 15:19 is freaking hilarious

[@helloitsme472]

I know i am über late to this but you dont need to find every single clue about Hannah and Beth to stop Josh from being killed. You only need to find 1/2: Hannah’s note about her tattoo in her room you find in Chapter 2 and Hannah ‘s makeshift diary you find down in her lair in Chapter 10. You find both as Sam

[@nuthead8888]

Tbh I like the police interviews after. It made the whole thing feel just a lot more real, and gave the teens consequences of their time up in the mountain, as well as an insight of how this experience traumatized them and changed them, for better or worse.

[@masterplusmargarita]

This made me want to play 999 again... and I finished playing the series through a week ago.

[@Mil0Gaming]

Dude, you're like my favorite reviewer. Glad to hear you're covering Life is Strange, that's gonna be awesome.

[@bobbia1432]

11:59 That was both shamefully surprising and fucking adorable. ^-^

[@Some__Guy]

"Getting a perfect ending requires replaying the game multiple times and understanding the complex chains of minor events." Or you could be the Super Best Friends and get the perfect ending on the first try, because fuck that shit.

[@wasteoftime5848]

"The boredom 1886" HA, crushed it.

[@acebee46]

I love your review. I personally think they should have added a special cutscene - one for saving everyone. One for killing everyone would have been cool too.

[@Nicecool76420]

If you pay attention in the outro you can see the words "Help me" in the middle left of the video...I think he's been kidnapped, and is asking for help!

[@air6448]

The reason josh turns into a wendigo so quickly is because so many wendigo spirits are out an about

[@Pelvic_Thrust1]

Nice to see you can make longer videos again haha

[@Davisnacho]

You only need to find Hannah’s note to save Josh at the end.

[@alexaliss8233]

Probably one of the biggest things that bugs me about UD (although I loved the game) is that especially in the beginning, a lot of their actions feel severely out of character once you get to play them for more than 30 seconds. It's not like they've changed much over just the first few hours, so it just seems weird that they would act like this in the beginning. For example, I felt it was pretty out of character for Chris to scare Sam with the hockey mask getup, or for Ashley to be involved in the whole Hannah prank (though I know that one happened a full year earlier). It just seems like there are some moments where they sacrifice a character's nature for plot or jumpscares.

[@scbentertainment9305]

When he said "Except Emily", I fucking lost it😂😂😂

[@hayseshouhda5730]

Well this was a quick video for me! You hated Heavy Rain, I really enjoyed it. Since our opinions are so different, I guess I'll move onto another video without watching any further. But thank you for making this video!

[@LtSprinkulz]

My brother got the best ending on his first playthrough without any hints. He's 13...

[@Sitruk86]

my biggest criticism is still the opening song. the Jen Titus version of Oh Death is so much better.

[@DatsRandom]

I manage to keep them all alive first try on accident. I was actually pretty disappointed.

[@acebee46]

That’s hilarious

[@FlopsyJChristianson]

Respect points for the Mako Nendoroid in the back.

[@Th3SmartAlec]

I think you just want to do a 999 review. I'll watch it.

[@shy_viewer]

huh am i the only one who thought that the monster would be a wendigo before any wendigos were mentioned or seen? I love the tv series "Supernatural" and in an episode in the first season there is a wendigo, and the scenery and native american elements from until dawn just reminded me of that episode. anyways, what i liked about until dawn was that there were 2 "monsters". what i mean by this is that at first u think that the game would be like a slasher film with a psychopath after the characters. so the story tricks u into thinking that it is going to be mostly realistic in nature with a few exceptions. but the totems imply something supernatural, something deeper, something far more sinister than a human killer. then u are introduced to wendigos. the twist was amazing. i mean, u think it's just going to be a cheesy slasher horror style, but then suddenly a monster grabs u out of nowhere. having 2 different types of monsters with their own agendas - each acting on their own. the characters unknowingly being stalked by them from different sides. the mystery made the game so much more creepier and interesting.

[@VexedPersona]

Great review once again. Now, since you brought it up. Zero Escape review when?

[@summbuddie9120]

Mike was my favourite character due to him manning up.

[@IGamingStation]

I don't understand how this game is recommended by players when all I can think about when I hear "Until Dawn" is "towel physics". If you don't know what I mean just watch the demo gameplay for this game.

[@TheQrstOne]

I'm sure I'm not the first to point this out, but "The *Boredom* 1886"? Freaking hilarious!

[@cappedminer369]

Your sort of wrong about some of the stuff in until dawn

[@fishfish6135]

"... except Emily." YUP! Doing a 'everyone dies' run. Oh, Emily, how will you go?

[@TheKeksmuzh]

It’s 2018, and he’s still right about 999 being phenomenal

[@zsdCKanVOIJANSO]

what happens if you kill everyone? ***spoilers*** ******* is there even an ending? Because i've only seen if some people survived or everyone survived. so does like nobody get saved? is there always at least 1 person that leaves and can talk to the authorities?

[@mothersbasement]

+Solace Snipe (spoilers, obviously) here's the worst ending kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaimnIRoq6xlhZI

+Mother's Basement Oh wow that is so disappointing.

[@britknee5872]

I think Josh became a wendigo more quickly because of his mental illnesses. Because he was so weak to rash decisions, if he's told "eat this person," he's gonna do it. They showed that with the reveal of his hallucinations. He listens to the voices, so to think he changed that quickly isn't too unrealistic.

[@charlesheyward5859]

ur going places man

[@drakenfist]

I just played this game again and I thought about what you said about the choices you have to make for Josh to notice the wendigo at the end, as Hannah. I know you got it wrong and made a correction comment, but upon inspection, that part doesn't make ANY sense!. So, for Josh to recognize the Wendigo as Hannah, it all depends on whether you pick up a Journal that reveals that Hannah became a Wendigo. This would make sense if Josh picks up the Journal...except..he didn't..Sam and Mike did!. That is the wackiest thing I have seen..a person knows something..if another person reads it!?.

[@light44223]

nolan palmer Sam was telling Josh about the jornal though.