Until Dawn - Review | A Uniquely Chilling Horror Experience

A relatively spoiler-free review/critique/analysis of Supermassive Games' "Until Dawn," a cinematic horror game from 2015 in which you play as a group of teenagers attempting to survive the night in a snowy mountain lodge when their winter getaway takes a sinister turn. I was skeptical going into it, and it's not without its issues, but Until Dawn turned out to be one of my favorite horror games of recent memory.
Read the text version of this review on my blog:
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#UntilDawn #Review

[@notmadjustdisappointedscie282]

I can see how the totem outcomes seemed random and frustrating, but I actually kind of like how sometimes the player can’t easily alter their choices based off of the premonitions. I agree that the game is based off of choices but I think it adds a layer of helplessness to their situation and ramps up the tension for the player. There’s nothing worse than knowing what could happen and being totally helpless to the outcome, and I think that it’s actually a really brilliant mechanic in the game.

[@dragonalias]

This must have taken a lot of time to make. You deserve more subs XD

[@luismichaelis793]

Yeah we should make Austin McConnell feature him!

[@Becksnnc]

I think Matt agreeing to go to the tower and then shooting the flare immediately has a connection. Since they are going to the tower for help, Matt agreeing means he thinks this is a good idea and so his brain associates the tower with help. Shooting the flare on the tower is Matt's contribution towards getting help. Whereas if he disagrees, it means he would rather wait at the lodge and doesn't think the radio tower is a good place to go. Therefore he's not gonna shoot a flare which will get peoples attention if he thinks the radio tower is a breeding ground for trouble. He'd want to stay as "invisible" as possible since he'd rather hide out at the lodge. I think that's a pretty cool and intricate butterfly effect and nobody really picks up on it. Adding to that I also think it's the games way of trying to make Matt speak for himself sometimes instead of letting Emily walk all over him. It's like a mini punishment for choosing the option that allows Matt to be a doormat (no pun intended) towards her for yet another time instead of saying what he thinks for a change.

[@rosestar1324]

I don't think shooting a flare gun before they even used the radio to call for help is a good idea. Josh said they are the only ones there and at that time, all Matt and the other characters know is that there is a killer on the run and there is a snow storm. Shooting the flare gun could have alerted the killer to their position and without confirmation that someone was looking for them, shooting the flare gun too early could cause them not to be found in time. I get thinking that those two correlates. But in that case the smart thing to do would be to save your only flare gun and tell the people searching for you that you were gonna signal with it. They would have said to wait until dawn cuz they wouldn't even go up the mountain for several hours.

[@MissSimone02]

Also, not having the flare won't guarantee Matt's death. You just have to stop trying to rescue Emily a bit earlier. I think after the first attempt and he'll survive. It's only by staying for every attempt until the tower completely falls that will cause Matt to die without the flare gun.

[@lightningkiki6090]

This video made me realise why the Therapist in this game worked while the Curator in the other games didn't (at least for me) It's because of the lack of interactivity with the Curator. With the therapist he is always asking you questions that you must answer, forcing you to think and engage with what he is talking about. The Curator doesn't do this, he just talks at you. I think the added tone shift with the Therapist throughout the game also makes him more of a character rather then just someone talking at you. Characters develop and grow as a story progresses, in a way the therapist also does this, making him less two dimensional and intriguing the player to see where he will go next. The Curator on the other hand never changes, always has the same office, always talks the same way, he never develops so there is nothing about his character that can pull the player into him. I don't dislike the Curator, he's an okay character. But he never engaged me like the Therapist did.

[@rosestar1324]

I'm glad you mentioned that part about Matt firing the flare gun. I saw that totem and made that choice on my first play through cuz I was trying to keep everyone alive, only to get angry when he shot the flare gun into the sky when I wanted him to use it to protect himself. After that, I also tried to save Em 2 times, I think, and he ended up being killed. I was so angry cuz it wasn't clear how me agreeing to go to the tower meant he should shoot the flare gun immediately. I think if Matt is dead before the tower scene, Emily gets the opportunity to fire the gun or not, so that pissed me off even more cuz Matt never had that choice. One way to fix that could be to give Em the choice to tell Matt to fire the gun or wait until later, of you choose to give Matt the gun. Everyone ended up surviving except Matt on my first play through. I have heard mixed things about Matt being the hardest to keep alive but I think it's true. If you play the game to try and make sure everyone has high relationships with everyone, Matt is the only character who if you make him agree with Em, then he will have a higher chance of dying later. In order for Matt to live past the tower scene you have a few options: 1. Disagree with Emily and not saving her when she's about the fall into the mines. 2. Disagree with Emily, take the flare gun, and try to save her when she's about to fall into the mines. 3. Agree with Emily but don't try to save her when she is about to fall into the mines. There is not a way to keep Matt alive AND keep him and Em's relationship high. She will get upset if you disagree and she will get upset if you don't try to save her. Heck, I think in my first play through, Em still was upset with Matt cuz he didn't save her even though I did try to. She told the detectives not to look for Matt and that he left her to die!! I HATE Emily.

[@Vwowtree]

lol that relationship is really weird, in fact all you have to do for Emily and Matt to have a high relationship is to fully provoke the fight/defend Emily in the argument, after that it dosent matter what you do cause the relationship stays high, it’s all weird that Emily and Matt relationship only increases when they argue (like disagreeing with Emily’s plan made their relationship go higher??), either way I luckily had the dlc with them so I got their relationship high enough pretty easily

[@schmuckmcgee7294]

Sorry to be the “Well, actually” guy, but the reason Mike’s relationship with Josh increased is probably because you said you liked him more than Jessica in Dr. Hill Office. It affects Josh’s relationship with everyone, which you can see towards the end of the game when you play as him. Even then, I think it works out since you clearly took effort to avoid spoilers wherever possible and this kinda works well towards that.

[@twindrill2852]

I like how the story shifts from generic teen slasher flick to spooky wendigo horror-tragedy. Knowing that Josh who plays the villain but is controlled by his mental illness more often than not either dies a painful death or gets turned into a wendigo is...pretty tragic.

[@xXsharpiescarsXx]

Wait what the fuck I had no idea sam was vegan 😂 6:33

[@vrapbrap]

Until dawn really was a treat. Went into it blind last year and I completely agree with your opinions. I honestly went in expecting it to be bad but I was positively surprised.

[@andresfgp13]

this game is about how a cruel prank accidentaly gets 2 girls killed and because of that Freddie Mercury wants revenge.

[@hrymkthul1106]

Your channel is a hidden gem. May you get the glory you deserve.

[@urbiznesnunuv6938]

Your relationship with josh goes up as Mike during the chase if you say you like him.

[@GrimDarkNarrator]

You make some really great content that is professional, informative and entertaining. Hope your sub count picks up and that you keep doing it.

[@eyesopod]

this was so well made!! i never knew that when sam is chased by the psycho that she'd be injected if you said you were scared of needles and i was obsessed with this game when it first came out.

[@Marquis_de_Nah]

If you liked this game try Man of Medan, Supermassive's new game which came out end of last year.

[@Kreuzrippengewoelbe]

I was just wondering how Josh gained so much weight. In the beginning he looks normal after that he's fat and can't climb up that wall.. Noice.

[@TheNocturnalRambler]

I noticed the apparent weight gain too, but I figured it was kind of a "fat suit" effect as part of the psycho costume.

[@ZDEyE]

Dude how are you only 1K Subs, I got 4.5K subs and do lower types of content videos (well sometimes I can do very big types as well)

[@quiettimegaming3642]

16:59 apparently the Jess token boils down to if Mike risks taking shortcuts and passes the QTE’s while giving chase to her and her captor. I didn’t even know how to achieve the Jess with half of her face ripped off outcome, but my GF recent played through, I didn’t give any input and she always took the slower but safe route while giving chase, and she still failed a couple of the skill checks and qte’s, and as far as I can tell that directly led to Jess’s face getting ripped off. But you’re right... knowing that’s a possible outcome doesn’t give any context as to what’s needed to prevent that, and by the time you get that outcome, fulfilling the vision it’s too late to do anything about it, nor will you have any idea as to what you specifically did to reach that outcome, unless you play through multiple times, or look up a guide/walkthrough, making the bulk of the totems pretty worthless. Edit: 25:40 you go to mention exactly that.

[@rosestar1324]

I think according to the wiki, of you reach a certain threshold of failed QTEs while trying to save Jessica, she will be dead when you arrive.

[@nuke2625]

I hate to say i came to like mike more than anyone in this game.

[@_sSs_Andreii]

Hey mate. It's been over a month now. Hope you know that we're all waiting for a new video from you. Just saying. You're awesome

[@flare90]

I loved Until Dawn and so glad to watch a review that does a good job highlighting the positives and negatives of the game. It's not perfect because even though it may advertise itself as being a choose your own style adventure, it is pretty linear. Which isn't a problem at all, because you don't know this on your first play through so you still act very cautious with Mike, even though you'd eventually learn he needs to be there in the finale regardless of what you did. My biggest issue was the stay still events - which I am glad they modified for future games. Sam is a literal bad-ass the entire game, and yet the mystical force called the player can accidentally kill her, but not through deciding between two options or influenced from my past events... but because of a motion control mechanic. I know I am just bitter (STILL) but it was the clearest moment of the game where it took me out of the game and made me think about the mechanics and not the decision making.

[@TheMrNine]

well, you can’t be upset at the game for that. The game basically trains you to become more aware of being still and how to get better at it. it’s the players skill at the end of the game that decides wether sam and mike live or die

[@flare90]

​@@TheMrNine It does a good job in increasing the intensity and adding consequence for it gradually. It is introduced in a safe place where if you fail you can try with no issues. And it is relevant to the game. My issue is based on bittiness of course, and my own personal thoughts so... I can be upset at the game, in the same way I still love the game.

[@mikeroagreschen5350]

I enjoyed this game the first time through since I didn't know what the real danger was. Subsequent playings (trying to save everyone, trying to kill everyone) were less fun because I knew the big secret. I'll say this: Even though the game says that "Every decision you make will affect the outcome", I've found that only about a dozen or so choices really change the outcome as far as who lives and who dies. Severally lives are saved or lost by virtue of whether or not you (a) successfully do QTEs, and (b) whether you can refrain from moving the controller when you're supposed to "Stay Still" (I just put the controller down).

[@admiraltonydawning3847]

On the side note, can we expect a video on Arcania like the one made on Risen?

[@TheNocturnalRambler]

It's on my to-do list, but it could be a few games before I get to it, as I'm working on another review right now and then will likely want to do either Risen 2/3 or Elex next.

[@SecretOfMonkeyIsland784]

Due to the fact that your reviewing this in Jan 2020 im guessing you must have bought the game in the Xmas 2019 sales same as me. Monster Shop did it for £10 so it was worth a punt.

[@reneehoenicke4765]

The flare gun is the single most infuriating thing in this game. They truly do not make it clear AT ALL what the flare gun is for or who should have it. It would have made SO much more sense for them to either have two totems showing Matt and Emily shooting something with the flare gun, or they should have had the totem be Matt disagreeing with Emily since he is harder to keep alive and honestly needs it more.

[@goodmediadude5121]

AH yes Schrodinger's Jessica.

[@cameronjordan1226]

So recently i played this again and i find its weird that a lot of people decide not to give matt the flare gun because when i played it helps matt survive if you try to help emily twice instead of jumping

[@DW-rs1pr]

Good summary and analysis. A

[@spencer6709]

Finally got around to playing it. Phenomenal game.

[@joshuawashington4368]

I'm the best on acting

[@DW-rs1pr]

Good summary and analysis. A

[@natty8222]

You deserve more subs

[@badtuber1654]

I also loved Gothic 1 & 2 and I recomend you to play "The Sinking City" , its a masterfully crafted game in many many aspects

[@TheNocturnalRambler]

I haven't heard of this one, but it definitely seems up my alley and looks interesting. I'll put it on my wishlist. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@voramok5366]

Great stuff, Rambler. Do you plan to review Arcania or G3:Forgotten Bugs at some point?

[@TheNocturnalRambler]

I'll definitely be playing Arcania at some point, but I honestly have no interest in ever Forsaken Gods. That's one game I think I can easily be content never to play, ever in my life.

[@SRCepTer]

Darkwood will hit the horror spot

[@aranerem3767]

Great game, one of my favourites

[@mercedeswalt6621]

Nicely done!

[@Ace-zb5xr]

What do you think of the Stalker games and their mods?

[@TheNocturnalRambler]

I love them. Or at least, Shadow of Chernobyl and Call of Pripyat. Clear Sky felt like a half-cooked conversion mod for SOC and I didn't enjoy the whole premise of warring factions and having to constantly babysit and react to faction events happening on the other side of the map. Otherwise, the STALKER series is easily in my top 10 favorites for having such a unique blend of FPS action, tactical combat, open-world exploration, survival-horror systems and atmosphere, and light RPG elements. I haven't played any of the mods, though, apart from the "Complete" mods that just patch and fix everything up and "Oblivion Lost."

[@Ace-zb5xr]

@@TheNocturnalRambler I swear we have the same opinion on every game lol. If you want a more sandbox version of Stalker you can try Call of Chernobyl. It has mods of its own which allow you to tweak the game how ever you want.

[@JoeMama-tl4tr]

Definitely one of the best PS4 exclusives, much better than the last of us part 2

[@mikeroagreschen5350]

Definitely. Last of Us Part II was a massive letdown for me.

[@MacCormickCave]

*They are two completely different games.*

[@koune1os17]

Its was an ok game but was more of a movie nothing scary for the most part.The only game that made me scared Is visage but it was also super hard to beat that game

[@DW-rs1pr]

The butterfly effect is not true for meeting Josh. They were in the same class... so surely they'd eventually meet and become friends... boom

[@TheMrNine]

that logic doesn’t make a lot of sense. just because they’re in the same class doesn’t mean that they’d become friends. it’s the fact that they got sat close together and therefore made it so they’d spend more time together is what made them friends.

[@arsenii_yavorskyi]

PC Master Race doesn't approve.

[@Shruikan101]

Separate your let's plays from your long form essay videos and I think you will see a significant boost in subscriber numbers and viewership. I've been binging your content over the last couple of days and (dare I say what is so often reiterated in your comment sections) you deserve far more. This means the content itself isn't to blame but the delivery method. For the time being I will try my hardest to spread your channel via word of mouth. :)

[@Abysia]

You say you don't like horror games that are walking simulators full of cheap jump scares but that's EXACTLY what this game is. I don't hate it but the gameplay is incredibly bland and the butterfly effect is a total scam because the game plays out exactly the same regardless of your choices.

[@TheNocturnalRambler]

I feel like you're over-simplifying how the game works and being too dismissive of its creative merits. The game, quite frankly, does NOT play out "exactly the same regardless of your choices" unless you're talking about the main path the game has to follow to reach its ending, which is sadly unavoidable in a game of this scale with such expensive motion-captured animation. Otherwise, dialogue sequences change, character relationships are affected, individual scenes can change, small details change, characters can completely die off, entire gameplay sequences can be unlocked or closed off, and the endings can change, all depending on your choices. I showed or described numerous examples of this throughout the review, and withheld plenty more because they would've been spoilers. Some of the changes are minor and arguably superficial, but others are pretty significant and absolutely affect the way the story plays out and the way the gameplay sequences unfold. There's also plenty more going on with the horror element than cheap jump scares. If you only ever played the first couple of chapters there might not seem to be, as admittedly the early chapters are what I specifically called-out for being "fake-out jump scares" but later chapters create a strong feeling of dread and tension as you try to progress while making smart decisions so that you don't get characters killed; the things happening to you aren't just harmless, startling noises that scare you for a brief second and then go away, or that merely cause a brief game over screen and force you to start over and try the encounter again as if nothing ever happened, but have lasting consequences on the character's livelihood and the way the story/gameplay shapes up. Granted, the core gameplay is walking through environments and interacting with or reacting to scripted setpieces, but the atmosphere and story create a pretty strong feeling of immersion that makes seeing a trap-door in the floor rattling for a brief moment (something not inherently scary or startling on its own) genuinely unsettling and concerning.

[@zingfling8782]

​@@TheNocturnalRambler you do know the ending amounts to how many characters you have saved it doesn't have any branching ending it's the same either way the house blows up if you save all the character and the house also blows up if all the characters are dead it's the same setting and don't even talk about the graphics I mean ps4 can handle Spiderman ps4 uncharted 4 all with a cap 30 and this game couldn't even reach 30 fps this shows how lazy the developers were and the jump scare most of the time there are cheap jump scare with the joker doll and the other doll josh set up or the characters jump scaring themselves like you wouldn't even flinch once in this game the torch lite is useless because you can mostly see all the surrounding the atmosphere is shit this game is shit and should not be regarded as a ps4 exclusive🤣🤣🤣

[@AceHardy]

📝

[@peddazz2365]

Maybe not the most fitting video to ask this under but I wanted to ask under the most recent upload. Did you play "Nehrim" the oblivion mod? Because it has a lot of Gothic influences like the trainers for skills and having to pay for levelling, the interesting part is that the levelling system from Gothic is combined with the system from oblivion having it so that skills also gradually improve by use although they made it very slow so paying for skills is still the go-to option but honestly, it is the best system I have ever seen in a game bringing together the benefits of both and getting rid of the drawbacks of both (even if given the nature of the game being a mod they had to work with what they had, so I am referring more to the theoretical system then how it ended up in the game which by no means was bad but just not as perfect as it could have been) otherwise, the mod is pretty good as well with some half-decent story a bit better then Enderal as far as I remember with some quite enjoyable characters, one of the strong points is definitely the world and the setting with the first interesting thing being that magic is outlawed and using it just by accident in a city will actually get you a huge fine or a sentence in prison (or maybe they straight up killed you I am not 100% sure) there is also a lot to explore with a lot of unique items to find and a bunch of interesting collectables like keys which you can use to open a bunch of safes in a bank and lots of well-made side quests to do (also no quest markers as far as I remember) also, they actually had a concert of a real german band in the game IDK how they did that but its quite fun Just commenting this since from you other content you looked like the person who might enjoy it and has the characteristic needed to appreciate well-crafted RPG mechanics

[@TheNocturnalRambler]

Indeed I have played Nehrim, at least partially. I wrote a brief impressions article on it on my blog back in 2012 (thenocturnalrambler.blogspot.com/2012/04/impressions-of-nehrim-at-fates-edge.html ). I definitely noticed the Gothic inspiration in it, and felt like the overall design was a lot better than what was in Vanilla Oblivion. I never finished, it though, I think because Risen 2 came out while I was playing it, and thus I got distracted and then struggled to pick back up where I left off.

[@peddazz2365]

@@TheNocturnalRambler oh lol that's too bad

[@darkshadows6328]

Please review little hope it just came out today

[@TheNocturnalRambler]

I see it's considered "Part 2" in their Dark Pictures Anthology; do you know if there's any greater appreciation to be had by playing Man of Medan first? I'm certainly interested in giving it a try, but I've got a few other games lined up right now so it would be a while before I could get to it.

[@darkshadows6328]

@@TheNocturnalRambler ok and yes man of Medan was good it still is but little hope is much scarier and better in my opinion

[@vitomarin101]

great review, thank you bro!

[@JGrantUK]

LOTS of thoughts on this game, but overall loved it. The totems were one area I'd like to have seen reworked a little, I agree with basically all of your points re: them. I'd love to see something more akin to final destination, seemingly random clues but that you can actively use to inform your decisions. See a crucifix with three dull edges, but the right one is sharp? Maybe you come to a crossroads and East is the safe(est) option. If that makes sense. Would LOVE to see a sequel, but I know they're not super interested/ However, I've heard that Man of Medan is very much a spiritual successor, so I'll be checking that out!

[@colder8741]

You mean "Repair attempt" because the lights don't work; achieve the desired purpose yet. Attempt is uncertain to work; succeed. Opposite of fail. Effort is a determined attempt that's typically unsuccessful and not guaranteed to cause the object or person to succeed. Contradiction exist outside of video games.

[@jacobhoffman9657]

You: Almost every criticism. Me and the game designers: THAT'S THE POINT!!!!