Nearly 10 years after the Playstation 4 game was released, Until Dawn finally received the remake treatment. The cast brings strong performances from Hayden Panettiere, Peter Stormare, and Rami Malek, who prove that even 10 years later, you can still nail the role. The original which released in 2015 was a huge financial success and is what made developer Supermassive games popular. The game centers around eight playable protagonists, who have to survive on snowy Blackwood mountain when their lives are put in danger. The game focuses on the butterfly effect, allowing players to make choices which will impact the rest of their playthrough. Rebuilt from the ground up for Playstation 5 and PC, this remake was something many fans, including myself, were awaiting.
The remake has completely altered every character model from the original and even made some important location changes. One of my favorite changes they made was the psycho’s mask. They made it much dirtier and the teeth and gums have way more detail in them, making it look almost too realistic. You can tell the developers spent a lot of time on these models because everything looks so finished. They also changed the times around. In the remake Chapter 1 takes place at 7:02 pm while in the original, it takes place at 9:02 pm. This is so some of the earlier chapters can be played while the sun is still out. The streaks of sunlight shining down on Blackwood mountain is a nice contrast to the dark, misty Chapter 1 from the original game. This also allows players to get a good view of every character and see how much they’ve been remodeled.
My favorite addition by far has to be the reworked prologue. It is completely different from the original with new music, cutscenes and playability. Beth has much more screen time and more places to explore. The prologue also fleshes out the characters better when they choose to do that awful prank to Hannah. Instead of just Sam telling everyone that the prank is a bad idea, you can tell they all feel iffy about doing this. Even Mike, the main person involved in the prank, is much more hesitant about doing this to Hannah than in the original. The prank scene, in my opinion, is much more depressing too. You get to see Hannah so excited, trying to look perfect for Mike. You even see her writing in the famous diary that you pick up later in the game. The best thing about the prologue though is you find out that the red sweatshirt Sam wears in the game was actually Hannah’s. She kept it after Hannah disappeared which I absolutely love. There’s also a short epilogue too that sets up a potential sequel. Players can only unlock it if they manage to keep Sam alive. The epilogue picks up years later in Los Angeles where a traumatized Sam is trying to deal with what happened. In this scene, a strange marking appears on her arm while Dr. Hill calls out to her. Hayden Pannetiere is easily the best part of this game, and I hope this means she and Supermassive games aren’t done working together just yet.
Some other changes the game made is that there’s 10 new interactables to find. Players will come across pictures of the group before the prologue, new lore about the miners getting trapped in the cave in, and so much more. You can even find Emily’s pink bag that she thinks Matt dropped, tucked away in the back of her car. The game also includes the Matt and Emily DLC from the original that was only available for people who pre ordered the first game. It’s about a 10 minute long sequence explaining what happened to Matt and Emily when they went to fetch Emily’s bag. The game also completely reworked the totem system. When you find a totem, you have to rotate them a certain way before you can get a glimpse of a possible future. I know some players may complain about this taking too long and being a pain to do, but I personally love it. It’s a nice break from venturing through the horrors that the game drags you through.
While the game offers many new features that I love, there are aspects I’m not so keen about either. The music in the opening credits was changed from “O Death” to “Out of the Shadows.” The new song just doesn’t fit the game well. “O Death” was one of the things that made the original so iconic. It worked so well and there was no need to change it. The game also allows Josh to live through the night, while in the original he dies no matter what. Now I love this feature, I just wish they did something with it. I wanted to see Josh at the police station with the others at the end. I wanted him to have a scene or two where he faces the consequences of his actions. He doesn’t acquire any new scenes. Many people were upset when Josh could not survive in the original, and I was too, but why would they change that outcome if there are no new scenes to add? They could’ve done so much more with that idea. Josh should see what happened to the others and own up to what he put them through. I understand Rami Malek might not have been available to shoot but if you’re not going to add any new scenes with Josh, then there’s no point in changing this ending in my opinion. Another thing about the game I don’t like is I personally think $60 is too much. That’s one of the reasons why I think this remake did not sell well. There’s an abundant amount of content this game has to offer but it’s not $60 worth. In my opinion, it should be around $40. There were no significant story changes and I just think $60 is asking for a lot. I love this remake but the asking price was a bit hefty.
The original Until Dawn was ahead of its time and a masterpiece from start to finish. For the most part, I like this remake. If you’re a fan of the first game you need to buy this. Although the price is a bit steep, I would still recommend this game. Until Dawn is one of my favorite games I’ve ever played. Its characters are good people with layers, and there isn’t anybody you’re rooting for to die, unlike in many horror movies. If you’re a fan of anything horror then this is a must have.
