Until Dawn 2024 Review (PS5) - A Visual Upgrade with a Familiar Experience

Supermassive Games' Until Dawn took the interactive horror genre by storm in 2015, allowing players to shape the fate of its cast through branching choices. Now, developer Ballistic Moon has revisited the classic with a 2024 remake, something I didn’t expect to see. Revisiting this game brought back memories of playing with friends, making dumb choices, and laughing at the consequences. However, despite the fresh coat of paint, I struggle to find a strong reason to recommend this version over the original.

A Remake That’s Tough to Justify

My struggle with this one stems from what the remake delivers beyond crisp visual fidelity and performance. For the most part, the overall experience remains despite 2024’s Until Dawn delivering additional scenes (in a different prologue), as the major decisions and possible outcomes stay the same. Only diehard fans who have replayed the game multiple times will truly appreciate the slight changes, especially with this one delivering a new ending.

Until Dawn is a campy interactive horror experience that kick-started my appreciation of Supermassive Games’ projects. The Dark Anthology series that followed the release of the original Until Dawn solidified the studio's role in the video game sphere, as I always look forward to their next story-driven title. 

This is why it was a treat revisiting the game that started it all, as it’s filled with the typical ‘dead teenager’ horror tropes and jump-scares that entertained rather than frightened me, as it felt like I was going around a goofy haunted house, with hired stagehands trying so hard to catch me off-guard. The story and writing sit well into B-movie territory, as the cast of characters is a mixed bag of likable and annoying personalities that actually tested my interest in making the best choices for the characters I was currently controlling. 

One example is Emily, a character I completely despise due to how she acts and treats those around her. I found myself actively trying to get her killed in the weirdest possible way, but that just resulted in an unfortunate fate for another character. This in turn entertained my partner who was watching me play, as she found herself suddenly pulled in at guessing at how it was going to happen, which eventually led to her enjoying the experience to see how everything would unfold. That’s the beauty of games like this, and Until Dawn can still pull it off in 2024.

This reminded me why I enjoy this sub-genre of games, as I truly believe this is an experience best played with a friend, spouse, or a group of people. The outcomes make you think about what you could have done differently, and it makes you wonder how these decisions will change things, ala the “Butterfly Effect”, a concept in chaos theory where one choice can trigger a series of events. This one aspect promotes replayability, which Until Dawn definitely sports. 

Accessible Gameplay for All

The gameplay is simple: a series of A or B choices and quick-time events that can drastically alter the story. You will have the opportunity to roam around certain areas in the game, but these sections serve as tension builders, or a way to add more context to the overall story. That’s mostly it, as there’s no real puzzle to flex the brain, or complicated systems that might confuse players. It’s easy to play - even those who have never held a controller in their life can find success in navigating Until Dawn. 

One significant change is that this version no longer has a fixed third-person perspective in certain sections, as they were replaced with an over-the-shoulder camera angle, which I generally liked more, as it adds more tension to these parts of the game. This tweak feels like a solid improvement, though some fans of the original might not agree that this was a necessary change.

Enhanced B-movie Horror

Visually, the 2024 version looks miles better compared to the 2015 one, as the character models and environments are crispier and more detailed. The graphics improvements greatly enhance the atmosphere, as this is due to the improved lighting that elevates the eerie nature of the game in certain sections. I enjoyed how the lighting was done here, as it does play an important role considering this game is dark and the story takes place within one night.

Small details in the environment pop out as the player directs the character’s flashlight, and key locations are given more emphasis that might be a treat to those who stray a bit off the beaten path. This is where the remake shines, as this version makes me feel like I'm playing Until Dawn on the highest possible setting, while the original feels like what the game might be at the lowest possible setting.

But I still felt disappointed, as in the end, it’s just a more appealing coat of paint. The remake’s animation still comes out as stiff, with certain facial expressions looking dead or even unrealistic, especially when a character smiles. This criticism was my biggest problem in the 2015 version, and to see it remain unchanged feels like a missed opportunity to really elevate the game. There were probably limitations, considering they’re using motion capture done a decade ago, as it’s nowhere near the best possible form of motion capture or facial capture in video games today.  This in and of itself made the experience feel more like a remaster than a remake, as despite the atmosphere and visuals getting a nice overhaul with the engine now in Unreal Engine 5, this doesn’t make the original completely obsolete.  

This is also the first time I played the game from start to finish with a more high-quality headset, as I did enjoy the eerie sounds that can be heard in one ear or at a certain location, which helps the tension as this game’s hilarity always leads to a forced jump scare, which will likely catch those unfamiliar with them.

The Original Still Holds Up

If visuals are all that matters to you, then there’s no question about it, but don’t shy away from the original if you’re looking for a good scare and some entertainment, as it’s not a night or day difference in terms of gameplay and story. I revisited the original game to compare - it still holds up pretty well, and I would still recommend it. It just looks more muddy and blurred, which is a result of my constant exposure to higher-quality visuals and animations. When it comes to remakes, I always look to see if the new version might give one little reason to consider the original, and this struggles to overshadow the 2015 version. 

It’s commendable the amount of work done on the visuals, but the overall essence of the experience is generally left untouched. No significant features are present that would allow you to play the game differently, such as an online mode to let you play with others in other households, a feature that’s become a staple in recent Supermassive Games titles like The Quarry or The Dark Pictures Anthology Series.

It all comes down to the player’s priorities when it comes to an interactive experience like this. Those with bigger TVs will benefit more from the improvements found in the 2024 version, but a full-priced game for generally the same experience is a hard sell in today’s world, not to mention to those who have played the original to the point that they’ve seen all they can.

Until Dawn remains a solid interactive horror experience, especially for newcomers who have yet to experience this story or have not played a game like this. The remake nails the B-movie horror tropes that are fun to play through, even if the jump scares and cheesy dialogue are predictable. It shines in its second half, encouraging replays to better tackle certain plot twists. Whether it’s the original or the remake, Until Dawn still fits the bill perfectly for those cozy nights when a B-movie horror game is just what you need.

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Verdict: 3.5 / 5 (Great)

PROS

• A trope-y cast of characters that you can easily like or hate, perfect for an interactive horror

• Impressive graphical overhaul with improved details in character models, environments, and overall lighting to improve the eerie atmosphere

• A good amount of different outcomes based on player choice that encourages replayability

CONS

• Stiff animations and weird facial animations remain untouched

• No significant features to cater to fans of the original who have experienced all outcomes

• The remake fails to completely make the original obsolete

What I’ve Played 

• Completed one playthrough with some dead (Emily and Jessica) and some living

• Currently going through a second playthrough to completely get everyone out alive

• Played the original game multiple times since it was released in 2015

*This review is based on a PS5 review copy provided by the publisher

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