Summary
Until Dawnis one of the last console generation’s most successful and surprising horror titles. Released bydeveloper Supermassive Gamesin 2015, the game blended VHS-era slasher horror, folk horror, and the ever-popular branched storytelling genre into a single tight-knit experience. In 2024, it was revealed that anUntil Dawnremake was on the way, featuring a host of original elements and gameplay changes. Chief among these is the transition to a third-person perspective, replacing the original’s cinema-inspired fixed camera angles. In a title that promises fresh scares, original locations, and hidden secrets, theUntil Dawnremake’s new perspective could be the biggest game-changer of all.
Until Dawntells the story of eight friends who head to Blackwood Mountain on the first anniversary of sisters Hannah and Beth Washington’s disappearance, following a prank gone awry. Soon after their arrival, the event devolves into an all-out horror mystery, as an unknown assailant begins hunting the group one by one. Players are tasked with ensuring that all eight characters survive the night, which requires surviving various supernatural events, as well as fostering trust between characters. Presented as an interactive horror film, players navigate a series of set pieces with a fixed camera, forcing them to explore every nook and cranny for signs of interactivity. In the title’s upcoming remake, however, players will get up close in personal with the secrets and horrors of Blackwood Mountain thanks to a third-person perspective.
Until Dawn’s Perspective Switch Explained
The originalUntil Dawnthrust players into an interactive slasher film. A pioneer in the branched storytelling genre, the title implemented a number of retro elements, including the angled, cinematic perspective found in horror films and early survival horror games. These elements ensured thatUntil Dawnfelt just as much like a movie as it did a game. However, the road paved byUntil Dawn’s critical and commercial successhas since been overrun with lackluster titles, including, quite recently, Supermassive’s ownThe Devil in Me. In the process of rebuildingUntil Dawnfor a new generation, the remake’s developer, Ballistic Moon, decided to apply a shift in perspective.
In an article on PlayStation Blog, Ballistic Moon’s Creative Director, Neil McEwan, shared the team’s reasoning for the shift, stating that they want players to,”…really feel the experience of that fateful night.” A shift to third-person parallels a larger shift in the survival horror genre. Many of today’s most popular horror titles boast a similar perspective, including Capcom’s highly successfulremakes of classicResident Eviltitles. However, Ballistic Moon’s shift to third-person serves another purpose, as McEwan goes on to explain that the ability to move the camera will play a major role in the remadeUntil Dawnexperience.
Until Dawn’s Third-Person Camera Opens the Door to Frightening New Content
TheUntil Dawnremake’s third-person camera will quite literally change the game, as players transition from the perspective of an audience member and are thrust into the center ofBlackwood Mountain’s supernatural frights. Leveraging this massive change, Ballistic Moon further shared with PlayStation that theUntil Dawnremake will include enhanced and new locations. Within these environments, fans will encounter never-before-seen interactive events and collectibles. McEwan states that fans will be able to, “…look behind the curtain of the original game.”, presumably opening the door to a new and frightening experience - an approach that sounds particularly appealing to those who have already played the original game.
It remains to be seen just how much original content theUntil Dawnremake will contain. However, a recent rumor suggests this content may includenewUntil Dawncharacter deaths. With no official release date beyond a confirmation of 2024, and minimal information, theUntil Dawnremake remains largely a mystery. Fans hoping to learn more about theUntil Dawnremake will need to wait until the next major announcement, which may come as soon as PlayStation’s rumored May 2024 Showcase.
Until Dawn
WHERE TO PLAY
Only Your Choices Determine Who SurvivesEight friends are trapped together on a remote mountain retreat, and they aren’t alone. Gripped by dread, with tensions running high, they must fight through their fear if they all hope to make it through the night in one piece.Play as each of the eight characters and experience fear like you never have before. Every decision you make in your terrifying search for answers could mean the difference between life and death, but for whom? Your actions alone will decide who survives Until Dawn.Make the impossible choices, where every decision in your terrifying search for answers could mean the difference between life and death, but for who?Carve your path to survival with branching story lines that promise no two experiences will be the same. The choices you make may ripple unseen into moments of grave peril, or they may very well save a life.
