Until Dawn Remake Review — Horror Remade

I seem to be on a trend this year, playing games that have been remastered or remade. From Tomb Raider to System Shock, which are well over a couple of decades old, respectively. Those titles were in desperate need of a glow-up. Now, a new title has entered the proverbial remake chair: Until Dawn, released in 2015, is the latest game to undergo a nip-tuck. But the question remains: is this game better off for it? Or is it a desperate attempt at a cash grab to fill the lack of additions to PlayStation’s library in 2024?

The release of Until Dawn marked the turning point in Supermassive Games. The title laid the foundation of what would become their main genre, interactive horror. It was released to great sales, with strong critical acclaim and a deep connection with gamers around the world, snaring a cult following. Who knew that a teenager slasher horror game would be a critical and commercial success? Definitely not me.

Deeply inspired by slasher movies of the 80s and ’90s, Until Dawn tells the story of a group who meet up at a lodge located at the mysterious Blackwood Mountain one year after the events of the eventful prologue. The game, being inspired heavily by the movies, plays almost exactly like one. Gameplay is limited to movement, QuickTime events, and a heavy reliance on choices to drive the narrative and, in the end, the outcome of the choices to its ultimate ending. Consider the idea of playing a choose-your-own-adventure book.

These choices and dealing with the consequences are what drive the story and the characters of the game. I played the original Until Dawn around 6 years ago. I was a late adopter of the game, having heard many great things from gamers. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I found the story to be fun, campy, unnecessary in its teenage horniness and beautifully gruesome. So essentially, on point, like most horror movies of the 80s/90s.

For those who have played Until Dawn, this is almost the same game with a very fresh paint of HD. At its core, it is the same game, driven by its popular butterfly effect gameplay mechanic, which is that your choices will lead you to many different endings. There are many different choices, some do lead you to small changes in the story while others lead you to big changes that impact your overall experience. The game begs you to try it out again and again to fully experience its branching storyline.

The remake brings with it a much-improved graphical fidelity, improved lighting, and ambient effects. As well as a new camera change from the original. The original was a fixed camera angle, which led to some great tension building as you often walked into the unknown. In its place is the ever-popular 3rd person camera that sits comfortably akin to the newer Resident Evil games.  The horror still existed, but at times, it felt a little muted.

Another notable inclusion of change is the prologue sequence that gives added context to some characters. The modelling is still the same, with some famous celebrities being cast. But nothing is too overly different. The voice acting is fine, with lines being delivered well; the motion capture of the characters comes off a little funny sometimes, but I think that’s mostly due to the age of the game. However, the graphical update does make characters seem more realistic, which also includes the intense death scenes that have been reworked for that added dramatic impact. The updates that are present here are mostly all visual which accentuates the experience rather than adding much of any influence.

There are changes in the game with regards to some totem collectibles that are hidden through the game. These can be found around the environments as you explore, which helps you with the story. These items and collectibles add another layer to the exceptionally strong world-building the game offers. There have also been some significant changes towards the music, with some tracks changed or entire music replaced.

We still have QTE and motion controls as part of the core gameplay. Gameplay takes the backseat as the story rides comfortably at the front in the driver’s seat. Which is totally okay as the story still continues to be riveting and the best part of the game. A playable 7-hour movie is a lot of fun to experience, but there lies a problem. How much is this experience worth? This remake is currently on the market for as close to $100AUD. However, if you look at the original, which I might add is perfectly fine to play, it is selling for almost 75% less of the price at around $20.

This is a huge price discrepancy considering the game is almost identical, bar some changes to graphics, music, and slight changes to collectibles. I’m not too sure it’s worth the admission price at its current price. I’m not saying that this is a bad game. I don’t think I have highlighted many negatives. But after playing many remakes and remasters this year, I can easily identify when these games are made from a labour of love to ease a newer generation into their franchises or when it’s just to remain relevant. I feel that this Until Dawn remake sits in the latter.

I think we need to expect better for our remakes and remasters. They need to almost feel justified as a price of admission can be steep for those that are not fortunate enough to buy newer titles at premium prices. Until Dawn is a good game. It does what it needs to well, and it’s worthy of your time to play it. But the changes feel cosmetic; they don’t exist for the overall improvement of the game.  Until Dawn is a modern take on an old classic, one of Supermassive Games’ strongest titles from their extensive library and deserves to be played, but maybe just wait until there’s a bit of a price drop before you make the choice to dive deep into the game.