Long before British developer Supermassive Games would scare the collective pants off of everybody with its Dark Pictures Anthology series, The Quarry and most recently its Dead by Daylight tie-in, The Casting of Frank Stone, it manifested Until Dawn into reality back in 2015. As we now sail past its ninth anniversary, Until Dawn is tipped to get a remake on PC and PlayStation 5 platforms next month so it feels timely to explore just why Supermassive Games’ most well-regarded horror effort is deserving of a remake.
Originally intended to be a first-person PlayStation 3 title focused on that console’s decidedly shonky PlayStation Move controllers, it didn’t take long for the talented folks at Supermassive Games to take over development duties and realise that Until Dawn would be much more effective as a traditionally controlled, cinematic horror adventure – and that’s precisely what we got.
Taking place from a third-person perspective, with an emphasis on cinematic flair, Until Dawn very successfully tapped into the teen slasher horror staples of the late 1990s and 2000s. Chiefly, this was achieved by putting players in rotating control of a group of eight temperamental and frequently bickering teens as they attempt to survive on the distinctly spooky Blackrock Mountain until, you guessed it, dawn.
Very deliberately embracing all of the best and worst aspects of that shopworn cliche, Until Dawn nonetheless felt extremely fresh and compelling when it was released back in 2015 because it shamelessly waded into those waters with complete conviction. Certainly, while Supermassive Games has broadened its output quite significantly since then Until Dawn still feels unique enough and stuffed with enough old-school thrills to be worth the price of admission.
It can be easy to take for granted just what degree of toil and artistry is required to make those old-school horror thrills feel both keenly palpable and satisfying for fans of the genre, and yet, Until Dawn managed to pull it all off with aplomb. Genuinely creepy and terrifying in appropriately equal measure, Until Dawn deftly mixed old-fashioned jump scares with the creeping dread of more contemporary fare alongside some delightfully wicked camera work. From sudden quick shots to some unseen horror leaping out of the darkness, to long panning, close-to-the-floor shots of some undefined terror slowly making its way through the shadows, Until Dawn’s direction is clearly influenced by horror movie cinematography and as such, Supermassive Games’ first horror effort remains held in deservedly high regard.
When it comes to the remake, fans will be pleased to hear they still have a lot to discover and appreciate in terms of this camera work, as developer Ballistic Moon has tightened up some shots, implemented entirely new ones and engineered every frame to better serve its characters and their enduring peril. The Until Dawn remake goes even further still, boasting a reworked prologue which adjusts the pacing of the narrative, allowing players to spend more time with the main characters prior to the main story kicking off.
Contributing significantly to Until Dawn’s so-thick-you-could-cut-it atmospherics is the location itself. Like all the most iconic horror locales, Until Dawn essentially gives its location main character status, with the eerie, snow-dappled log house of Blackrock Mountain, together with the surrounding areas, providing a stirring backdrop to the horror adventure shenanigans which are playing out on screen.
Of course, Until Dawn wouldn’t be able to deploy its horror as effectively as it does if it wasn’t for the cast of characters that must navigate their collective way through this all-consuming nightmare. Ably anchoring Until Dawn’s engaging cast of characters, Supermassive Games breakout effort is also notable for starring some recognisable Hollywood faces too, including the likes of Oscar winner Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Hayden Panettiere (Heroes, Nashville) and Brett Dalton (Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD). Much more than just names for the sake of having names, Until Dawn’s cast of characters is supported by fully motion-captured performances from actors on the stage, big and small screen and this lends a dramatic quality to each performance that helps Until Dawn to age better than it otherwise would have.
Another reason for Until Dawn’s original success was that it underscored its distinctly cinematic presentation with a non-linear narrative where the player had a great many opportunities to shape the story depending on their choices in key situations. Not only did Until Dawn properly empower the player with the agency needed to direct their own story, but it also provided the title with a great deal of replay value, a pair of facts that a new generation of players will surely appreciate when they get their mitts on the Until Dawn remake.
Already visually sumptuous, remake studio Ballistic Moon nonetheless found a number of ways to embellish Until Dawn’s retina-stroking visual presentation yet further still. First and foremost, a change of game engine is in order. Making the leap to Unreal Engine 5, the Until Dawn remake leverages the technical advantages of Epic’s cutting-edge engine to embellish those atmospherics like never before. With much higher quality physical materials, improved lighting, more complex environments and a step change in character model detail and animation to better support those great performances even more, Until Dawn in its remade form can confidently make a case for being one of the best looking horror games of recent years.
Beyond all of the aforementioned changes and improvements, the Until Dawn remake also brings additional collectables, secrets and new small areas to keep players busy when they’re not wetting themselves with terror – a fact that players both old and new will surely appreciate.
An often underrated genre effort, Until Dawn earns its remake by fearlessly leaning full-tilt into its take on stereotypical horror movies from decades ago in a way that few other titles have managed to successfully pull off. All in all, though the remake of Until Dawn leans a little more towards the conservative when we compare it to from-the-ground remakes – such is the desire of Ballistic Moon to thankfully hew close to the source material – the uplift in fidelity, together with a reworked prologue, improved camera and added collectables all serve to put an extra sheen on a modern horror classic that an all-new generation of gamers deserves to experience on the latest gaming hardware.
