By: Kayla Brunner

On August 15th, Until Dawn – a PS4 exclusive – was released. Since Until Dawn was barely shown at the E3 conference, it stayed under the radar of most gaming companies until it’s actual release, which was a  pleasant surprise for horror game fanatics. Until Dawn is a ‘Cabin in the Woods-esque’ game where you control eight characters, all with varying personalities. It really utilizes of “The Butterfly Effect” which means that every choice matters and has consequences. These choices, and how you play the game, will determine if characters live or die, and everyone can die.

These eight characters really help shape this game.The motion capturing is phenomenal, you can tell that Supermassive games made sure to focus on this detail. Because of this, these characters are extremely convincing, and their actors really help create emotions. This causes you to become attached to characters. Also, the notion that everyone can live may change your actions – you might even panic to save your least favorite character, and then discover that they weren’t so bad after all.

After a tragedy ensues the eight characters come back to the cabin to find closure. However they soon realize that they aren’t alone. You’ll see things in the windows, hear noises when no one else is around, and get plenty of jump scares. Because this is such a story-driven game, there’s not too much you can really reveal, without ruining the story. Until Dawn is really more of an experience, and you’ll enjoy it much more if you go into it blind. But be warned, this plot is just as crazy as it is scary. There’s plenty of plot twists that’ll keep you on your toes.

Even with such a fantastic game, it still has some issues. Some characters really steal the spotlight, and you get to know them better than others. There’s even one unavoidable effect that causes a character to be gone most of the game. Also, because this game was originally planned and made for the PS3 there’s quite a bit of frame rate issues, even going as far to cause the game to lag. But you get used to it after a while and continue to enjoy your game.

Overall, this game is fantastic. With compelling characters and a well written story, this is a sure pick up for those gamers who love horror movies. Its flaws are minor but its scares are huge. Until Dawn really goes to show that big budget games can be unique.

8/10