Until Dawn Remake review — Goodbye O Death

Supermassive Games made quite a name for themselves when they released their interactive horror drama game Until Dawn back in 2015 on the PlayStation 4, which garnered critical praise and acclaim. Well it’s 2024 now and PlayStation decided to greenlight a re-creation of a game that isn’t even that old on the PlayStation 5. It will also be the first time the game will be available on PC. The only caveat is, it’s not Supermassive Games behind the scenes this time, it’s Ballistic Moon, a new studio co-founded by previous Supermassive members. So how does this new Until Dawn fare? Is it worth it? It turns out that might depend on your platform…

As a quick refresher, Until Dawn follows a group of eight friends who reunite at a secluded mountain lodge. The entire game takes place over the course of a single night, and it is up to you and the decisions you make in the game to affect the story’s outcome and the survival of each character. You can see clear inspirations from classic teen slasher films here. Think of the entire experience as an interactive movie, with gameplay elements sprinkled in such as quick time events, branching decisions, and free roam exploration. In between chapters, you’ll talk to a narrator of sorts, named Dr. Hill (go Peter Stormare!), who serves as a therapist to you, the player of the game.

What exactly are all the changes in this version of Until Dawn? Well it’s important to note that this is a complete modernization of the original, a remake if you will. It is not a remaster. The entire game has been rebuilt from the ground up using Unreal Engine 5 instead of the Decima Engine that the original was on. Aside from the obvious graphical overhaul, the remake now features a more fleshed out prologue with some extra dialogue and scenes, new camera controls, new collectibles and hunger totems, as well as brand new smaller areas to explore. Oh, there’s a new ending as well, but I’ll let you discover that for yourself.

The reworked opening section of the game adds more context to the characters’ interactions towards each other, and is definitely a welcome addition. Though the game still retains a fixed camera angle in some occasions, the remake now employs a third person over the shoulder point of view for many of its gameplay segments. Gameplay-wise, the remake introduces much needed improvements to accessibility and usability. The alternative to the infamous “Don’t Move” mechanic addresses one of the original’s most criticized aspects, making the game more inclusive without sacrificing tension.

In terms of the game’s visuals, it definitely looks better overall, with crisper animations and better texture details, but there are still lip syncing issues on both PC and PS5. I’d actually argue the color treatment of the original was better, as it gave off a blue hue of sorts that set the campy vibe of the narrative perfectly. I suspect there will be a lot of debate on this particular subject, but that blue certainly hid the scarier parts a bit better than the ultra-modern often-sepia-toned colors. But, the improved lighting and shadow effects undoubtedly contribute significantly to the game’s atmosphere, and the gore adds a visceral quality to the horror elements. The updated character models definitely look more realistic and life-like too.

Unfortunately, the Until Dawn remake runs at a disappointing 30 frames per second when the original runs at a silky smooth 60 frames per second on the PlayStation 5.  On PC, there’s no such restriction, of course. No performance mode for PS5 here sadly, but the load times are quite fast, coming in just under 5 seconds from a fresh launch. The soundtrack has also seen dramatic changes, with the original one created by Jason Graves being completely absent. It’s now replaced with songs from SG Lewis and Purity Ring, both of whom I enjoy personally, but it just doesn’t fit the vibe or atmosphere of this game. Oh and Ballistic Moon even took out O’ Death! Was it because the original OST rights are owned by Supermassive?

It is worth pointing out there are a good number of accessibility options, including multi-language support, subtitles, aim assist, auto succeed “Don’t Move”, simplified quick time event behavior, among others. The game also offers both a streamer and midnight mode, which mutes licensed music and normalizes audio output if you’re playing when everyone else is sleeping. Lastly, for those curious, the Until Dawn remake takes up 56.83 GB on the PS5 whereas the original takes up 46.77 GB, so around a 10 GB increase.

At the end of the day, the question that’s on everyone’s mind is: Is this remake worth it? If you played the original, then no, not in my opinion. This is mainly due to the fact that there is no upgrade path for previous owners, so you’ll need to shell out another $60 for this experience. As for those who have never experienced Until Dawn before, then the answer is more of a maybe. You can easily get the PS4 version for $20 for an arguably better experience than this remake, but if you want to see what Ballistic Moon has accomplished as their first project, then be my guest. It’s certainly a matter of preference over the art and lighting direction, and that’s very much a personal choice. Until Dawn has never looked better, but that may or may not be enough.

***With Ron’s added thoughts on the PC port as well.

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