On August 25th, Sony will release their latest exclusive, Until Dawn for the PlayStation 4. I’ve had the good fortune of playing the game at Pax Prime and at C.E.S. 2015 and can tell you I definitely enjoyed what I saw. The game mixes survival horror and branching storylines that allows the player to select a course of actions that are taken, which in turn will affect who lives and dies.
My first interaction with the game was heavy on using the controller to manipulate objects by tilting the controller, but later interactions have shown that I could use the motion capabilities of the controller for combat options such as throwing an object at an assailant. As you play through the scenarios options such as trying to hide or fleeing down the path, confronting an assailant or running away, forcing open a door or running down the basement stairs, and such are all options of players will be faced with.
The last time I played the game my outcome was the same despite taking a few different choices and a subsequent replay. Mind you the outcome for the character was the same but the method in which it was done did change so much like the old choose your own adventure stories, players do have a say in the decision-making and are not immediately rewarded with the knowledge of whether or not their choices were the correct ones.
So what does this mean for fans of the PS4? If you are fan of this type the game will definitely be a must buy although I am curious as to how the game will overcome some of the issues that plagued LA Noire and that random mashing the buttons essentially accomplish the same thing even if it took a slightly different route to get there. The storyline is definitely creepy as the idea of friends trapped in the snow we launch with a killer on the loose has been the staple of or ever since the Golden age of the 70s. The biggest questions many players have is how long will the gameplay be and will there be much replayability to it? Well I can’t tell you how long the gameplay will be it does appear that there will be a considerable amount of replayability as is the case with the pre-order bonus. That item will offer a new chapter featuring two characters where players will ultimately be able to decide who lives and who dies. This is the nature of the game as it presents multiple choices to players, many of them bad, and allows players to learn from the mistakes they’ve made as well as use deductive reasoning to think on the fly as they try to survive.
Remember this is a genre that often features people making some of the most ludicrous decisions possible in the face of imminent danger. I personally found the game very compelling and intriguing each time I played it but I did have some questions arise as to how much the game really will be altered by the choices a player makes for if many outcomes are inevitable they just allow you to change the path slightly and regards of how you get there.
Bloodborne showed how loyal and passionate the fan base of the PS4 is this the game sold quite well despite being very difficult and in a genre that some consider not for the mass-market. I would expect the game to get some serious looks from fans as it is very eerie and atmospheric game that is aided by full-motion video of various actors as being able to change between characters and also play female characters will possibly lead to female players playing a game that they might not otherwise have given much attention to. While it remains to be seen just how popular the game will be, Until Dawn is poised to be the next breakout hit for Sony and should continue their recent trend of successful exclusives for the console.
http://sknr.net/2015/05/27/will-until-dawn-be-the-next-breakout-hit-for-the-playstation-4/
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