GAMEPLAY!!!
It’s currently Twinfinite’s Game of the Year week! All week long, our Editors and Writers will be nominating games from this year that stood out in 2015. Today, Yamilia Avendano tells us why Until Dawn is worthy of being Twinfinite’s 2015 Game of the Year.
Until Dawn burst into the scene that games like Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls had brought into living rooms: the interactive drama genre. After years and years of hoping that this movie-like genre of gaming could have a signature series to point to as a prime example of how it should be done, Until Dawn has appeared. It blows the competition out of the water and sets a new precedent.
What sets Until Dawn apart is that, despite being a lot like others, everything is tighter. You walk or power walk around through the setting as you would any other interactive drama, but it just feels better. Throw in that there are choices you can make that alter your characters’ fates and you’ve got yourself one of the most in-depth choice systems in games to date. The repercussions of what you do in the game can be felt, even if the ending can’t possibly reflect absolute freedom. Every choice has a reaction or multiple ones, and it really keeps you on your toes for what could happen next.
Being a B movie kind of horror game, where stupid teenagers are running around all willy nilly, you’re given options to slaughter them or save them. Every choice can seriously mess these kids up, and it really depends on how you play whether you want to “open that obviously unsafe trap door” or “avoid the dangerous road.” Whatever you do in this game will either be fun, scary, or at the very least entertaining. And it’s good to say that there’s something for everyone, and that you won’t feel like you’re watching a super boring movie while playing.
The suspenseful moments of the game are heightened through a unique gameplay mechanic that utilizes the Dualshock’s light. You need to hold it still during thrilling moments so you won’t get caught and it’s easy to catch yourself holding your own breath and getting into the moment that much.
