I’ve been thinking about Until Dawn recently, even though -- as of this post -- it’s been more
than a month since I finished it. Part
of the blame is on the recently announced VR installment, Rush of Blood. I don’t know
what to make of that, because I haven’t followed VR developments too closely;
still, the fact that Until Dawn is
seeing more play than a one-off release inspires confidence. It’s new, it’s different, and even if there
are some serious flaws, overall it’s
still a good game. I’m glad it came out,
and I hope it gives Supermassive Games the freedom to branch out.
People are going to have different reasons as to
why they like Until Dawn (thanks to
that pesky thing we call “free will”).
Some wanted horror movie tropes, and got them. Some wanted an adventure in the vein of a
Quantic Dream title -- minus the Quantic Dream -- and got that. But even if people give different reasons, I
have one of my own. I don’t think
anyone’s going to fight me on it, but it might be the reason why the game
succeeds overall, on some basic level.
And beyond that, Until Dawn is
a good reminder of what a game can be, because its makers remembered what a
game could be.
The word of the day -- or close enough to it -- is
spirit.