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Until Dawn - Reviews Thread (PS5/PC - 2024)

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Game Information

Game Title: Until Dawn

Platforms:
  • PlayStation 5 / PC (Oct 4, 2024)
Trailer:
Developer: Ballistic Moon

Publisher: Sony

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 67 average - 45% recommended
Metacritic- 73 average




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Critic Reviews


COGconnected 8.5/10
The remake of Until Dawn stays true to the essence of the original while delivering a much-needed modernization for today’s gaming standards. The stunning graphical overhaul significantly heightens the realism, making the story more immersive and the horror more palpable. Enhanced camera angles refine the gameplay, adding a smoother experience during key moments. While returning players might find the updates limited in terms of new content, those who are discovering this horror classic for the first time are in for an unforgettable experience.

FULL REVIEW
PlayStation Universe 8.5/10
Even though nearly a decade has passed since Until Dawn first spooked and tore its way onto PlayStation consoles, its keenly judged take on the teen slasher trope together with convincing voice actor performances and non-linear narrative still remain appealing - and arguably sit at the apex of anything developer Supermassive Games has created. Of course, if you were indifferent to Until Dawn when it originally released, this shiny new 2024 edition will do precious little to change your mind. For everyone else however, Until Dawn's PS5 outing represents the definitive version of one of the most effective horror titles released in the last console generation.

FULL REVIEW
Areajugones 8/10
Until Dawn remains a remarkable work, just like the original, but this new version should have been a gift to all owners of the game that Supermassive Games released in 2015. A reduced price for the PC version and an upgrade for PS5 would have made more sense than the €70 outlay that it requires to simply look better.

FULL REVIEW
Hobby Consolas 7.9/10
The update of Until Dawn for PS5 and PC is not a bad game: it shines visually, despite flaws such as exaggerated gestures, stuttering or not passing 30 fps, leaving a visual feast more realistic than on PS4. Too bad the price is not more adjusted, like other remakes or remasters, because the perception of many players would change.

FULL REVIEW
Push Square 6/10
Until Dawn drags a contemporary classic into a new generation, and its interactive teen slasher silliness more than holds up today. With vastly enhanced graphics and minor gameplay tweaks, this is still a highly recommended game. The problem is it costs three times as much as its nine-year-old predecessor, and doesn’t have an upgrade path. For all of its grisly glamour, that makes this remake a tough sell – especially when it runs at half the frame rate of its predecessor when played using PS5 backwards compatibility.

FULL REVIEW
Stevivor 3.5/10
The issue here is that Until Dawn didn’t need a remaster. Or a remake. I would wholeheartedly recommend everyone reading this buy and play the 2015 original, and I would equally recommend you banish this remake from your mind to never think of again.

FULL REVIEW
 
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nial

Member
Classic SIEE janky gem confirmed.
That Stevivor review is extremely harsh for no reason, lol. Either way, looks like an alright 7/10 experience as a remake, will probably try it later.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Seems like they down scoring it because of the price, not sure why Areajugones believes the PC version should have been discounted as it was never released on that platform to begin with(that's not how that works, next they suggesting they have an upgrade path)
But the price...I personally don't know where I stand on it, because it is a reduced price title (I never paid £70 like TLOUPT1, it was actually £20 cheaper)
But it's $60 in the US, and although that's actually more or less the same, $60 to my fellow Americans is like £60 to me so it not as discounted in the US.
Sony is also funny with their upgrades, TLOUPT1 didn't have one either and that had less work done, yet Horizon Zero Dawn does get an Upgrade Path yet is the same vein.
I don't think Until Dawn falls in this category.
It's more of Remake Director's Cut.
Anyway, I've been playing through it and it definitely the better way to play the game imo, I ain't missing the 60fps but it could be more stable, hopefully updates and the Pro will remedy that.
the fix camera angles are still preserved when it calls for them(them being gone is a misconception) but the added 3rd Person camera adds to the exploration this version now adds and make it easy to find things.
A lot things have been remixed too.
And despite the original being a looker, this one takes it to another level
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Some of the jank from the original still shines through but there is no denying at times it crosses that line of belief and those literally are the actually the actors on screen.
I'd say if you wasn't over keen of the original this won't win you over, but if you loved the original you might be pleasantly surprised.
 
Most pointless remake/remaster of all time
Depends on the budget. It's a new and small UK team, so maybe it was a cheap port that'll pick up enough to cover the budget and provide a timely October release. Could be PlayStation testing the developer relationship too. I really enjoyed the original game, so if performance is improved, I might pick it up on sale down the road.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Funny enough, the original game runs at a flawless locked 60fps on PS5 now.

So this remake essentially cuts the performance in half for visuals.
So if the PS5 Pro runs this at 60fps it'll be a moot point.
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
The lighting/atmosphere in this remake is so bad. It is like the new dev had no idea what they were doing. The original game was staged and lit to focus on the right things at the right time, like a movie, with this game it is like they just turned on stock UE5 light technology.
 
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Mr Hyde

Member
Already platted it on PS4 but it was on PS Plus when I had it. Will buy this remake physical when it's down to 20$ and all bugs are ironed out. Also, lol Stevivor. What a garbage review site.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Playing this (thank you gamefly) and some thoughts. (PS5 version)

- The general graphical presentation is obviously a step up. Looks cleaner and the character models stand out very well in most cases, but in some cases the lighting doesn't play with them causing over-exposed glints in their eyes etc.
- I appreciate all the modern accessibility related options though. Especially the one to auto-pass the 'don't move' type QTE. I hated those and am glad that I don't have to worry about them now.
- I do not like some of the color grading changes. It makes some events feel completely different and then early in the game, the light just shifts from evening to dark in the span of a few seconds, it's a bit jarring.
- They took out the ability to walk faster with L1, now you can only walk at the default speed and only some instances of the character jogging for a few seconds if the scene demands it. Why would they take this out, very odd.
- Some scenes are expanded, especially in the intro of the game, but since they're using the exact same audio track .. you notice the scenes where activity is happening, but no line is spoken for 45, 50 seconds because there's no reference data.
- The performance is pretty poor. A lot of hitching, stuttering etc pretty much all the time. VRR is essentially useless for a 30hz game with this many issues. There should have been at least a 40hz mode.
- In some scenes the voice acting loses sync with the facial animations (eg when Josh and Sam go to the basement to turn on the power / hot water early on in the game)
- The pre-recorded video after the prologue has some of the worst stuttering I've ever seen in any game. I mean holy shit .. what 1996 era codec did they used to encode it and why is it the pacing so bad? Captured a video below to show what I mean:

 
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Hugare

Member
The lighting/atmosphere in this remake is so bad. It is like the new dev had no idea what they were doing. The original game was staged and lit to focus on the right things at the right time, like a movie, with this game it is like they just turned on stock UE5 light technology.
Most definitely the case. Just like what happened to the Arkham games remastered.

Some studios are so worthless that they dont know how to replicate some effects on a newer engine or have no artistry in them, so they see a bad result and just eh, call it a day and ship it.

As you've said, Until Daws lighting was cooked by hand. I doubt that this port studio knew what they were doing when relighting the game.

I would avoid it like the plague. The original at 60 FPS still looks gorgeous. And it was properly lit.
 

Loboxxx

Member
People saying this looks worse than the original are blind. Different lightning? Alright. It's yellow tintid' like mustard seats right na

But how will it look worse than a 2015 game? Asset quality is miles ahead.
A remake should indisputably look better. Whether it's true or not, the fact that there are people who say it doesn't look better is a failure for the remake.

Remake at 70€ by the way ... Sony watch out you're going back to your greedy PS3 days.
 
This game coming out a week before Silent Hill 2 Remake is actually funny, Sony has probably some of the worst launch dates possible - Horizon came out in the same week as Zelda BOTW, Horizon 2 clashed with Elden Ring and now lmao a poorly done, $70 remake of interactive story game comes out before a more action oriented, cult classic Silent Hill 2.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
This game coming out a week before Silent Hill 2 Remake is actually funny, Sony has probably some of the worst launch dates possible - Horizon came out in the same week as Zelda BOTW, Horizon 2 clashed with Elden Ring and now lmao a poorly done, $70 remake of interactive story game comes out before a more action oriented, cult classic Silent Hill 2.

In the same 7 day window where SH2 remake, Diablo IV's expansion and Metaphor are coming out, this one definitely feels like the neglected duck.
 
A remake should indisputably look better. Whether it's true or not, the fact that there are people who say it doesn't look better is a failure for the remake.

Remake at 70€ by the way ... Sony watch out you're going back to your greedy PS3 days.
in my opinion it's a failure on their eyes.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
I've had 4 crashes in my time through the game since yesterday. Not only does it not perform well, it's also buggy as hell.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
I've had 4 crashes in my time through the game since yesterday. Not only does it not perform well, it's also buggy as hell.
I feel left out, Why do you guys get all the drama and all I get is a game that plays 😡
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Is this a remake, or a regurgitation?

Somewhere in the middle. It's a bit like the MGS Delta 'remake', same game, same voice acting data, same environments but everything has been recreated in Unreal Engine 5. They've added a few more collectibles to the game, an added 30 second extra ending scene that teases a sequel and some story scenes are a bit expanded (but, again, there's no new voice acting so those scenes are mostly silent).

But this one only has a 30fps mode, which is far from stable.
 
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TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Somewhere in the middle. It's a bit like the MGS Delta 'remake', same game, same voice acting data, same environments but everything has been recreated in Unreal Engine 5. They've added a few more collectibles to the game, an added 30 second extra ending scene that teases a sequel and some story scenes are a bit expanded (but, again, there's no new voice acting so those scenes are mostly silent).

But this one only has a 30fps mode, which is far from stable.
Yeah about that
Dq3nWRw.jpeg

All trailers say they're running on PS5 and all of them are 4k60fps and are noticeably smoother
You already know my thoughts on the game, but I ain't gonna stand for lying.
That's not the PS5 version, Maybe the PS5 Pro but it doesn't say PS5 Pro does it.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
All trailers say they're running on PS5 and all of them are 4k60fps and are noticeably smoother
You already know my thoughts on the game, but I ain't gonna stand for lying.
That's not the PS5 version, Maybe the PS5 Pro but it doesn't say PS5 Pro does it.

Yep, some misleading advertisement.

Also, absolutely no jokes but I just had my 5th crash when typing this lol.

The game seems to be very prone to crashing if you put the system on standby and resume.
 
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Reactions: TGO

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Yep, some misleading advertisement.

Also, absolutely no jokes but I just had my 5th crash when typing this lol.

The game seems to be very prone to crashing if you put the system on standby and resume.
I'm really sorry you're having a bad experience, I'm nearing the end and have had nothing so far.(just that bad frame paced into)
And I've seen other people footage and can see the drops people are on about and it's a lot worse then the little hiccups I have.
it gotta be bug or something.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Hermen run out of ideas, only a handful games are worth on PS5.
I miss the days of E3
To be fair, bugs aside..
I'm really happy this actually exists because despite loving the original I probably wouldn't have returned to it anytime soon and I forgot how good it actually was.
And Mikes section is fantastic.
I'm really enjoying my playthrough and probably gonna try and platinum it when I get the PS5 Pro.
I just hope for everyone they fix the problems and it gets that 60fps mode.
 

bender

What time is it?
Sounds like a mess, sadly. The original was such a pleasant surprise and I wanted to kick myself for waiting for it to be $20. It and Season 1 of the Walking Dead are the pinnacle of these types of games and nothing really comes close.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Sounds like a mess, sadly. The original was such a pleasant surprise and I wanted to kick myself for waiting for it to be $20. It and Season 1 of the Walking Dead are the pinnacle of these types of games and nothing really comes close.
To quote Oliver from DF, it's potentially great and a good amount of work definitely went into it but the bugs that should be an easy fix are letting it down, which is weird because of the effort on show.
 

bender

What time is it?
To quote Oliver from DF, it's potentially great and a good amount of work definitely went into it but the bugs that should be an easy fix are letting it down, which is weird because of the effort on show.

Developer ambition relative to the platforms they target just seem out of whack these days...or should I say "further out of whack"?
 
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