During my coverage of CES 2015, I was able to get some hands on time with the upcoming horror game Until Dawn. Having played the game before at PAX Prime, it was nice to learn that I would be playing as a different character in this play through.
I had previously played as a brunette with her boyfriend as we had explored the creepy lower levels of a lodge that is isolated by a snow storm.
This time out I played as Hayden Panettiere who was relaxing in a bath listening to music and unaware that she was being watched by a creepy psycho.
Once I was able to control the character who was clad only in a towel, I navigated her through the resort in near darkness as she made her way downstairs thinking she was the victim of a practical joke being played on her by her friends.
It soon becomes clear when she is trapped in the lodge cinema that something evil is afoot and soon I was facing the psycho who had been stalking me.
Using the Dualshock 4 motion abilities, I had to tilt the control in order to select an option such as grasp and throw and object or run.
Throwing an object required me to aim with the control itself rather than a thumbstick and was tricky.
I soon found myself on the run and facing choices such as hiding under a bed or jumping over it, forcing a door opening or hiding, and crashing down a shelf or running away.
I had thought I was making progress but no matter what I attempted, the psycho was in hot pursuit and managed to pop out ahead of me and gas my character into submission.
The atmosphere and gameplay of the game continues to entice me and I cannot wait for it to come out as it appears to be one of the best interactive horror experiences in some time.
Updated!!!
I played the game for a second time at CES which marked my third overall time playing it. You can use the Dualshock 4 to push open doors and I was able to slide a lock and view window in place by sliding the control sideways.
I was told by Sony reps that the crew behind Heavy Rain would be announcing a new project soon, and that for this demo there were 7 possible outcomes. I attempted to change up what I did prior such as pulling a rack down instead of forcing a door when I was being followed. When I did this, a door handle appeared but all it did was allow me to open the door that I had forced open on my earlier attempt. I chose to run over finding a place to hide and I was again captured and gassed.
Another player opted to hide but they were found and injected by the psycho. My guess is that we both did see a new pathway that would have given us a new room with more options.
Sound is a key aspect of the game as Sony insisted we wear headphones to play. This helped with the narrative as well as the creepier sounds in the game. They also said it was a PS4 only game but may be out in the Spring instead of the original November date we were given at PAX Prime.
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