A common refrain, I know. But hear me out! I want to establish some necessary context first.
1. Until Dawn was one of my favorite games of the 2010s. It perfectly balanced genuine terrors, engaging set pieces, hilarious dialogue, phenomenal tension, and what I would consider having one of the best low-key plot twists in all of gaming. Until Dawn is the most ideal “spectator game” where you can invite your friends over for a prolonged B-movie schlock-fest.
2. I’m not entirely opposed to remakes and remasters. But there better be a good reason to go back to the well. If a game came out during the PS3/360/Wii era and before, I can see the argument of “the developers want to fully realize their vision with better technology.” Silent Hill 2? Great idea for a remake (that ended up paying off)! I even sort of understand The Last of Us Part 1 where there’s a desire to maximize the game’s visual fidelity and fluidity to match The Last of Us Part 2. (Plus, Naughty Dog did add many nice quality of life tweaks/additions and extra modes.)
But the remake/remaster (not going to argue semantics there for now) of Until Dawn seems… wrong. By now, it’s no secret. The game ain’t sellin’. Worse, there’s more of a conversation centered around whether it’s worth the money than the actual content of the game. And why? Because the game’s been played already.
‘Until dawn’ epitomizes the worst of the remake trend
Until Dawn didn’t underperform during its original 2015 release by any metric. While its sales numbers aren’t readily available to the public, it’s reported to at least have exceeded expectations. However, Until Dawn is also an insanely good, goofy horror game that didn’t need “graphical improvements.” And the few added interactions and scenes didn’t justify the game’s $60 price tag.
So, where do we go from here? Supermassive Games, the development studio behind Until Dawn (and many horror offerings I wholeheartedly adore), already suffered layoffs earlier this year. The Casting of Frank Stone released to less-than-ideal marks from reviewers. Little Nightmares 3 — please don’t get canceled — got delayed to “*shrug* Maybe 2025?” And presumably, there’s a lot of time between now and The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020.
It would be horrible to lose Supermassive Games. With so much on the line, it’s frustrating that rather than looking ahead, it was decided to use valuable time and resources to “remake” a game that didn’t need it. I’m sure many of the developers had to grin and bear the decision. But with the industry losing great talents left and right, it only emphasizes the disconnect between the decision makers and the beleaguered developers who are always directly affected — pouring everything they have into these projects just to be the ones who ultimately are blamed and laid off.
It’s funny, in a morbid kind of way. Considering the genre, how fitting is it that the good guys are the ones who perish by the hands of shadowy, all-powerful fiends we never see until it’s too late?
The post I Still Don’t Understand Why ‘Until Dawn’ Needed A Remake appeared first on VICE.
The post I Still Don’t Understand Why ‘Until Dawn’ Needed A Remake appeared first on VICE.
