Spoilers ahead for Until Dawn.
After nearly 10 years, the hit PlayStation 4 exclusive, player-choice focused horror gameUntil Dawnwill return to store shelves later this fall. However, it’s not the sequel fans have long desired, but a remake for the PlayStation 5 and PC developed by the United Kingdom game studio Ballistic Moon instead of the game’s parent developer Supermassive Games. Along with improvements toUntil Dawn’s graphics, lighting, and engine, the remake will expand the story with brand-new environments and collectibles. With these new thematic additions and the upcoming film adaption ofUntil Dawn, the remake can and should lay the groundwork forUntil Dawn 2.
The Original Until Dawn
First released in 2015,Until Dawnwas designed to mirror 1980s and 90s slasher horror films but was also inspired by other video games such asResident EvilandSilent Hill.The story ofUntil Dawnfocuses on a small group of friends who often gathered in a lodge on Blackwood Mountain. One day, following a cruel prank, two girls disappear and are presumed dead. A year later, the girls’ surviving brother, Josh, sets up a fake slasher scenario to psychologically terrify the group to suffer for his sisters' death. However, the group is split up and is hunted by gigantic, elongated, cannibalistic wendigos, potentially leading to all of their deaths.
Similar to Telltale’sThe Walking Dead,Until Dawnis a game focused on player choice and brief exploration. Every choice made inUntil Dawnwill affect the game’s story and gameplay opportunities, represented byUntil Dawn’s butterfly effect system. For example, if players force Matt to try and save Emily instead of jumping to safety, wendigo Hannah will grab Matt and stick him on a hook, killing him. Players can save most characters from dying, but each choice only has a limited time to be made, so players must make each choice wisely.
TheUntil Dawnfilm adaption will be directed by David F. Sandberg and produced by Gary Dauberman, both of whom worked together on prior horror films such as 2017’sAnnabelle: Creation.
The Potential of Until Dawn 2
Despite being both critically and financially successful,Until Dawnnever received a true sequel beyond the 2016 virtual reality spin-off,Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, and the 2018 VR prequelThe Inpatient. Supermassive went on to make other horror games similar in structure and themes toUntil Dawnin the form ofThe Dark Pictures AnthologyandThe Quarry, the latter of which featured a reference toUntil Dawnin the form of a lodge similar to its primary setting. However, no direct sequel toUntil Dawnhas been developed in spite of the game’s ending teasing one.
While there are multiple possible endings inUntil Dawn, the ending where every member of the group survives is considered to be the true ending. If players stop and watch through the credits, a scene will appear depicting Josh, after being taken by wendigo Hannah, turning into a wendigo himself and attacking police sent to look for survivors in the mountain’s mine. With a tease like this andUntil Dawn’s branching narrative,Until Dawn 2can go in a lot of directions for its story. Ballistic Moon could explore more of Josh’s ending with theUntil Dawnremake’s new story elementsand lay the groundwork forUntil Dawn 2if it or Supermassive are planning on developing the game. A post-credits teaser, collectibles hinting at fresh plot points, or even Trophy names could hint at what’s next for the IP.
The Story of Until Dawn 2
If the remake uses the same teaser ending,Until Dawn 2could depict wendigo Joshattacking more police investigating the mountain and potentially have him venture to a nearby town to attack his surviving former friends. IfUntil Dawn 2’s developers continue to use horror films for inspiration, they could have Sam and other survivors venture back to Blackwood to try and save Josh and destroy the wendigo spirits, similar to how Sarah returns to the cannibal filled caves inThe Descent Part 2.Until Dawn2could even have Sam or one of the other survivors end up staying on the mountain to take up Jack Fiddler’s, The Stranger, role inUntil Dawn, ensuring no one else becomes possessed by the wendigo spirits.
Until Dawn
WHERE TO PLAY
Only Your Choices Determine Who SurvivesEight friends are trapped together on a remote mountain retreat, and they aren’t alone. Gripped by dread, with tensions running high, they must fight through their fear if they all hope to make it through the night in one piece.Play as each of the eight characters and experience fear like you never have before. Every decision you make in your terrifying search for answers could mean the difference between life and death, but for whom? Your actions alone will decide who survives Until Dawn.Make the impossible choices, where every decision in your terrifying search for answers could mean the difference between life and death, but for who?Carve your path to survival with branching story lines that promise no two experiences will be the same. The choices you make may ripple unseen into moments of grave peril, or they may very well save a life.
