Until Dawn‘s main selling point as a horror game has been the fact that you finally get to make the decisions that determine whether you live or die. You have control over what you do, and your choices alter the outcome of the game. While the last trailer for the game showed that the actions you take have lasting consequences, the most recent trailer actually gives you a taste of the decision-making responsiblity that defines the game.
The trailer itself is live-action and doesn’t set itself apart from anything in the horror genre. There’s a girl in a shower, a mysterious noise outside, and a failing lightbulb, followed by the girl calling out her friend’s name as she gets out of the shower.
This is the point in the horror movie where you start yelling instructions at the character. Only this time, the options are presented to you on the screen and you have a limited time to decide what you want to do. Suddenly, it’s not as easy to make the choice..
While the whole concept of an interactive YouTube video winds up being a little hokey, in part because it requires linking you to another video, it works, given what Until Dawn is all about. In the game, you will be continuously faced with similar decisions, as well as a short timeframe in which to make them, and will have to live with the consequences of your actions.
Hopefully this taste is enough to hold you over until the game comes out August 25th.
