As a seasoned PC gamer with a soft spot for horror games, I must say I’m quite intrigued by the upcoming remaster of Until Dawn. Having dabbled with PlayStation exclusives on PC before, I’ve come to appreciate the extra touch that PlayStation Studios brings to their ports. The support for DLSS and FSR, the DualSense controller, and the flexibility in aspect ratio are all welcome additions.
Among various horror remakes that have been made over the years, such as Resident Evil 2, 7, Dead Space, and Silent Hill 2, Until Dawn stands out as an unexpected yet fitting choice. It was released in 2015 for the PS4, and despite minimal marketing efforts, it surpassed Sony’s sales expectations. Furthermore, it catapulted Supermassive Games into prominence, though they would later go on to develop The Dark Pictures Anthology.
For years now, Until Dawn has remained exclusive to the PS4 without receiving an upgrade or remaster. However, that’s all about to change with the upcoming launch of the game on both PS5 and PC on October 4th. This isn’t just a simple port; it’s a complete remake, reimagined for modern systems at a price tag of $59.99. The new version boasts fresh features, stunningly enhanced visuals, and much more to explore. Here are 15 crucial facts you should be aware of before diving in.
Developed by Ballistic Moon
Although Ballistic Moon is rebuilding Supermassive Games’ initial game from scratch, it’s important to note that Supermassive Games isn’t directly involved in this remake. Instead, Ballistic Moon is spearheading the development. Interestingly, the team behind Ballistic Moon consists of three developers who previously worked at Supermassive Games and contributed to the original “Until Dawn” project. In a sense, one might say that the spirit of Supermassive Games lives on in this new studio.
Reworked Prologue
The original storyline stays consistent, but the opening part, or Prologue, has undergone modifications and enhancements to intensify its emotional resonance, according to the developer. This means you’ll witness the Washington family spending more quality time together, and some scenes have been reimagined. Moreover, there will be a deeper exploration of the pivotal event that sets the game in motion, offering a richer backstory.
Unreal Engine 5
As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but marvel at how Unreal Engine 5 breathes new life into the remake of Until Dawn. This engine has catapulted visual quality, detail, and rendering to unprecedented heights. Not only have textures and materials been dramatically enhanced, but it also enables stunningly realistic real-time fluid effects – think lifelike blood spatters that elevate the horror experience even further.
Visible Injuries and Updated Character Deaths
Significant advancements are noticeable in the portrayal of injuries among characters, making them appear more authentic with visible bruises, cuts, and so forth. The most exciting aspect is the enhancement made to character deaths. It’s yet to be determined whether these alterations represent major changes or simply an improvement in aesthetics (or a more gruesome depiction, depending on your sensitivity level).
Improved Facial and Body Animations
In summary, there have been significant improvements in character models, making them look significantly more lifelike and intricate. These enhancements are not only visible in their movements but also in subtler aspects such as gestures and overall body language, which now seem more authentic and fluid compared to the originals.
New Third-Person Camera
In some instances, alterations in cinematography significantly enhance the visual appeal. A notable innovation is the introduction of a third-person camera, offering a fresh perspective on events and enabling more intimate storytelling. The original’s fixed camera angles, reminiscent of classic survival horror games, remain part of the mix, but you’ll need to adjust to seeing them alongside the new viewpoint.
New Hunger Totems
In the original version of the game, players could uncover items called Totems. These Totems come in five distinct colors and signify various occurrences such as character deaths, choices, favorable outcomes, and potentially hazardous situations. The remake has introduced an additional Totem, named Hunger, to the mix. The specifics of what it represents are yet to be revealed, but it will offer players more incentive to venture away from the main path.
New Locations for Original Totems
It’s important to remember that the locations of the 30 Totems have been altered for the remake, so it won’t be as simple as casually strolling in to collect them all. Even though this might feel tedious for seasoned players, there’s a thrill in not knowing where they are and meticulously searching the environments to uncover their new hiding spots.
New Areas and Interactions
Even though Ballistic Moon doesn’t offer vast, open landscapes, it promises “new, smaller areas” to explore. These areas will provide fresh interactions and although they may seem minor, they’ll add depth and detail to the game world, making exploration worthwhile. If you’ve ever been curious about the backstory of certain locations, this is great news as these new areas will likely expand on the lore.
New Score and Overhauled Sound
As a horror movie enthusiast, I can’t help but appreciate how crucial sound design and music are in creating an immersive cinematic horror experience. To send shivers down our spines even more effectively, the remake of Until Dawn has undergone a significant enhancement to its audio elements and boasts a brand-new score by composer Mark Korven. This might ring a bell for those who’ve enjoyed films like The Lighthouse or The Witch, indicating that we’re in for an auditory feast when it comes to the soundtrack.
PC Features
As a passionate PC gamer, I’ve grown accustomed to the rich features that come with PlayStation Studios’ ports. In the case of Until Dawn, these include support for Nvidia DLSS 3.7 and AMD FSR 3.1, offering improved graphics performance. The game also offers an uncapped frame rate, and while I primarily use the DualSense controller, other devices like Steam Input are equally viable.
PC Requirements
For optimal performance, running “Until Dawn” on a PC might be a demanding task. To get started, ensure your system runs Windows 10/11 or version 7, and prepare at least 70 GB of space on a solid-state drive for installation.
To achieve the bare minimum of 720p/30 FPS on Low settings, you need a Core i7 4790K or a Ryzen 5 1500X, 8 GB of RAM, and a GeForce GTX 1660, Radeon RX 470 or equivalent card with 6 GB VRAM. To play at 1080p/60 FPS on Medium settings, a Core i5 8600 or Ryzen 7 2700X, 16 GB RAM and a GeForce RTX 2060 or Radeon RX 6600XT are necessary.
Starting from now, you require an NVMe SSD for optimal gaming performance. To ensure smooth gameplay at 1440p/60 FPS or 4K/30 FPS with High settings, a system equipped with either a Core i5 8600 or Ryzen 7 2700X CPU, 16 GB of RAM, and a GeForce RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 6800 XT graphics card will suffice. However, for the highest level of performance with 4K/60 FPS at Very High settings, you’ll need a Core i7 11700K or Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU, 16 GB RAM, and an upgraded GeForce RTX 3080 Ti or Radeon RX 6900XT graphics card.
Ray Tracing
For a more chilling gameplay, you’ve got the option of ray tracing for enhanced shadows, ambient occlusion, and reflections. Unfortunately, Ballistic Moon hasn’t specified the computer hardware requirements to utilize this feature yet. Despite the lack of detailed information, it’s hard not to notice the significant improvement in the lighting and shadow quality based on the preliminary trailers.
New Accessibility Options and Stay Calm
The remake of Ballistic Moon has introduced accessibility and user-friendly features, even if specific details are yet to be disclosed. However, they have clarified an alternative to the Don’t Move mechanic for players who may not have controllers with gyroscopes. This new feature is called Stay Calm.
Mandatory PSN Account on PC
Regrettably, similar to past PlayStation ports, the game “Until Dawn” necessitates a PlayStation Network account for play on PC, despite being a single-player experience. Since this is also a requirement in upcoming titles such as “Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered” and “Lego Horizon Adventures”, it seems unlikely that Sony will waive this requirement anytime soon.
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2024-10-01 20:11