Having had the opportunity to get some hands-on time with Until Dawn<\/em> recently, I\u2019m really quite excited for the finished product.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say that it\u2019s perfect, not by a long shot, but it\u2019s something different. It\u2019s a breath of fresh air\u2026 should you get the chance to catch your breath that is.<\/p>\n Until Dawn<\/em> is a horror game through-and-through, and aims to scare as many of its players as it can. Heck, the marketing campaign for the game is based on frightening as many of us as it could and subsequently recording our reactions.<\/p>\n My colleague, much to her dismay, was pretty susceptible to Until Dawn\u2019s<\/em> frights, having leaped out of her chair a number of times, her headset and gamepad clinging on for dear life.<\/p>\n Rather unfortunately for Supermassive Games, I\u2019m made of sturdier stuff and less susceptible to the array of jump scares the preview code had in store for us. It\u2019s not that I didn\u2019t get the odd fright or two, but they were fleeting at best and never quite got my heart racing.<\/p>\n The two factors that most detracted from the horror of Until Dawn<\/em> was frustrating character movement, with characters often feeling rigid in their response to your actions and a little incomprehensible at times, and just way too many predictable \u201cjump scares\u201d.<\/p>\n It\u2019s difficult to be frightened when, as a veteran gamer, you\u2019re fighting with the controls, a situation that will quickly draw you away from what is actually a fantastically told and established atmosphere.<\/p>\n On the other hand, my colleague, who isn\u2019t much of a gamer at all, didn\u2019t notice some of the issues I was having, nor did she seem too bothered with the character control herself; she was entrenched in Until Dawn\u2019s<\/em> uncompromising atmosphere.<\/p>\n Set to release near the end of August, Supermassive Games has time to work on and tweak character handling, so I\u2019ll give the early code the benefit of the doubt.<\/p>\n Moreover, in much the same way Quantic Dream\u2019s Heavy Rain<\/em> and Beyond: Two Souls <\/em>prioritised narrative over gameplay for the sake emphasis and telling the most compelling story they possibly could, Supermassive Games\u2019 Until Dawn<\/em> takes a similar route, so it\u2019s hard to get too upset when it tells such an entrancing story.<\/p>\n Until Dawn <\/em>really does tell a fascinating story, or at least it does during the parts I played.<\/p>\n Granted, a group of na\u00efve, popular or otherwise well-to-do adolescents gathering at a spooky holiday cabin in the middle of the woods on a snow-capped mountain is far from original \u2013 it\u2019s about as stereotypical as you can get, in fact. But there\u2019s something charming about Until Dawn<\/em>.<\/p>\n Supermassive Games\u2019 newest endeavour ekes atmosphere out of every pore. It uses every established trick in the book to tell a terrifying tale, some being more effective than others, but it does a heck of a lot better than many of its contemporary horror counterparts.<\/p>\n And then it starts to mess with your head.<\/p>\n Throughout the game, you\u2019ll uncover clues to the mysteries of the cabin and the events taking place. The interesting bit, I\u2019ve got a sneaking suspicion that some of the clues are red herrings, purposefully put in place to keep you guessing and throw you off.<\/p>\n There are even totems of an as-of-yet undisclosed nature that show predictions of events to come. Whether those predictions, or glimpses of the future, play out as you\u2019ve seen is up to you.<\/p>\n How you act in the game and according to the choices you make throughout, you may very well affect the outcome of a number of events. Characters survive or die, are injured or make it out of a situation nary a scratch by virtue of the decisions you make.<\/p>\n Many of the decisions you make will come down to selecting one of a few on-screen prompts and reacting to the conditions they then throw at you as a result.<\/p>\n Dialogue choices and a number of mini-games will depend on your choices, and they themselves will affect upcoming choices.<\/p>\n The jump scares, most of which I saw coming, threw me right out of the atmosphere and world Until Dawn<\/em> tries to tell. They often feel forced.<\/p>\n For the moment, because this is a preview code of the game and I suspect Supermassive Games is trying to scare those who might write or talk about it, they\u2019ve overdone it a bit.<\/p>\n Come the finished product, I wouldn\u2019t be surprise if the story being told is the scariest aspect to the game \u2013 something I\u2019m fondly hoping for. Otherwise, it\u2019s potential wasted.<\/p>\n Until Dawn<\/em> has a strange charm about it. It kept me smiling and engaged. Granted, I probably should have scared rather than smiling, but I enjoyed it just the same.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s to its release for PS4 on August 26th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n BT Games<\/a> \u2013 R699<\/strong><\/p>\n CNA<\/a> \u2013 R699<\/strong><\/p>\n Takealot<\/a> \u2013 R685<\/strong><\/p>\n Raru<\/a> \u2013 R687<\/strong><\/p>\n Uncharted 4 should eclipse everything that has come before<\/a><\/p>\n Why we can\u2019t wait for Ghost Recon: Wildlands<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Until](\"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Until-Dawn-Preview-Screenshot-2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nIf you\u2019d like to pre-order the game, you can do so via these retailers:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
More PS4 games to get excite about<\/strong><\/h3>\n