Summary
A full playthough of a reportedUntil Dawnprototype developed for the PlayStation 3 has surfaced online, providing a sharp contrast to the finished product that would cement Supermassive Games as a leader in story-led horror. Unlike the beloved PlayStation 4 versionUntil Dawnplayers are familiar with, this version is played through a first-person view and, even more interestingly, is played with motion controls.
Thefirst trailer forUntil Dawnwas released in 2012, three full years before the game eventually launched. The first look at the game revealed no actual gameplay but set a macabre tone, as an unknown character with a hood over their head is slowly raised by chains attached to their arms and legs towards a giant spinning sawblade above. Text on the screen instructs the player to try to save their friend in a scene that’s reminiscent of the choice players are given to save Josh or Ashley from an advancing saw blade that made it into the finished game.
While some fans may still remember that original reveal, what they may not recall was that Until Dawn was originally developed for use with theNintendo Wii-like PlayStation Moveperipheral, which had players using a motion sensor remote or two to immerse themselves in games by making their on-screen counterparts' actions mirror their own. A new four-hour-long video has been uploaded to the YouTube channel Digital Preservation, giving fans of the horror game a better idea of what it would have looked and felt like had it been released under the original plan.
Prototype Video Shows What Until Dawn Would Have Looked Like as a Motion Game
The video, which is purported to be a full playthrough of the actual prototype, covers 15chapters of Until Dawnshown through a first-person perspective, along with cuts to show branching choices. It seems the PS3 version was a little under half the length of the 2015 PS4 release, which normally takes between eight and 10 hours to get through, but several elements are shared between the two, including the cabin, Wendigo attacks, and the aforementioned execution scene. There are plenty of differences too, aside from the first-person perspective, like the lack of interlude scenes in Dr. Hill’s office.
With thereported shutdown ofUntil Dawn Remakedeveloper Ballistic Moonearlier this month following the game’s poor sales and negative reactions from the fan base, the odds of a direct sequel to the game appear to be less and less likely. While its gameplay style lives on through Supermassive’sThe Dark Pictures Anthology, which is set to release its fifth game this coming October, players wanting a different take onUntil Dawnaction may start asking how they can get their hands on a copy of this prototype build.
