So true Ian! Thanks.

You were right. I fixed the issue in the review. Thanks.

Yeah! Let me know if I was wrong, maybe I misread the menu option, but I figured I’d let you know in case you wanted to change your choices in some places. I was only able to save 3 people, the other 5 all died within like a few minutes of each other near the end mostly.

Trolls don’t ever seem to understand that a response to a troll’s essay is meant to inform the non-trolls. The trolls don’t ever matter, except in that they give us ways to help the folks that do.

Write an essay and troll the response. Oh, the internet.

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WHOEVER IS READING THIS COMMENT, BEWARE. CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS FOR UNTIL DAWN!!!

“Likewise, all reviews are subjective as you concede, but at the same
time I feel like the burden falls on you to provide a complete and
holistic review of the game – including the bad.” From what I can see, I made sure to list the minor issues that some may have with the game, stating that I do not share in those opinions.

I felt that all characters were appropriately represented and I certainly do not feel that what you’re saying about the game’s beginning is correct, to any regard. The depiction of all characters the year before the return to the cabin was not the end-all explanation to their personalities. Basically, I did not observe the intro as a way for the developers to explain all things and all characters in one short segment. For example, Jess was viewed to be an arrogant, self obsessed brat in the intro but when she gets into the cabin with Mike, you find out that she is really insecure and was mostly just talking up steam with him. I went from hating Jess, to actually liking her. Also, I went from loving Ashley to COMPLETELY hating her. When she noticed that Emily was a threat she was just so quick to cast the first stone. On top of that, she was weak and that made me despise her the most. Again, this is all subjective.

As for the points you made stating that the black character (Matt is his name, by the way. Seems that you are more eager to point out that he was black and not an actual character with depth) was “relegated to the background” and “where comes out looking weak or like an asshole”, I wholeheartedly disagree. Matt was one of my favorite characters! In my play through, despite Emily’s flaws, Matt did everything he could to save her. He confronted her and Mike at the very beginning and still used his moral compass to decide what was right, that made him a very detailed character in my eyes. He was not as hollow as you make him seem.

And Sam! Just because her personality is always straight forward from start to finish, does not mean she was hollow as a result. Some people are brave no matter what, arrogant no matter what and some have secret intentions, which were all scenarios that were clearly represented! As for the remark that women were only used as damsel in distress tools, that is what boggles me the most. Did you miss the entire chapter with Emily in the mine? In male contrast, Mike was most intended to lead, but that doesn’t make women the weaker counterpart as a result. Everyone was the victim in Until Dawn and depending on how you played and what choices you made, you saw more or less victims in your play through.

And although my opinion is subjective, I did not find the dialogue cheesy. I was never expecting to get in-depth Heavy Rain style monologues or long, drawn out character asides. I came into it expecting an interactive horror film with depth split among 8 characters and that is exactly what I got. If every event that I experienced in-game was shown on the silver screen, I would still enjoy it.

Lastly, I would love to hear about these plot holes that you’re speaking of. From what I can tell, everything made sense and came together towards the end. If you received all the totems and read all the evidence items, perhaps you may find material to fill in those plot holes. If you wish to discuss it where eyes cannot see it, feel free to PM me on twitter @zerosuitsteph or by other means.

I appreciate the input, although I feel that most of your opinions are a tad overly embellished to make a point. Still, this game is all about YOUR experience. My experience was PERFECT. I could not put down my controller and I loved every single moment of the game. There is nothing I would change and there is nothing more that I could have gotten out of my personal experience.

I didn’t find or notice that option. I will have to go back and check. Thanks.

With that being said, I’m struggling to wrap my head around how you come to the conclusion that this game is “perfect” by any definition. I don’t think it’s impossible for a game to receive a 100% or 10/10 or 5 stars or whatever the scale may dictate, but no game is perfect. Likewise, all reviews are subjective as you concede, but at the same time I feel like the burden falls on you to provide a complete and holistic review of the game – including the bad. I’d recommend this game to a friend, but I don’t think I’d claim it has no issues while doing so.

For example, why are all of the characters so one-dimensional? Instead of supplying you with 3-5 tightly written and well-crafted characters, you get around a dozen that all serve no purpose other than fulfilling their stereotype. Why are there so many awkward pauses in dialogue? The only black person in the entire game hardly has any moments where he is featured front and center and spends most of his time being either relegated to the background, or forced into situations where he comes out looking weak or like an asshole. Why did the developers feel the need to display personality traits of every character on-screen when you first meet them? Shouldn’t, by smart writing and characterization, be able to tell that Sam is loyal and brave? That Hannah was her best friend and she feels terrible about what happened? Not only does it lessen the importance of their traits and feelings, but it leaves the game feeling hollow as a result. It breaks the illusion that these are people and reminds you it’s just a game. Why is there a menu with relationship sliders for every character in the game? For a game that prides itself on the characters and the choices, it seems awfully juvenile to reduce something as complex and nuanced as “relationship statue” to a left and right sliding bar. Also: there are MAJOR plotholes. I won’t mention them here due to spoilers, but there are several crucial moments that are never explained at all. Which is fine, but damn, if that isn’t a negative aspect, I don’t know what is. Don’t even get me started on how cringe-worthy the writing is in most cases. I know that’s part of the shtick with this genre, but still, come on. This much cheese is not for everyone. Can we also talk about how every single female character in this game has to be rescued by her or someone else’s male companion at least once? Is it that hard to write a strong female character, just like, one time?

At the end of the day, you’re entitled to your opinion just as anyone else, but as someone with visibility and authority on the internet, I’d expect a more responsible and complete review. Acknowledge the fact you loved the game and highly recommend it, but also acknowledge that there are some issues as well – don’t look past them just because you liked the game so much.

I’m confused, what do you mean by, “You cannot jump to and from any of the game’s ten chapters” in the review? After you beat the game, an “episodes” option unlocks on the main menu and you can do exactly that. You have to restart if you click New Story, but you can jump between chapters from the main menu just fine.

“Unless you are curious as to how certain events could play out differently if certain characters weren’t killed off or if different decisions were made, Until Dawn can get away with being played once. However, if you do wish to go back and make different choices, you will have to start the game over again. You cannot jump to and from any of the game’s ten chapters whenever you please.”

You made some comparisons to Heavy Rain in the opening and one of the things that made it stronger when it comes to replay value is the fact that, after you complete the game, you can jump all over and see how your differing choices affect the outcome. Without that option in a game so centered on the butterfly effect, not allowing players to explore freely doesn’t make much sense. That could be considered a mark, big or small, but I’ll respect the score. Whether 85, 95, or 100, it definitely looks like a lot of fun.