UNTIL DAWN: RUSH OF BLOOD
It’s the Schlocky Horror Picture Sideshow
Here’s a simple question: do you like jump scares? Because if you have the guts to take a journey on Supermassive’s ghost train, then you’ll need to be able to stomach constant ‘gotcha’ moments. That’s not to say these aren’t well done, or that the game is nothing but monsters jumping excruciatingly close to your face. However, the only thing you’ll remember as the credits roll is the high volume of jolts. In its VR debut, Supermassive is pretty much remixing last year’s surprise horror hit. But instead of forcing you to make tricky decisions and asking you to survive a night in the woods, a creepy carnival ringmaster places you on the rickety rails of a theme park ride that hurls you through memorable locations from the first game, such as the Washington Estate lodge and the Blackwood mines. Your aim is to score as many points as possible by shooting static targets or the monsters that charge at you, either using your DualShock 4 or two PS Move controllers. The right option is clearly those magic wands, of course: aiming twin weapons with the pad proves to be an awkward workaround for non-Move owners that destroys a lot of the immersion.
While the theme park influence is obvious – at times it becomes a rollercoaster sim, with drops that’ll make your stomach lurch – it also makes for inconsistent levels of enjoyment. Unlike a ride at Alton Towers that lasts a minute or two, the story clocks in at between two to three hours. Supermassive makes a clear effort to vary the scares, but there’s only so much it can do when the action’s on rails.
At its best, like in the disturbing level Nightmare Descent, you get an enjoyable blend of unsettling horror, effective jump scares and surreal interpretations of the original Until Dawn, made better by VR’s immersive quality. Even simple things (learning to avoid saw blades, natch) are more nerve-wracking in VR. There’s always a certain level of cheesiness on show, but these moments transcend the Stilton to keep you hooked.
PENNY SIGHS
Unfortunately, the peaks are few and far between. The majority of levels are merely adequate horror houses where you’ll fire at targets, have a few things lunge at you, then blast at a boss. The troughs also lean on atypical horror staples that feel less connected to Until Dawn. It’s well-crafted throughout, but there’s a reason ghost train rides are brief…
By the end, the reliance on certain types of scares – eerie ghosts whispering around you, and the returning psycho lurching into your face – is exhausting, and they slowly lose impact as they’re repeated again and again. There are enough collectibles, secrets, leaderboards and branching tracks to make multiple playthroughs a necessity, but don’t expect fingers down your spine when you dive back in.