Although Peter Stormare is fascinating to watch

Sep 9, 2015 21:53 GMT  ·  By

I want for a dedicated player to create a supercut of all the important story moments from Until Dawn that completely ignore the presence of Dr. Hill, the character played by Peter Stormare, so that I can see some other endings to the horror game that do not feature him or the meta-narrative that he delivers.

Initially, the psychiatrist seems like a way for gamers to determine some small elements of the experience and to reflect on their choices.

As the chapters of Until Dawn go by (I will try to avoid any sort of spoilers, but there are some hints about the narrative), Hill becomes a sort of direct villain, a creature that understands the existence of the video game and teases the player about their choices and about the ways they interact with its core mechanics.

I can see that Supermassive Games is trying to create a second layer for its game, something to appeal to those horror fans who might not be entirely satisfied with the jump scares and the chase sequences.

Peter Stormare does a good job with his role, delivering a very creepy reading of the lines, and the motion capture tech and the power of the PlayStation 4 manage to make his sequences feel very real.

But the entire concept somehow betrays the rest of the game and makes it feel less important.

Until Dawn is designed for fans of classic horror

One of the problems with the entire game, which becomes clear only after gamers spend some time away from it, is that it simply wants to cram too many influences and styles into a relatively small package.

I, for example, love the most modern takes on horror, some of which move the emphasis away from blood and scares, like It Follows or You're Next or Cabin in the Woods.

The development team at Supermassive is clearly made up of fans of more classic horror experiences, which explains the massive shift in tone that happens about halfway through Until Dawn.

Dr. Hill is an attempt to bridge the two traditions and the undertaking, while brave, does not succeed and the meta elements that he introduces never fit with the actual gameplay and tone of Until Dawn.