Don't forget to bring your blanket

I have a love/hate relationship with horror games. I love to play them, but only if I have my safety blanket handy.

 

Until Dawn

For: PS4
From: Sony/Supermassive Games
Rating: (R16)
Four and a half stars (out of five)

 

Believe me, I needed said blanket playing Until Dawn, possibly the best horror game that has been released in years.

Until Dawn is the video game equivalent of Scream: a bunch of teens go to an isolated log cabin a year after the mysterious disappearance of two of their friends, and find themselves being hunted by a serial killer.

It is genuinely unnerving, thanks to the (very wise) decision by the developers to have extended periods of exposition, without feeling the need to have jump scares and death around every corner.

Games such as the original Dead Space mastered this, whereas Resident Evil (where every room contains zombies looking to eat you) lack atmosphere. Things are not scary if you see them ad nauseum, whereas walking through the woods with eerie music and twigs cracking but seeing nothing really works.

Until Dawn plays like Heavy Rain, and LA Noire. In terms of controls, it is pretty simple. You use the left stick to move, and then occasionally make choices with the right stick. There are also some QTEs (including some brilliant moments where you must hold the controller completely steady), and exploring the environments unveils collectables which elaborate on the story.

Your choices ultimately matter, too, and while that phrase is a gaming cliche, it rings true in this instance. You can have any number of the characters survive or succumb to the killer throughout the story. The story adapts accordingly. I am a bit of a perfectionist and hate when I make a mistake that causes a character's demise, but also enjoy the fact that decisions have immediate consequences.

What underpins the whole experience is the superb graphic work, and the voice acting (you will recognise Hayden Panettiere, and you might recognise Rami Malek). The environments are also outstanding, and coupled with the superb sound effects, draw you further into the game.

Ultimately, Until Dawn is more an interactive movie than a traditional game, but what really sells this game is the experience it creates, rather than the freedom of exploring.

If you prefer open world games, such as GTA V, Until Dawn will probably leave you cold. If you want a genuinely unsettling and scary game, then look no further than Until Dawn.

Now, where did I put that blanket?

• Simon Bishop