Sometimes people are faced with decisions about what cereal they should eat or what shirt they should wear today; however, in the thrilling story of Until Dawn, the decisions are much less trivial. It’s difficult making a choice when dealing with the Butterfly Effect, knowing a simple slip up could end in a character’s death later down the line.
Running or hiding, taking the safe route or the quick one; whatever it is, these decisions impact the player’s experience of the game. No matter how simple a choice seems, it will always have its consequences in the end, big or small. Here are a few of the toughest crossroads Until Dawn leaves the player with.
Disclaimer: Spoilers Ahead!
Right from the get-go, the game throws one of the toughest decisions your way: try to save yourself (Beth) or try to escape an unknown pursuer with Hannah. At this point, their “attacker’s” intentions are unknown. The player either can sacrifice Hannah to try to save at least one of the Washington sisters or take their chances with the cliff and hope the damage isn’t too bad.
Unfortunately, as most fans know, Beth and Hannah’s deaths are unavoidable and are actually the catalyst of the story. This first choice is a tough one, testing the player’s morals and values. However, with or without Beth’s loyalty to her sister, the outcome still ends with her untimely death.
Perhaps Emily isn’t a fan favorite, but surely she doesn’t deserve death…does she?
After discovering her bite from a Wendigo, the group becomes wary of Emily staying with them, in fear that it is infectious and will eventually turn her into a Wendigo. Mike then grabs his gun and considers shooting a frightened Emily for the sake of the group’s safety. At this point, players don’t know the rules of the mountain’s curse so they can either play it safe and shoot Emily or spare her for the time being with the knowledge they’re putting their group in potential danger.
Shoot Emily and the others will sadly find out that the bite is in fact not infectious and only the act of consuming human flesh is what turns humans into Wendigos. Follow the clue from a totem from earlier on and spare her, and Emily lashes out at Ashley for almost killing her for nothing.
As mean as Emily is, it’s safe to say she may have a good reason for this outburst.
At one point while playing as Chris, the decision between saving either love interest, Ashley, or best friend, Josh, arises. After voicing whom Chris intends to save, the final decision is cleverly presented in a way that is meant to confuse the player; making their choice result in Josh’s “death” no matter what. This situation was merely meant as a means to let the others think Josh was out of the picture for the rest of his plan to be put into motion.
Aside from that, it serves as a loyalty test for Chris; allowing Josh and Ashley to know Chris’ true feelings and whose life he values more. Eventually toward the end of the game when Josh’s elaborate prank is found out (and if the player chose to save Ashley in the saw scenario) Josh will aggressively provoke Chris about how he only saved Ashley because of his crush.
Safe or quick, that is the question. Among the numerous QTE’s in the game, the player is often presented with various ways of getting around. In one tense situation, Jessica is alone and injured in the mines, being pursued by an unknown enemy. This decision may seem like any throwaway QTE in the game but the wrong move by the player can cost Jessica’s life.
In this single split decision, Jessica can choose to run. However, as she is injured, Jessica isn’t able to move fast enough to escape her pursuer and inevitably dies. If the player decides to make the weakened Jess hide instead, the Wendigo fails to track her movement and allows her to pass. Sometimes giving a character a breather once in a while really pays off!
Poor Chris can’t catch a break. First having to choose between the lives of Josh and Ashley and now he’s faced with the decision of sacrificing his own life for Ashley or killing her in order to save himself. Of course, it is revealed in the end that this was once again part of Josh’s elaborate prank on his former friends; so no matter the choice made by Chris, both characters survive.
If Chris decides to play the hero and take the literal bullet for both of them or refuses to shoot either party, then his relationship with Ashley solidifies. However, if the player forces Chris to shoot Ashley instead, Ashley will resent Chris, which later leads to his death from Ashley’s unwillingness to help Chris escape the Wendigos.
One of the underlying messages of Until Dawn is to always respect nature. Among the less aggressive birds and squirrels are the two companions of The Stranger (whose real name is Jack Fiddler) who happen to be two terrifying wolves. Perhaps the first few instances are easy; don’t shoot the innocent little animals and have an in with nature and its forces. However, Mike’s encounter with one of the wolves is much more of an intense (and time-sensitive) QTE. In a sudden QTE, Mike is presented with an angry wolf and a prompt to defend himself.
Click the prompt and Mike (as ridiculous as it sounds) kicks the poor wolf. If the player continues to antagonize the wolf, nicknamed Wolfie by Mike, the animal won’t aid his attacker in his journey through the sanitorium. In a much more favorable outcome, Wolfie will help defend Mike against the Wendigos if the player doesn’t use the aggressive prompt upon their first meeting and allows Wolfie to peacefully back off on his own.
Take it from the fan-favorite Wolfie: sometimes the best option is to not act at all.
After finally contacting the authorities for help, the watchtower falls and Matt is then faced with a tough decision: help save girlfriend Emily or try to save himself. Emily’s attitude here will be dictated by Matt’s behavior when she got into a fight with Jessica earlier in the game, but either way, this particular moment can cost Matt his life.
There are a few ways this can go. Choose to save Emily and Matt will get attacked by a Wendigo. His survival here will depend on if Matt kept the flare gun when Emily found it. If Matt keeps it instead of using it, he will have a form of defense against his attacker and successfully escapes. However, if the player makes Matt save Emily after using the flare gun, Matt will then be left defenseless and die after the Wendigo attack. However, if the player chooses to have Matt jump to safety, they can take a breather, as this is one of the easiest routes to ensure Matt’s survival (for now).
On Mike and Jess’ walk to the cabin, they encounter a severely injured deer. It’s apparent that the poor creature isn’t going to make it, so Mike is presented with the choice of killing the deer (to out it out of its misery) or to comfort it in its last moments. Although this particular moment doesn’t have heavy-handed consequences, it is a tough decision for most players. Neither option seems like a clear good or bad one. Either option leads to the deer being grabbed by a Wendigo from off-screen, prompting Jess and Mike to run.
It is worth noting that comforting the deer is essential to getting Jessica “in the mood” for their cabin scene. So for players that are aiming to get on Jessica’s good side, keep in mind that the visceral scene of Mike killing a deer won’t make her swoon.
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