Summary
- The Until Dawn prototype for PlayStation 3 was first-person with motion controls, unlike the final version.
- The original game was planned for PS Move, allowing gamers to mirror on-screen actions with a motion sensor.
- Differences between the PS3 prototype and the final PS4 game included shorter length, first-person view, and missing interlude scenes.
A full playthough of a reported Until Dawn prototype developed for the PlayStation 3 has surfaced online, providing a sharp contrast to the finished product that would cement Supermassive Games as a leader in story-led horror. Unlike the beloved PlayStation 4 version Until Dawn players are familiar with, this version is played through a first-person view and, even more interestingly, is played with motion controls.
The first trailer for Until Dawn was released in 2012, three full years before the game eventually launched. The first look at the game revealed no actual gameplay but set a macabre tone, as an unknown character with a hood over their head is slowly raised by chains attached to their arms and legs towards a giant spinning sawblade above. Text on the screen instructs the player to try to save their friend in a scene that’s reminiscent of the choice players are given to save Josh or Ashley from an advancing saw blade that made it into the finished game.
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While some fans may still remember that original reveal, what they may not recall was that Until Dawn was originally developed for use with the Nintendo Wii-like PlayStation Move peripheral, which had players using a motion sensor remote or two to immerse themselves in games by making their on-screen counterparts’ actions mirror their own. A new four-hour-long video has been uploaded to the YouTube channel Digital Preservation, giving fans of the horror game a better idea of what it would have looked and felt like had it been released under the original plan.
Prototype Video Shows What Until Dawn Would Have Looked Like as a Motion Game
The video, which is purported to be a full playthrough of the actual prototype, covers 15 chapters of Until Dawn shown through a first-person perspective, along with cuts to show branching choices. It seems the PS3 version was a little under half the length of the 2015 PS4 release, which normally takes between eight and 10 hours to get through, but several elements are shared between the two, including the cabin, Wendigo attacks, and the aforementioned execution scene. There are plenty of differences too, aside from the first-person perspective, like the lack of interlude scenes in Dr. Hill’s office.
With the reported shutdown of Until Dawn Remake developer Ballistic Moon earlier this month following the game’s poor sales and negative reactions from the fan base, the odds of a direct sequel to the game appear to be less and less likely. While its gameplay style lives on through Supermassive’s The Dark Pictures Anthology, which is set to release its fifth game this coming October, players wanting a different take on Until Dawn action may start asking how they can get their hands on a copy of this prototype build.
- Released
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August 25, 2015
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language