Until Dawn PS5 and PC Remake's Rough Launch is Scarier Than The Game...
The remake of Until Dawn for PlayStation 5 and PC is facing a... rough reception, with numerous issues that have left many disappointed, to say the least. Not only has the remake launched with technical bugs, but the player numbers on Steam are alarmingly low compared to other PlayStation exclusives that have transitioned to PC...
According to SteamDB, the game has peaked at just 2,607 concurrent players, a figure that looks great vs. Concord or Dustborn, but in reality, it pales in comparison to the likes of Ghost of Tsushima and God of War — two other major titles that saw well over 70,000 concurrent players on their PC debuts from Sony.
While we don't have the numbers for the game's actual budget at this time, rumors suggest it wasn't cheap, leaning upwards of over 50 million dollars.... and yeah this is a remake of a game that has been released what feels like an infinite amount of times already. These numbers have to be far less than any of Sony's lowest projections...
So, what went wrong? Welp... there are several reasons.
One major issue is the lighting. As we discussed last week on Saturday Night Hypnosis, the remake’s lighting changes have drastically impacted the game’s atmosphere, with several scenes looking way worse than in the original. The original Until Dawn featured chilling, moody and dark lighting that contributed significantly to the horror experience.
The remake, however, changes these iconic visuals with much brighter, warmer tones in some early scenes that simply don't evoke the same sense of dread... Oh and it's worth mentioning that on top of that, the framerate often dips below what even the PS4 version had:
A developer from the original Until Dawn chimed in on this issue in a YouTube comment on Hypnotic's channel (below). They explained how the game had to be remade from scratch using Unreal Engine 5, and while they attempted to stay faithful to the original, a lot of creative liberties were taken — especially with the lighting, which was a major point of contention that we discussed at great length.
According to the dev, the lighting in early scenes was meant to create contrast with the later, darker moments, but unfortunately - this change dilutes the game's horror tone from the very beginning... Kinda misses the whole point of it. It altered the original horror tone. As the developer explained, the warmer lighting tones seen early in the game were originally intended to create a contrast with the darker, more unsettling blue hues later on, but this idea was scrapped in the original version to maintain a consistently eerie atmosphere. Reflecting on the change, the developer remarked:
“We wanted it unnerving from the get-go. So it looks like they reverted it back to the original idea!”
This attempt to return to the early concepts has backfired hard, with many feeling that these 'new' lighting detracts from the game’s once chilling atmosphere... Myself included.
Beyond these visual missteps, Until Dawn's remake is also suffering from significant technical issues on both PC and PS5. Players have reported broken ray tracing, poor optimization, low framerates, and bugs that ruin immersion.
To make matters worse, the game was released at a FULL price of $59.99, with no cheaper upgrade path for those who already owned the original. For many, paying that much for a nine-year-old game with only minor improvements ...simply isn't justifiable. Why not just by the original at $20 bucks? It's an overall better experience by most accounts anyway.
The timing of the release hasn't done it any favors either. With the Silent Hill 2 remake releasing around the same time and dominating the horror genre... Until Dawn is struggling to carve out space for itself right now in a crowded landscape of horror.
Combine that with the fact that Horizon Zero Dawn is offering an upgrade path for just $10, and it’s easy to see why gamers are looking elsewhere for their next big adventure. Oh - and a PSN sign in is required for Steam/PC. All these choices are just... it's all so head scratching!
In the end, Until Dawn's remake feels overwhelmingly unnecessary, especially given that the original still holds up remarkably well. Instead of enhancing the experience, the remake has diluted it — with some even calling it a cash grab. Despite Ballistic Moon acknowledging the issues and promising fixes in an upcoming patch, the damage looks like it was already done for this once beloved horror game.
~Smash
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