Until Dawn
The first game I am going to be looking at is Until Dawn. Until Dawn is a horror adventure game centred around 'choose your own story' mechanics. Released worldwide in August 2015 as a Playstation 4 exclusive by Supermassive Games, Until Dawn was praised for it's realistic graphics, faltering slightly with it's plotline which many people felt became slightly muddled towards the end as new elements were bought in to play.
The plot of Until Dawn follows a group of teens who return to a cabin in Blackwood Pines, Western Canada, after a previous holiday at the cabin led to the disappearance of their friends, Hannah and Beth (Ella Lentini). During their time there, they battle through a number of strange and dangerous occurrences. You control each character separately throughout the game and follow them on their individual paths through the North West Mines, Blackwood Pines and it's accompanying sanatorium. I will be looking at each of these locations singly and explaining their importance and effect on Until Dawn.
The first location I will be writing about is Blackwood Pines as it is the largest and most general location. This analysis will be rather hypothetical and based on my opinion as throughout the game the player isn't really consistently told what Blackwood Pines encompasses. At points it is referred to as a county, at others a community and some people believe it to be only the area owned by the Washington family. Regardless, Blackwood Pines is a heavily wooded area with, surprisingly enough, many pine trees and thriving wildlife. Throughout the game, birds, squirrels and deer are shown, though there are presumably many other animals within the woods.
Built atop a natural geothermal hot spring in Blackwood Pines sits Blackwood Sanatorium. Originally opened in 1922 as a spa and health resort, the wealthy population of the area was instantly drawn to Blackwood and frequented it for parties and social events until the Great Depression hit, devastating the resort's clientele. In 1951, the spa shifted it's function, becoming the primary location for victims of a mining collapse in the North West Mines to be treated. This treatment quickly spiralled out of control though and a number of sinister experiments occurred, leading to events that would grind all operations in the sanatorium to a halt. In 1955, it officially closed, allowing for it to be in the state of disrepair that we see it in throughout the game.
Finally, I will be looking at the North West Mines. Buried deep below Blackwood Pines, the mines came in to being in 1893 when plentiful tin and radium were discovered in the area. Established and owned by Jefferson Bragg, when functional the mine boasted a full rail system, water wheel and multiple lifts. There is an eerie atmosphere about the entire cave system, due to events which occurred within in 1952 when thirty miners became trapped inside. They remained there for several days as they slowly fell in to madness, with twelve of the men resorting to cannibalism. It was these same men that were brought to and treated at the Blackwood Sanatorium. The mines are quite simple and typical geographically, with little more than rocks and pools of water to speak of during the events of the game.
And that brings my first post to a close, I hope you found this interesting whether or not you have heard of or played Until Dawn. If you haven't, I really hope I could sway you to give it a try, in my opinion it's a really fantastic game.
The plot of Until Dawn follows a group of teens who return to a cabin in Blackwood Pines, Western Canada, after a previous holiday at the cabin led to the disappearance of their friends, Hannah and Beth (Ella Lentini). During their time there, they battle through a number of strange and dangerous occurrences. You control each character separately throughout the game and follow them on their individual paths through the North West Mines, Blackwood Pines and it's accompanying sanatorium. I will be looking at each of these locations singly and explaining their importance and effect on Until Dawn.
The first location I will be writing about is Blackwood Pines as it is the largest and most general location. This analysis will be rather hypothetical and based on my opinion as throughout the game the player isn't really consistently told what Blackwood Pines encompasses. At points it is referred to as a county, at others a community and some people believe it to be only the area owned by the Washington family. Regardless, Blackwood Pines is a heavily wooded area with, surprisingly enough, many pine trees and thriving wildlife. Throughout the game, birds, squirrels and deer are shown, though there are presumably many other animals within the woods.
Built atop a natural geothermal hot spring in Blackwood Pines sits Blackwood Sanatorium. Originally opened in 1922 as a spa and health resort, the wealthy population of the area was instantly drawn to Blackwood and frequented it for parties and social events until the Great Depression hit, devastating the resort's clientele. In 1951, the spa shifted it's function, becoming the primary location for victims of a mining collapse in the North West Mines to be treated. This treatment quickly spiralled out of control though and a number of sinister experiments occurred, leading to events that would grind all operations in the sanatorium to a halt. In 1955, it officially closed, allowing for it to be in the state of disrepair that we see it in throughout the game.
Finally, I will be looking at the North West Mines. Buried deep below Blackwood Pines, the mines came in to being in 1893 when plentiful tin and radium were discovered in the area. Established and owned by Jefferson Bragg, when functional the mine boasted a full rail system, water wheel and multiple lifts. There is an eerie atmosphere about the entire cave system, due to events which occurred within in 1952 when thirty miners became trapped inside. They remained there for several days as they slowly fell in to madness, with twelve of the men resorting to cannibalism. It was these same men that were brought to and treated at the Blackwood Sanatorium. The mines are quite simple and typical geographically, with little more than rocks and pools of water to speak of during the events of the game.
And that brings my first post to a close, I hope you found this interesting whether or not you have heard of or played Until Dawn. If you haven't, I really hope I could sway you to give it a try, in my opinion it's a really fantastic game.
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