The game opts for a graphic novel visual style, with very few pre-rendered assets. 'As Dusk Falls' set out to compete with the best television has to offer, but it can't quite make that final leap forward to compete with HBO dramas.Ĭharacter motivations often take a turn for the comedic or irrational, and the game loses steam when it breaks up the exciting action with flashbacks. Where the game falls down, however, is the self-serious cliché-ridden story. Choices are the name of the game in 'As Dusk Falls' We're willing to recommend 'As Dusk Falls' with the caveat that it needs to be played with friends or in a group setting, because there are very few gaming experiences like it. The game is able to conjure up these little organic moments of tension on the fly, and it is a true feat in programming that the game is so reactive. Players also have the chance to override the group decision, which can lead to manic moments where players are overriding each other's decisions. When the group has a deadlock, the game makes the next choice for you, and there is a certain element of chaos in letting the game play god. It's best to play with an even number of people, because there is great tension to be mined out of 2 players making one decision and 2 players making another. ![]() It's been years since a multiplayer experience felt this fresh and urgent, and if 'As Dusk Falls' is going to be remembered for one thing, it's for helping spearhead the era of couch co-op. 'As Dusk Falls' is an utterly unique experience, and while it isn't a masterpiece of game design like 'Elden Ring', it does something truly novel and original and for that reason alone, the game gets a hearty recommendation from us. 'It Takes Two' was a great exercise in co-op, and 'As Dusk Falls' improves on that formula even further, walking the tight line between gripping TV show and game. 'As Dusk Falls' puts just as much drama in the quieter character-driven moments as the big action scenes ![]() Unlike 'A Way Out', we actually wanted to see how the story turned out despite earlier misgivings and laughing at the game. In the days after playing the game, we wanted to find out what happened next, had our own theories as to what was going to happen next in the story, and discussed our course of action for the next session. Our personal preference as a critic is to value a game that treats its writing with the utmost reverence, and 'As Dusk Falls' goes to great lengths to make the characters flawed individuals with hopes, dreams, morals and agency.Ī truly ingenious and well thought-out multiplayer suite that you can gather up to 7 friends around the Xbox and try influence the story.įor research purposes, we gathered some colleagues from the entertainment.ie office around the communal Xbox and it quickly became a bonding exercise. The story takes so many detours and twists, with the game being a Coen Brothers caper one minute, an episode of 'Yellowstone' the next and a tender family drama in another scene. Without wishing to spoil the plot too much, as most of the game is predicated on the twists and turns, the lives of two families are intertwined when they meet in an Arizona motel in the summer of 1998. 'As Dusk Falls' is a worthy addition to the genre, and comes tantalisingly close to pulling off it's ambitions of being a game that matches its Hollywood pretensions. The choose your own adventure genre has seen a major resurgence thanks to the likes of 'The Walking Dead' (indeed, one of the game's writers worked on 'The Walking Dead') and of course, 'The Quarry' is one of our favourite games of 2022. The story of 'As Dusk Falls' is as dark and gritty as you'd expect from television shows like 'Ozark' or 'Breaking Bad', and 'As Dusk Falls' makes a genuine stab at trying to match the best dramas television has to offer. 'As Dusk Falls' follows the intertwined lives of two families in Arizona, and the choices you make influence the outcome of the story. ![]() Playing multiplayer on the couch with friends and family is something gaming has lost track of in the era of consoles going online, and 'As Dusk Falls' brings it back in some style. 'As Dusk Falls' may be the game that brings back the era of couch multiplayer, and for that, it should be commended.
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