As Dusk Falls – Review
The most recent interactive drama game, As Dusk Falls, is only available on Xbox platforms and PC. It has an odd art style but a captivating tale. As Black Mirror: Bandersnatch was an attempt by Netflix to test the waters of a comprehensive choice-based cinematic experience, Dusk Falls is the result of those experiments. However, it’s possible that developer INTERIOR/LIGHT simply did a better job of narrating a tale that Netflix only touched upon. Choice-based games like Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead have become less common, but As Dusk Falls shows that they can still be captivating. The game follows the story of two families over the course of 30 years, showing how some choices can have a lasting effect on one another. Here is how the most recent Xbox exclusive title performs as the first piece of exclusive content for 2022.
As Dusk Falls is a special interactive game because it combines real character models with an oil painting filter. While many people might find this art form impressive, after about an hour, I grew tired of it. A few hours later, I not only still found it startling, but it also appeared more forced than something that could have been made with our phone’s app. Even though this is more of a subjective judgement, if you don’t mind the art style, you can still have fun with the game.
The odd art design may be somewhat overlooked once you get into the action because this is an interactive game that has a strong emphasis on storyline. The visual style, however, feels especially out of place when you’re in tight situations since these individuals would just migrate to different locations as if the painting were trying to move. Imagine it as a traditional animation in which a character’s hand is moved by just turning two pages. Sometimes it was tough to follow the plot because of these abrupt changes. Fortunately, the excellent tale ultimately triumphs over the irritating animation style and prevents the game from being just another interactive experience.
Interactive games, like the Life Is Stage series, may either succeed or fail miserably when it comes to storytelling. As Dusk Falls has to tell a story unlike any other because the only gameplay choices available to players are dialogue options. I’m pleased to state that As Dusk Falls deserves an A for the main narrative. The quality of each actor’s voice acting for their various characters, however, is what really draws the listener into the story.
I never once thought that As Dusk Fall’s narrative was tedious or time-wasting. There were times when I would worry about choosing the right choice, while other times I would be eager to see how the tale would develop. Like every mystery-thriller, As Dusk Falls raises the tension throughout the second half of the narrative since players will encounter a lot of unexpected turns and developments. It’s important to emphasise that your choices have an impact on how the story develops. In order to view the many results, players should make decisions based on their own logic and intuition. Fortunately, the game may be finished in six hours on your first try; however, if you want to know every possible result, you can use the save system to explore every branching tree. Even so, you’ll need to play the game through several times to find every available secret.
Even while As Dusk Falls has a single-player mode, you can also play with a friend using the game’s innovative multiplayer system. It is important to note that the multiplayer system is not for the faint of heart and is intended for group storytelling. Every player will vote on choices, and if there isn’t a clear winner, the game will choose one at random. There could be disastrous effects from this. This is due to the fact that many options deal with serious concerns including PTSD, suicide, despair, and other matters. Therefore, it is important to be ready if you intend to experience As Dusk Falls with a buddy.
As previously said, the majority of the gameplay will include your making decisions through the dialogue options you choose and the actions you take during some quick time events. Even though it may not sound particularly fascinating, most interactive games use this structure. However, some quality-of-life upgrades could make the game a little easier to utilise. Players should begin by using a mouse on their Xbox or PC because moving cursors with a gamepad can be unpleasant. Additionally, it isn’t intuitive enough even if you may use the D-Pad to find objects in the environment and choose dialogue options.
The game’s accompanying app was the alternate choice, but it wasn’t accessible during the review period. Using this app instead of a controller to play the game on a console if you don’t have access to a mouse is recommended. As Dusk Falls does, however, feel more like a graphic novel than a fully fledged interactive game, I must say. Players can interact with and explore the environment in other games like The Walking Dead, Life is Strange, The Quarry, Until Dawn, Detroit: Become Human, and many others. Players only infrequently see water painting stills that move in this game. Although the narrative more than makes up for it, it doesn’t exactly fit my definition of a classic interactive video game. Fortunately, the focus on the plot for the entire six hours keeps things intriguing.
The story of Dusk Falls could be my favourite interactive experience I’ve ever had. The plot is best characterised as a high-brow drama that responds to your choices and occasionally exacts severe punishment. Dusk Falls is still a fantastic story that every Xbox owner should enjoy, even though it may not have the fanciest visuals or the most user-friendly controls of its competitors. Even though the graphic style hides crucial plot points, it still has charm that I could relate to. As a whole, As Dusk Falls is a fantastic visual novel that Game Pass members should play when they want a break from more conventional games.
