That being said, As Dusk Falls’ story is an interesting one, full of tough choices to make, unexpected bumps in the road, and intense encounters that keep your attention. That in itself was a rather fascinating part of the plot, but it concluded in a rather heavy-handed manner that left me a little disappointed given how well developer INTERIOR/NIGHT had weaved such a mature and complex theme into its narrative. As Dusk Falls’ biggest downfall - its ending, which I can’t go into for spoiler reasons - also feels like it somewhat discredits all of the work its second ‘book’ does of highlighting the impact that childhood trauma can have on the human psyche decades later. ![]() ![]() In some instances, it grapples with these in an effective manner family conflict and the lasting effects of childhood trauma in particular, but in others, it feels a little brushed under the carpet.Ī scene depicting the effects of drugs arguably does more to glorify their consumption than warn of the dangers, with a character freaking out only being told it’s okay they’re on their own now as any significant repercussion to their actions. That latter point is something As Dusk Falls aims to tackle head-on, with themes of suicide - which can be completely skipped over, to the game’s credit - childhood trauma, mental health, and other mature themes. Whichever character’s onscreen, the voice acting is fantastic, helping to elevate scenes, adding intensity to heated moments or authenticity to its more sobering ones. Do you toe the line of your brothers and rest of his immediate family? Or do you let your gut instincts guide you to a more righteous way of living? It’s in this context that you shape the life of Jay through your decisions. The Holts on the other hand are a more complex family a toxic upbringing has resulted in the brothers being a morally mixed bag of individuals with youngest sibling Jay the last bastion of a good conscience. Playing as Vince, it’s easy to make the choices that best protect your family, while often compromising your own personal position. Vince and his family are very likable, down on their luck, facing health problems, relationship troubles, and a legal dilemma, all the while bringing up a young child as best they can. The characters, though, played a large part in helping me decide when it came to the tougher choices. It makes for a truly compelling and gripping narrative, one where, if I’m being completely honest, I mixed up some of my choices just to try and keep the action and drama going for longer, rather than playing a typically ‘good’ or ‘safe’ option like I tend to do in these games. It also feels a lot less focused than its first half, with players taking control of father Vince and youngest Holt brother Jay throughout the entirety, making decisions that impact one another’s family and the general outcome of the hostage situation. This is definitely the more intense of the two halves of As Dusk Falls, with its latter half doing a lot of the legwork on the repercussions of the incident, while also intermittently going back in time to look at the immediate aftermath of the Holt family’s actions. ![]() A fleeting, chance encounter soon gives way to a hostage situation, where the Holt brothers have taken Vince and his family captive in a standoff with the police after holing themselves up at a motel, and its this scenario where one half - called Book 1 in-game - of As Dusk Falls’ duration plays out. Louis with his wife Michelle, daughter Zoe, and father Jim, when they’re forced off the road by an oncoming pickup carrying the Holt brothers - Tyler, Dale, and Jay. ![]() Vince, a family man recently laid off from his job as an aircraft technician, is driving to St. The two families first cross paths when they very nearly crash into each other on the highway. Enter As Dusk Falls, an interactive drama from developer INTERIOR/LIGHT that explores the lives of two families across a 30-year period that unintentionally cross paths on one fateful day and leave an impact on one another that will last for decades to come. Since then, many have attempted to emulate it, with the Life Is Strange series largely standing as the pinnacle of what the genre has to offer. The narrative-driven, decision-based experience has been a fairly popular one ever since Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead series blew players away with its agonizing choices, engaging story, and lovable characters that could be mauled to death by zombies with one poorly-thought-out action.
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