In the interactive feature film “As Dusk Falls” players end up in a dark crime drama that requires some sacrifices.
No aliens, no mad scientists and no elite soldier who saves the world – “As Dusk Falls” takes a different path. Caroline Marchal, the former lead designer of “Heavy Rain”, narrates a depressing loser ballad with her new team at Interior/Night. The interactive feature film relies on an unusual comic look and leaves players plenty of room to experiment with the story.
The story begins in 1998. The Walker family is on their way through the USA when an accident forces them to stay at a remote motel. But instead of boredom in the barren province, a tragic adventure awaits the family: three brothers are on the run after a failed burglary and take the few motel guests hostage. A devastating police siege ensues, ending in violence and death. Years later, a young woman is still battling the nightmares that have haunted her since the events at the motel.
Play along series
Playfully, “As Dusk Falls” is reminiscent of the interactive feature films from Quantic Dream: players experience a story, use a handful of interaction options and make important decisions. Interior/Night has staged the story like a series: after a short beginning, the title credits are shown in each of the six episodes and after the third episode there are even end credits. If you switch off here, you will miss the second half of the story.
“As Dusk Falls” played (5 pictures)
Unlike in “Detroit: Become Human” or “Life is Strange”, the characters do not run around freely. Each movement looks like turning the page of a comic. The interaction options are limited to small quick-time events, or QTEs for short. If, for example, one of the burglars flees from the police, he only has to pull the gamepad stick in one direction or press a button within a narrow time window. When stealing a car, several actions must be carried out one after the other. There are no puzzles.
If you have the corresponding companion app, you can also control the game via WLAN with a tablet or smartphone. In co-op mode, up to eight players can vote on decisions and even veto them. In broadcast mode, streamers can let their audience decide. In the end, the majority of votes counts.
Visually impressive
The playful appeal lies in the numerous decisions that are made. Characters may die early or survive the drama, escape may or may not succeed. This often creates new storylines. Thanks to a clear story tree, players can follow their decisions similar to “Detroit: Become Human” or play alternative paths with a new save. This ensures a high replay value, which can quickly double the normal playing time of around six hours. Story fans in particular will be able to let off steam here to their heart’s content.
For the visual design, the rotoscopy process was used, which was already used in films such as Ralph Bakshi’s animated film classic “Lord of the Rings”: Real recordings of real actors and actresses were subsequently animated to create a comic-like look. The unusual experiment works surprisingly well. The comic pictures appear honest and emotional.
The development studio also takes unusual paths for a video game in terms of content. Not only that they almost completely do without the big action spectacle and fantastic hocus-pocus, but also the consistency of the story is convincing in almost every story path. The plot constantly jumps between the time levels and tells the drama behind the desperate act of the three brothers. There are no heroes or heroines, the supposedly bad guys have their good points too, and some characters have to make decisions that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Oscar-winning films such as “Hell or High Water” and “No Country for Old Men” served as models. The USA, the land of unlimited opportunity, is shown as the hypocritical backdrop of a greedy society that doesn’t give the weakest a chance. Success is only defined by your own unscrupulousness. Hard stuff, which is also reflected in numerous game decisions. “As Dusk Falls” is not a casual action thriller, but a socially critical drama for demanding players.
Conclusion
Anyone looking for light entertainment in “As Dusk Falls” is in the wrong place. Instead, the development studio has staged a drama that eats into the hearts of the players and reverberates for a long time. The unusual visual implementation and the numerous story paths amaze and invite you to experiment. However, the dark plot does not want to be fun, because the fates shown are too realistic and dreary for that. “As Dusk Falls” is for game fans who value risk taking and a good story with believable characters more than action and spectacle.
“As Dusk Falls” has been released for Windows and Xbox One/ Series. It costs around €30 and is included with Xbox and PC Game Pass. USK from 16. For our article, we played through the game on the Xbox Series X.
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