Until both Dawn and Snake Eater make the same unnecessary mistake.

Until Dawn has always been an incredibly blue game. Even when it was in development as a PlayStation Move title on PS3 before being completely rebooted by Supermassive, the game had a great visual identity with a dominant blue and white that deliberately washed away the traces of crimson blood spread across its unfortunate cast.




Considering the inspiration of early slasher films like Halloween and the isolated rural setting covered in a thick blanket of snow from which the characters cannot escape, it was an aesthetic choice that worked brilliantly. Blizzards trap people inside, hide monsters out of sight, and give players the paranoid sense that they will never escape this morbid winter wonderland. The remake tore up this aesthetic for greater realism and fidelity. I can't help but think it was a bad decision.


The Until Dawn remake launched for PS5 and PC earlier this week, with most press not being granted access prior to launch. This is not a good sign, especially for Sony, which is usually very confident and upfront about its releases. Just a quick glance at Twitter will tell you that this revival is buggier than the original release, and in some cases looks and feels worse to play. God knows how, but they did it.

Characters and environments have become more detailed in many cases, but it's difficult to appreciate improvements like these when drastic changes in lighting destroy any original intent. In some cases, the character model's face can appear larger and almost comical, and when held in a dark spotlight, what would have been a subtle impression now looks cartoonish and exaggerated.

They made my girl so dirty
pic.twitter.com/tXN5sopfD8

— Others (@emmasriley)
October 2, 2024


The pause menu is the perfect way to look at specific members of the cast, allowing you to watch their faces constantly move no matter which character they're playing. Some don't suffer as much, but characters like Jess do. Terrible.

Previously, the camera would zoom in on each character's intimate facial expressions, framing their eyes and mouths within a small window, which could be used as a way to gauge a character's emotions when placed in a dangerous situation. In the remake, that intention was lost.

In the Until Dawn remake, the sun begins to rise over the mountains.

The remake gives players the option to turn off the letterboxing found in the original, but instead of reconfiguring the aspect ratio to 16:9, it only removes the black bars before enlarging the image. As a result, you'll see less action and it'll be harder to play.


As the game begins and the cast arrives at their winter home, they have a terrifying night ahead of them. The sun is now setting behind them, casting the entire scene in a bright orange hue. Previously, there was already a blue color that dominated the entire experience. It's easy to see what the remake is trying to do here by introducing a gradual sense of dread as the darkness begins to take over, but what's the point when the end result is pitch black with little stylistic flair?

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater was criticized for similar reasons. Most of the remake looks amazing, with realistic visuals that help the jungle environments and character models look better than ever. Big Boss also suffers injuries, and you can see these wounds developing and healing in cutscenes throughout the campaign.


Naked Snake from Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.

This kind of high-end visual simulation is very impressive, and gives us a hint that the game will look and feel amazing when played when it releases. But again, if you compare it to the original experience, something important is lost in translation. The original Snake Eater is a classic war film like Rambo: First Blood, Apocalypse Now, and The Great Escape, as well as other Hideo Kojima obsessions. It's drenched in omnipresent green and brown hues that barely subside, with clear influences from many pillars of film culture. With that time.

Until Dawn also takes inspiration from horror icons like Evil Dead 2, The Exorcist, Halloween, and Poltergeist, and this can be felt throughout its color palette.


You could feel the love for the film oozing through every frame as Kojima made many deliberate decisions about framing, shots, and color. And that's a good thing, because it all contributed to his overall artistic vision. Metal Gear Solid Delta keeps most of these completely intact, but changes the visual composition to the point where it sometimes feels oddly foreign.

Naked Snake riding with Eva in Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater

Looking visually realistic and as faithful as possible is different from looking iconic or memorable, and many modern remakes and remasters seem to forget this. This speaks to the mistaken belief that triple-A games are obsessed with higher budgets and photorealism, and that if a game doesn't make the most of its graphical capabilities, it is a failure.


If we keep trying to improve the look of the game we already have by improving it, we won't take the time to evaluate what we should have started from scratch. Because while a remake might seem good on the surface until Dawn and the Snake Eater react that way, when you dig deeper it becomes clear what's been lost.

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