This year we are starting to see a rollout of once Xbox exclusive titles now coming over to other consoles such as PlayStation. While “As Dusk Falls” was only a timed exclusive and not part of Xbox Studios, this is one in a handful that have come out in the last month. From new developers over at Interior Night, we get a very unique narrative game that is not only engaging in its story and style, but is easily accessible for anyone to play. As a huge fan of games with really thought-out stories, I couldn’t resist the chance to finally give a review to “As Dusk Falls” having never gotten around to playing it when it originally released on Xbox. Now since I primarily do my reviews on PlayStation and with its new branched out release, the time has come to check it out and give my thoughts.
At the heart of “As Dusk Falls” lies the intricate story of two families, their narratives intersecting amidst the fallout of a fateful robbery gone awry in the year 1998. Delving into the depths of human connection and consequence, this addicting narrative unveils the lives of these families’ survivors, navigating the turbulent waters of their shared history and individual struggles. Now in the present day, the lingering echoes of that pivotal moment in 1998 reverberate through the lives of those left behind, casting shadows that stretch across generations. Amidst the remnants of shattered dreams and fractured relationships, the surviving members of both families find themselves at a crossroads, grappling with the weight of their past traumas and searching for meaning in the aftermath. Through a series of intricately crafted vignettes, “As Dusk Falls” peels back the layers of time, inviting you to immerse yourself in the raw emotions and complex dynamics that define these intertwined lives.
At first look, the most striking thing about “As Dusk Falls” is its style choice, it boasts a visually striking aesthetic. While it showcases intricately designed 3D environments, the characters themselves are rendered entirely in 2D, creating a captivating contrast. The characters’ appearance is reminiscent of a blend between real-life actors and artistic interpretations, as if actors were taken to do very extensive photos shoots and then several shots were transformed with a distinct painterly filter, lending them a unique and compelling visual identity within the game’s world. It does go a bit more above and beyond your average visual novel type game, and while action sequences don’t feel as compelling in this specific style, they compensate with great audio design and even better voice work. The actors here do an incredible job with their performances and it’s all heightened by some rather fantastic writing.
Taking a similar page from Telltale Games with their point and click style dialogue options and where your choices deeply matter with how the trajectory of the story proceeds the game not only makes you really care about the choices you make, but even offers a nice little flow chart of what other choices could have been, which makes “As Dusk Falls” a game I will want to hop in a replay at least one more time in the future. As mentioned earlier with this being very accessible, they give the player several different options on how to play, including using a phone to select your decisions if you’d like. For anyone who really enjoys spending time in choice-based narrative titles, “As Dusk Falls” is one you absolutely don’t want to miss.
Score: 8.5/10
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Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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