Choose-your-own-adventures have been around since the 1970s, being popularized by the book series of the same name. With the rise of video games in the 1980s and 90s, it was only natural that one of the most interactive book forms was re-purposed for the most interactive media around, giving rise to titles like Dragon's Lair, whereby the player needs to make split-second decisions in order to progress the story, and ensure their character survives. Over time, this genre has evolved, and while it's mainly been incorporated into the RPG genre, there are a handful of modern games that hearken back to the old days of choose-your-own-adventures, like INTERIOR/NIGHT's upcoming As Dusk Falls.
Officially classified as an "interactive drama," As Dusk Falls sees players control a range of characters, each with their own complex backstory and relationships. In gameplay that'll be familiar to any fans of Supermassive's catalog, players will need to make various decisions throughout As Dusk Falls, each of which determines a specific outcome, and could result in the characters' deaths. While As Dusk Falls' general gameplay is nothing overly original, its multiplayer system is, allowing up to eight players to join in on the split-second decision-making.
As Dusk Falls' Unique Take On Multiplayer
As things currently stand, Supermassive Games is very much the king of the modern day interactive drama/choose-your-own-adventure genre. Beginning in 2015 with Until Dawn, Supermassive has continued to release some of the most compelling cinematic adventures out there, with the developer's latest outing, The Quarry, receiving widespread critical acclaim. While it wasn't in Until Dawn, multiplayer has slowly been introduced into Supermassive's games, evolving with each entry.
Supermassive's Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan was the first of the developer's titles to receive a multiplayer mode. This game introduced two different multiplayer modes, the first of which, "Shared Story," allowed two players to sync up online and play through the game together, voting on the game's decisions. The second mode, "Movie Night," lets up to five players join locally, each picking a specific character and taking the controller during that character's gameplay segments. While these modes worked fine, they weren't considered the best way to play the game, whereas As Dusk Falls' multiplayer mode may actually be the most unique, engaging way to play it.
In As Dusk Falls, up to eight players will be able to join a single session. Players will be able to join both via online, or locally, as no controller is required. Instead, players use their phones to control As Dusk Falls, via a tailor-made companion app that should be available to download from the usual app stores just prior to the game's release. From their phones, players will be able to vote on every decision in the game, with the choice that earns the most votes being the one that succeeds. By getting every player to join in with every single decision, As Dusk Falls has the potential to be a riveting co-op experience, with everyone staying invested throughout its duration.
One of the most unique aspects of As Dusk Falls' multiplayer mode is that the game will offer a Broadcast mode that allowed Twitch streamers to get their viewers in on the game. This kind of large-scale voting process is sure to feel very different from As Dusk Falls' normal multiplayer, resulting in a much more interactive group experience that encourages discussion, and potentially leading to quite a bit of replayability.
As Dusk Falls is set to release on July 19 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.