Out today, As Dusk Falls is the critically acclaimed and acclaimed interactive tale of two intertwined family dramas. Unlike the Stray, which is also playable today, the title published by Xbox Game Studios is not available on PC and PlayStation, but on PC and Xbox.
Family drama with interwoven and branching plot
British developer Interior Night describes As Dusk Falls as the game adaptation of a cinematic story and chose “Interactive Drama” as their preferred title. The intertwined lives of two families in the US state of Arizona are discussed over a period of three decades. Set as the exposition of a 1998 heist gone awry, an impressionable story unfolds around betrayal, moral issues, and player choices, which in turn feed numerous different endings.
That and a non-linear course of the action, which can be played with several characters and can therefore be experienced from different perspectives, should ensure a high replay value. This is possible alone or cooperatively with up to 8 players – either via online multiplayer with a smartphone app for the decisions, locally via split screen or with both at the same time. At each narrative crossroads, the game automatically pauses and lets players vote on how to proceed. Responsible for the decision-making system is Caroline Marchal, who used to work at Quantic Dream, for example on Detroit: Become Human or Beyond: Two Souls Reviews mostly find praise
First impressions and experiences from critics who have already been able to allude to As Dusk Falls certify that this decision-making system has again been implemented very well. Eurogamer describes the game as a positively surprising coming-of-age story. The composite story with two parties is reminiscent of Telltale's The Walking Dead game series. IGN agrees with all of this and also emphasizes the original soundtrack, which was felt to be very convincing.
However, it is also noted that the gameplay, in contrast to the story, remains mostly monotonous and has often been offered in this form. Nevertheless, As Dusk Falls is a recommendation for fans of crime dramas such as Breaking Bad or Fargo. Golem agrees when compared to TV series, but criticizes the stop-motion animations, which are perceived as annoying. The graphic style doesn't go down well everywhere either.
As Dusk Falls (Image: Interior Night)
The characters, in turn, praise almost all reviewers. Polygon particularly likes that Interior Night's interactive drama provides a refreshing change from the heroic stories that are otherwise typical of games: Basically, all the characters shared an inglorious past and sometimes found themselves on immoral paths. However, the causes are not malice or mere malice, but mostly human motives that are easily understandable for the player. This often leads to interesting moral dilemmas, especially when it comes to landmark decisions. For Kotaku, this, in combination with the co-op mode, is what makes the title so appealing, which is better as a party game than in its actual self-image of a solo film game.
Game Pass and unimpressive requirements
As Dusk Falls is out tonight on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store available, the price is around 30 euros. Game Pass subscribers can look forward to the fact that the drama is already part of the Game Pass when it is released. The PC system requirements are relatively low and can be found in the table below.