Reviewed: Shadowrun: Hong Kong, Until Dawn, Hearthstone expansion and more

New games for all sorts

Until Dawn

Wes Craven would be proud. As one of those slasher film fans – who spends most of the movie screaming at the screen, watching characters make bad decisions and ultimately become murderous freak fodder – silly and spooky Until Dawn instantly appealed to me.

Help me make it through the night...

Those bad decisions are now mine to make – and, combined with the game’s unique Butterfly effect mechanic, they make for some deadly consequences that can’t be undone. Most of the choices I make involve my relationships with other characters. I cycle through, playing each of them.

The narrative follows eight nubile millennials stuck up a mountain near Vancouver, a year after they initiated some unfortunate events involving mobile phones and boobs. Cue bitch fights and sexual innuendos, I’m almost relieved when the blood starts flying.

Clowning around

Gameplay is a series of episodes with a sinister therapy session between each one of them, where I’m quizzed in the first person on my propensity for clowns and scarecrows. Believe it or not Quick Time Events are thrilling, miss a button and the consequences can be deadly for my character and others.

Sometimes I need to hold the motion controller still as a mouse to hide from all kinds half-breed rednecks and mutated Wendigos trying to sniff me out. When I’m fortunate enough to have a gun to hand, I need to be quick off the mark to hit the target or again there’ll be unpleasant consequences but that said taking pot shots at the wildlife doesn’t go down well with Mother Nature.

Spiritual awakening

Exploring my environment can uncover useful if disturbing totems and mementos that add to my immersion in the spiderweb like narrative. The shadowy graphics combined with a eerie Jason Graves score all add to the engagement and before I know it, hours have flown by.

Despite some overly long cut scenes and too many recaps Until Dawn had me hooked wondering who would make it through the night.

Suspended animation

Until Dawn exclusive to PS4, £40