As Dusk Falls is like a thrilling, interactive TV series full of cliffhangers. The hand-painted frames of real actors pass by like a slideshow, and for those who can embrace this art style, there are six chapters of tension, impactful choices, and emotional storytelling to look forward to.
The game, presented as two ‘books’ consisting of 3 chapters each, was developed by INTERIOR/NIGHT, founded by former Quantic Dream lead game designer Caroline Marchal. It’s no coincidence that As Dusk Falls bears similarities to games like Detroit: Become Human. The gameplay primarily revolves around making decisions and executing quick time events. In true Detroit: Become Human fashion, each chapter ends with a branching overview, showing which choices had an impact and how events could have unfolded differently.
At the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time
The crime drama follows the Walker and Holt families. The Walkers consist of protagonist Vince, his wife Michelle, their daughter Zoe, and Vince’s father Jim. On the other side, Jay comes from a family with a rougher background. Along with his two older brothers (Dale and Tyler) and parents, he belongs to a family known for causing trouble. Jay is the black sheep of the family and struggles with his role in the whole dynamic. A debt, built up by father ‘Bear’, pushes them to take a drastic action that serves as the catalyst for this story.
A chain of events brings both families together one evening in 1998, when the Holts carry out a robbery at the Desert Dream Motel, where the Walkers happen to be staying. To a certain extent, it’s up to the players to decide how that night unfolds. Through flashbacks and flashforwards, the game reveals what led to this life-altering event and explores the far-reaching consequences.
Such jumps back and forth in time don’t always work well, but As Dusk Falls pulls it off effectively. The game isn’t just about that fateful night; the backstory and the impact it has on both families are just as important to the narrative, allowing players to develop empathy for the different perspectives. I often found myself thinking, “What a jerk that guy is” or “He seems like a good guy,” only to have those thoughts flipped on their head in an instant.
Like any good series, tense, action-packed moments are interspersed with slower, character-driven scenes. These quieter moments are dedicated to character development, making the intense moments hit even harder. Personally, I did feel that Book 2 occasionally lost momentum for a little bit too long before picking up the pace again.
I Had to Get Used to the Unique Art Style
While the story’s depth is impressive, the visual presentation might divide opinions. A game doesn’t always need to be photorealistic. I can really appreciate beautiful, unique and artistic styles, but I did need some time to adjust to the direction INTERIOR/NIGHT chose. As mentioned, this game uses a slideshow format. Real actors were filmed and then hand-painted, with players being served over 15,000 of these frames. Essentially, it’s like seeing individual photos rapidly shown one after another. This can sometimes result in a character having their lips closed in a frame, even though they are speaking.
At first, this was a bit disorienting, especially since I hadn’t yet figured out which voice belonged to which character. Thankfully, after about half an hour, everything started to click. As I became more familiar with the characters (and their voices), the game began to feel like a cohesive whole rather than disconnected frames. That’s when the game really started to grab me. I also want to give a shout-out to the voice acting, which was really convincingly delivered and helped turn the slideshow into something that felt real.
Many of the Choices Are Real Brain Teasers
In many choice-based games, decisions are often presented in a fairly black-and-white manner, where you either follow the paragon or the renegade path. Before the game even begins, you settle on being the good guy or the bad guy, and throughout the rest of the adventure, you simply pick the options that align best with that choice.
In As Dusk Falls, it’s not always that simple. There’s rarely an obvious “right” choice. In most cases, I found myself weighing the pros and cons of each option, usually right up until the timer forced me to make a decision. This is exactly how I prefer ‘choose your own adventure’ games to be, and it’s without a doubt one of the game’s biggest strengths.
To raise the pressure even more, the game warns you when you’re about to make a truly important decision. For these crucial moments, you’re given all the time you need, which often led to me staring at the screen for a full minute before reluctantly making a choice.
As the story unfolds, you’ll frequently see an “outcome” icon pop up whenever something happens that was a direct result of your decisions.
Escalation Feels a Bit Forced at Certain Moments
As Dusk Falls is presented and feels like a TV series, but one where you shouldn’t overthink things too much. I’d compare it to something like Prison Break—it’s well put together and highly entertaining, as long as you don’t constantly question whether everything is entirely realistic.
Don’t get me wrong, most of the game is grounded in realism. But there were several moments where I had to remind myself to overlook small, illogical details more quickly. This was especially the case when I felt that certain choices seemed questionable, clearly made to heighten the tension in the moment or to inject some extra drama.
Additionally, the relationships between some characters can develop at an unrealistic pace. With a runtime of about 7 hours, As Dusk Falls is a relatively short game, so certain aspects feel rushed, which doesn’t always come across as convincing.
The Overview at the End of Each Chapter Is Interesting to Review
At the end of each chapter, you’re presented with an overview that reflects your player characteristics, based on the choices you made and how you performed during quick time events. I enjoyed seeing how the game summarized my decisions—like in this screenshot, where I was labeled as a peaceful and kind person with quick reflexes. I’d say that’s pretty accurate, right? Right?
The branching paths also reveal how your actions shaped the story and whether your decisions aligned with those of other players. You can see percentages showing how unique your experience was compared to others, which adds an extra layer of curiosity to the overall game.
Some Loose Scraps
- The theme song by Emily Jane White – “Hole In The Middle” – is so good that I sometimes didn’t want to jump into the game right away.
- Sam Douglas, known for his role as Scott Shelby in Heavy Rain, plays the role of ‘Bear,’ the father of the Holt brothers.
- Jack Bandeira, who plays Dale, can be seen in the third season of Happy Valley as Matija Jankovic. He also appears in the Black Mirror Season 6 episode “Mazey Day,” the episode I gave a solid 4 rating 😊.
- There better be a third book, or I can’t be held accountable for what happens next.
- Are you indecisive? You can make a choice and change it if you’re quick. But don’t be surprised if it shows up in your character traits at the end of the chapter
Conclusion
As Dusk Falls is a must-play for gamers who enjoy interactive stories and crime series. The narrative crafted by INTERIOR/NIGHT would easily hold up as a TV series. The time jumps allow us to see the intriguing cast from different perspectives, making it easier to empathize with them.
By focusing on the characters’ backgrounds and histories, the action-packed, high-stakes moments carry even more weight. Some characters grew on me faster than others, but in the end, I found myself wanting the best for pretty much everyone. As Dusk Falls highlights the importance of the environments and people we grow up with, and that message certainly hits home.
Some situations do feel unnaturally forced at times. For example, the relationships between certain characters can escalate very quickly, or conflicts might arise from somewhat irrational decisions. However, if you can look past these moments and focus on the core of the game, As Dusk Falls offers a unique experience that can easily tempt you into multiple playthroughs.
