Until Dawn: Rush of Blood Review – Virtual Insanity (PSVR)

Until Dawn is one of my stand out favorite PS4 exclusives due to a fun, slasher storyline, realistic characters, relationships, and animations, and a creepy atmosphere. Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is nothing like Until Dawn, but still tops the list of my favorite titles available at the launch of PlayStation VR.

While Until Dawn was a rollercoaster ride of a story, with twists and turns around every corner, Rush of Blood is actually a rollercoaster ride – but with guns. And you’ll need those guns, because as the cart takes you on a ride through eight different themed levels, you are going to encounter some seriously scary shit. Even after you fill these horrific beings with bullet after bullet, you still won’t feel safe.

What a Rush

The rollercoaster ride itself lends to the lighthearted fun familiar in Until Dawn, and provides a conduit to the VR experience. The highs and lows, and even sense of speed can be felt. Although it’s not as pronounced as I found in other games, it still adds to the overall sensation of being immersed into the game.

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is yet another game that plays much better with two PlayStation Move controllers, allowing independent movement of each gun. Dual-wielding pistols is a lot better than a Dualshock 4, which keeps both guns fixed together for singular aiming. The Dualshock 4 also makes the game itself more challenging, as enemies attack from all angles – even from above. Having the freedom to move both hands independently is a lot more fun, and also means you’ll be able to cover a wider area of targets.

Stage Fright

Across the eight themed levels you’ll encounter more than just enemies. There’s plenty of blood, guts, and general gore. Squealing pig carcasses are strewn about one stage, while blood-stained butcher’s bone-saw blades lower from the ceiling, forcing you to physically lean or duck out of the way as the coaster continues on the rails. Things – scary things – will jump out at you at times and due to how immersed you are in the game and experience, it’s night and day different than how you’d react if it were just something jumping out on a TV screen. The TV screen doesn’t feel like it’s directly in your face.

Each stage also tallies up a score that can be racked up by hitting targets for multipliers, accuracy, and more. There are also secrets and collectibles to find throughout every creeptastic stage. And for those seeking even more replay value or difficult, there are additional difficultly levels including a one-hit kill, psychotic mode. Only through completing each of the difficulty modes can you see the game’s “true ending.”

Don’t Be Scared

The entire experience is a classic, arcade-style, on-rails light gun shooter. And like the old coin-op games of the past, there is a ton of fun to be had with Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. It is lacking, however, in replay value unless you’re the type to challenge your own scores or are dying to see that “true ending.”

There’s no real story, so any conclusions aren’t very meaningful. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give Until Dawn: Rush of Blood a chance. Rush of Blood is a good scare, creepy, extremely fun, and would make a great game to play around Halloween or just to show off the PlayStation VR’s capabilities.

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood review code provided by publisher. For more information on scoring please see our Review Policy here.