After playing it (and loving it immensely) on Xbox, As Dusk Falls finally arrived today on PlayStation consoles.
The arrival on Sony home consoles comes with some unique features, which exploit (or at least attempt to exploit) the exclusive features of PlayStation 5 controllers. And it is precisely on the latest generation of Sony consoles that in recent weeks we have (re)experienced the interactive drama of Interior/Night, not without some doubts that we will try to dissect in our review.
Let’s start by stating that this article will mainly address the playability of the port to PlayStation consoles. If, however, you are interested in a general examination of the title, its Amazing story and gameplaywe refer you to the review of the Xbox version, released in conjunction with the release of the game for Microsoft consoles.
What As Dusk Falls is like on PlayStation: the review
For those who don’t know what we’re talking about, As Dusk Falls is a little narrative gem. A game that is mainly based on the narrative and the player’s choices, which ineluctably influence the fate of two different families, whose lives intertwine in an Arizona motel: il Desert Dream Motel. The game covers a time span of several decadesputting the player in the presence of the inevitable consequences of the choices previously made.
Since two years have passed since the last run, we had totally forgotten about the fact that As Dusk Falls had won us over right from the startwith a spectacular soundtrack that immediately immerses us in the atmosphere of 90s Arizona. Right down to the menu, nothing changes compared to the game we loved two years earlierbut already from the start of a new game the title exposes us to some of the unique features for the PlayStation console.
In reality, sad to say, it’s nothing much. As Dusk Falls substantially adapts the consolidated gameplay to the characteristics of the PlayStation 5 controller, introducing haptic feedback (with vibrations for the most convulsive scenes) e giving us the ability to use the touchpad as if it were a mouseboth for the choices and for the various ones Quick Time Event provided by the gameplay.
Spoiler: as interesting as it is, we never really felt the need to use the touchpad.
Il multiplayer
One of the winning features of the game is the possibility of play locally with up to 8 players. However who really has 8 controllers in the house? To respond to this need Interior/Night has developed an alternative solution: a smartphone app, which works like the controller, and allows the gaming group to vote on the choices to make. The app had already largely satisfied us on Xbox, and has no particular differences on the PlayStation version.
Multiplayer is also available in the Twitch version, with a dedicated streamer mode which, by interacting with the streaming platform, allows the chat to vote on the choices to be made. Again, nothing new compared to the Xbox version, but still a welcome integration.
The graphic style and that little sound problem
The game features the same graphic style as the Xbox/PC version, although slightly improved thanks to the PlayStation 5 hardware. A visual approach that is very reminiscent comic book illustrations. The images are static, but animated with light, color and movement effects. The result is evocative and artistic, only at times rigid.
A We instead found the first critical issue in the sound sector. Yes, as said thereThe soundtrack is spectacular, reflecting the emotions of the characters and sequences shown. However it happens, although rarely, that the dubbing volume drops suddenly, making it very difficult to understand the dialogue. We realized that this problem – absent on Xbox – occurs when there are two overlapping dialogues: sometimes the game tends to make us listen well to the secondary dialogue (that of two characters in the background) and not the main one (which would then be the one on which we are going to make our decisive choices).
Despite these small moments of down, we really appreciated the rendering of the Italian dubbingwhich is not exactly simple given the slang language of the English version.
Summing up the review: is it worth playing As Dusk Falls on PlayStation?
The answer to this question is lapidary: As Dusk Falls is always worth playing.
The game is a real gem, both in terms of graphics and for the development of the narrative. However, For those who played it on Xbox or PC, we advise against spending an additional €29.99 for an almost identical game. With all due respect to a slight graphic improvement, the features for the PS5 controller are too few to justify a further financial outlay.
If you’ve never played it, then we can only recommend As Dusk Falls. A game with practically infinite replayability, with a myriad of possible endings (which, by the way, we have collected for you in this guide).
Fun – as well as interesting – is the co-op game in companypreferably in a group, via the dedicated app or controllers.
A mature, immersive story. At times dramatic, at times ironic. A journey to an America of the 90s that probably no longer exists.
For more information, below we leave you a small excerpt from our original review (which you can find in full here). Thank you Interior Night for giving us an excuse to relive this beautiful story, also on PlayStation.
A beautiful song comes to mind Dogs called Wes Anderson. In the lyrics Niccolò Contessa sings: “And the bad guys aren’t really bad. And enemies aren’t really enemies. But even the good ones aren’t really good.” In fact, what makes As Dusk Falls a little gem is precisely that the care of the characterswith a storytelling that, although it has some small and negligible flaws, keeps players glued to the screen.
In fact, it would be too easy to start from the assumption that robbers are the bad guys and that the police can be trusted. The careful psychology of individuals characters, never two-dimensional, gives us a living ecosystem of people, all driven by precise motivations. And it will only be up to us to delve deeper into their backstories and the dynamics that move them, choosing who are the bad guys and who are the good guys. Bad and good who, even in this case, will only be related to our condition: that of hostages and robbers. Victims and executioners.
