Until Dawn is a choice-based horror game which follows one harrowing night atop a mountain which is simply crawling with hormonal teens and supernatural creatures. In a classic slasher fashion, the gang is separated, hunted down, and has one objective: survive until dawn.
Though Until Dawn is one of the greatest games in the modern era, we still have a few questions about its content. Nothing too intense or plot-ruining. Most of our questions concern the reactions and non-playable decisions that the gang makes as well as the nature of those who could have helped at any point in the story.
10 10. Why Did They Even Want To Go On The Trip?
The first question that we should ask ourselves is why are the members of the gang even still friends after the tragic death of Hannah and Beth? That "prank" should have divided the group entirely as it is very hard to believe that someone could forgive someone for doing such a heinous thing- or even pretend as if they had forgiven them.
The second question we have to ask is, why would they ever agree to going on this trip? Why would they agree to go up on the mountain, where two of their friends lost their lives, a year after the tragedy occurred? Do they live in a universe where horror movies/games do not exist? Do they have no sense of self-preservation? Do they have no sense of remorse?
9 9. Why Do The Rangers Take So Long To Get There?
In terms of the game, it makes sense that the rangers took a while to get to the mountain. A survival game would be much less daunting if help showed up within minutes of being called. But the urgency of Emily's call makes it a little bizarre that they take so long to get to the mountain.
One would assume that the fear and panic in her voice would prompt faster service from the rescue crew. And if the mountain was truly that difficult to access, even by helicopter, then why was it still accessible to guests? Especially with no on-site help and the sheer numbers of tragedies which have occurred on its surface?
8 8. Why Do They Keep Pranking Each Other?
The entire reason that Hannah and Beth ended up dead was because of a cruel prank. So why does the gang still insist on pulling non-stop jokes on each other? Did the tragedy teach them nothing or are they that insensitive?
Josh's prank comes from a need to get revenge; however, the rest of the gang spends a large portion of the beginning of the game pranking each other, scaring each other, and being rather cruel for the sake of a joke. Did they learn nothing from the events of the previous year?
7 7. Could Dr. Hill Have Stopped Josh?
Assuming that Dr. Hill was real (as some believe that he is entirely an object of Joshs' creation) would he have been able to stop Josh? From the glimpses into his meetings that we see, it seems like he makes his intentions for this trip rather obvious.
Would Dr. Hill be required to breach patient-doctor confidentiality in order to protect/save the gang? Were he real, would he be obligated to report him due to his intent to harm others?
6 6. Could The Stranger Have Saved The Girls?
He tried to prevent them from falling down the cliff, but Hannah & Beth were doomed to fall. Why didn't he go after them? The game suggests that he knew about the Wendigos. So wouldn't he try to save them from that cruel fate?
Even if he assumed that they did not survive the fall, wouldn't it be smart to retrieve their bodies in order to prevent the creation of more creatures?
5 5. Why Is Ashley Mad About The Saw Trap?
One of the most stress moments in the game is the one where Chris and Ashley find themselves in a literal saw trap. They are strapped to chairs, with power saws descending overhead, and a gun on the table. If Chris chooses to attempt to shoot Ashley, she refuses to let him into the cabin, later in the game, which leads to his immediate death. But shouldn't she be grateful that he tried to use the bullet on her?
Think about it. A saw to the scalp might be the worst way to go. If Chris believed that there was no way out of the trap, the gun would be seen as a merciful escape. If he pulled it on himself, he could escape the saw with a relatively instant and painless demise. Thus forcing Ashley to suffer through the saw. But if he chooses to end Ashley, he would be doing her a kindness by allowing her the peace of the bullet rather than the agony of the saw. So why is she so mad about it?
4 4. How Well Hidden Were Hannah And Beth?
A search party was sent out to find the lost girls and The Stranger was even a witness to their fall. So why was no one able to locate them? It makes sense that The cynical Stranger would avoid the mines due to his knowledge about what lives within and would assume them dead (so there would be no use in looking for them) but why was the search party unable to find them?
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Did The Stranger warn them about the dangers of the mine, or lie in order to keep them away from the monsters? Beth passed shortly after falling and Hannah had a broken leg, so they could not have gotten too far. And the rest of the gang (if they are lucky enough to survive the night) seem to be able to enter and leave the area with comparable ease (doing so within the short time span in which the game occurs.) Did the girls fall into a more difficult to access part of the mine/sanitorium area than the rest of the gang accessed during their night?
3 3. Why Is The Mountain Still Accessible?
The majority of the structures of the mountain (the tower Emily calls for help from and the lifts are two good examples) are in various states of disrepair. They look like no one has come across them in a very long time and the former even collapses during Emily's call for help. Not to mention the proximity to the abandoned mine/sanitorium and all of the danger that comes with those locations as well.
Why was the gang even able to go up to this mountain in the first place? One would assume that the place would be shut down, especially after Hannah and Beth's disappearance the year prior.
2 2. How Did Hannah Survive For So Long?
Just how did Hannah survive in that mine/sanitorium pit for so long? It was the middle of winter, she had fallen from a great height, and was suffering from a serious injury. Yes, she did, eventually, feed on her sister (which leads to the events that dominate the rest of the game) but, according to her journal, she doesn't give into these urges until she was trapped for nearly a month.
How was she able to protect herself against the elements for so long? Beth gave her a jacket and the structure in which she was trapped, most likely, provided a certain amount of protection from the worst of the winter. But the fact that she did not succumb to hypothermia at the very least is truly a miracle (or a curse.)
1 1. Why Did They Blame Josh For Jessica's Death?
If a player fails the quick-times events that lead up to the discovery of Jessica, then they will discover her body moments after her death and be unable to save her. Later in the game, when the gang discovers that Josh was behind all of the "pranks" (i.e. severely traumatizing events) that Josh set up for revenge, they blame him for Jessica's death.
Though we do not agree with what Josh did, none of his "pranks" were designed to kill his friends. Simply to punish them for their roles in the previous prank last year. And though what Josh did was unforgivable, it does seem like a stretch to think that he would remove his friend's jaw and drop her down an elevator/mine shaft.