I suck at making decisions, often thinking through every single possible scenario before committing to anything. ‘As Dusk Falls’, an interactive crime-drama narrative game with branching storylines by INTERIOR/NIGHT, challenges those like me by hitting me with tough decisions and a small window of time to act.

Originally released on Xbox and PC in 2022, As Dusk Falls has finally made its way to PlayStation consoles. It was very well received on release, and absolutely nothing has changed; giving this game a go on the PlayStation 5 was an excellent decision.

Our journey begins in 1998, in Two Rock, a small town in Arizona with plenty of drama, a heist gone wrong, a road trip, a moment where fate (and cars) collide, and a quick-stop-over at the Desert Dream Motel turns into a decade-spanning nightmare. Following various characters, the player must think and act quickly to escape some incredibly dramatic scenarios. It didn’t take me long to feel the pressure of decision-making, especially when faced with tough decisions in the opening hours when I became involved in a fully-fledged hostage situation.

What immediately stands out in As Dusk Falls is its art style, which is pretty static. Characters are portrayed in 2D stills that look like they were painted, moving in freeze frames. The world around them is all 3D, leading to some unique moments, like a vehicle hurtling toward my character in the third dimension while my seemingly flat character runs from it.

Each character was not only portrayed by a voice actor, but each had a “body actor” who played out each scene in real-time. Photos of the actors were then transferred into each scene; the incredible amount of expressiveness in their performances somehow worked so effectively despite being such an unconventional art style for a game. It takes a while to get used to what the developers describe as a “cinematic graphic novel,” but I grew to love it once the action kicked in.

For most of the first chapter, I played Vince, a family man who unwittingly arrives at the Desert Dream Motel just in time for a band of brothers to arrive, seeking shelter from the police after committing an audacious (and foolish) crime. From here, the whole situation escalated. Stepping into Vince’s shoes, it was my job to attempt to de-escalate said situation and, hopefully, get out mostly unscathed.

The name of the game here is quick thinking and fast reactions. The heist was an intense way to get into the swing of As Dusk Falls; choices that seemed to be common sense were not always the best course of action. The game subverted my expectations; sometimes, doing what felt wrong was the ideal way forward, like ignoring evidence. It’s tense and unpredictable, but I couldn’t help but power through, even though I managed to cause a character death within the first 45 minutes; there’s another 6ish hours to go still, what a start I had.

Each scenario involves making these tough choices that can massively alter the story’s outcomes. Every choice has a legitimate weight, especially a ‘Crossroads’ event, which later results in an ‘Outcome’. These moments are pivotal, and upon finishing a chapter (or Book) of the game, my whole decision-making journey was mapped out for me in a decision tree, letting me know how the series of events unfolded for me, with the stats of player choices to hammer home my path compared to others.

Lastly, each Book ends up with the player summary in 3 areas: Values (e.g. Family, Honesty), Traits (e.g. Loyal, Fierce) and Play Style (e.g. Quick Thinker, Peacekeeper), which sums up player choices accurately. Seeing where I went wrong during the decision-making process felt like a blessing and a curse.

It’s not just making a dialogue choice; you must make difficult moral and ethical decisions quickly, usually within a 15-second window. As an interactive narrative, quite a few quick time events are thrown in, from something as simple as washing dishes using a series of prompts to acting at super speed to escape pursuers.

The gameplay is very simplistic, but it works; it kept me on my toes and forced me to pay attention. Getting me to retain my focus was easy, though; with such a great story, immersion from a gameplay standpoint was absolutely no issue for me. The pacing mid-way through slowed down during an early Book 2 character section, but it took a little time to pick right back up where it left off.

A significant factor in the overall success of the storyline is playing each character’s arc. Everyone plays a role in the grand scheme of As Dusk Falls, and knowing the events during and leading up to significant moments from multiple perspectives made it easy to get invested in absolutely all of them. The voice cast is one of the primary reasons why. With performances worthy of a great TV show or film, they deliver lines almost flawlessly, bringing emotive performances and big personalities into their characters. The scriptwriters nailed the story, showing how they all interact and react with and against each other.

Audio mastery isn’t limited to talented voice actors. Each sound is there, from something as simple as footsteps to loud gunshots. The musical score by composer Matthew Barnes is superb at accompanying the tense situations I found myself in. Ominous guitar riffs and percussion during action-packed moments and some more subdued tones at other points deliver the perfect atmosphere alongside what’s happening.

The game performance on the PlayStation is decent. It ran smoothly, apart from a few moments of slow loading during the opening menus. The DualSense PlayStation controller works wonders in this gameplay style. It’s the usual use of joysticks, and a simple tap of “x” is enough for most actions. QTEs can also be completed using the touchpad, which can be swiped when the player makes directional actions, or the joystick might need to be used in circular movements.

Of course, there’s the usual haptic feedback from the PS5 that kicks in at the exact right moments. Timeframes to act were so swift that my reflexes weren’t always fast enough to pull it off, but all that led to some pretty cool game moments when I failed. Accessibility options are reasonable – narration, speech-to-text and the ability to toggle or extend the choice timer, amongst other options.

As Dusk Falls might only be for some, some may find the art style too unique or the gameplay too simple. For those who love an immersive narrative-driven story or want to experience something more cerebral, this one’s for you.

There is some touchy subject matter, such as death, trauma and divorce, to watch out for, but they’re handled with respect and dignity. I did appreciate that there was an option to skip a section depicting a sensitive event; I chose to skip the scene and ultimately didn’t lose out by doing so. During the 6-7 hours it took for the first playthrough, I didn’t encounter any story moments that took complex subjects too far.

An exciting feature is that the game can be played on the As Dusk Falls Companion App (iOS and Android) and on phone/tablet devices. The PlayStation-compatible version of the app will be available for launch on March 7, 2024. The app has been going strong for the Xbox and PC versions, and I’m keen to try it on PlayStation 5. I’m curious how it all plays out with friends thrown into the fray alongside me. Taking on the game solo the first time around seems like the best course of action, but knowing how it all turns out, playing with others could result in entirely different outcomes. The app allows players to invite over up to 7 friends to play locally, each being able to use the companion app on their devices to vote during choices. I’m excited to see the dynamics it brings out amongst friends.

This title made me feel and think in a way I wasn’t ever expecting from a game. It’s more than a video game, As Dusk Falls is a visual masterpiece, a masterclass in storytelling and a great gaming experience to top it all off. I’m starting my next playthrough and doing it all differently this time. Let’s see if I can right my wrongs and get out of it all a bit more whole.

Written by: Yasmin Noble