It seems cruel to demand improvements to an incredible game from a small Indie studio. criticism of When dusk falls bordering on the outrageous, sometimes demanding that they fully animate the game or put physics systems into the story.
Still, keeping in mind Interior Night’s limitations and respecting their game play, there are some reasonable improvements to be made to an already quality game. It looks like there will be more chapters to come, so while the studio plans to add to When dusk fallsthey should also keep some of these solutions in mind for the existing game.
Spoiler alert! Gamers should absolutely play the game for themselves at least once before reading this list. The main plot points are discussed.
10 Allow players to keep Vanessa nearby
The relationship with Vanessa is complicated. Most gamers will want to make sure that Jay is rescued and that requires her help. But to deprive her of her normal life is indeed unfair. Understandably, after a while she will long for a normal life.
The problem here is that Vanessa can’t possibly stay. Shows gamers her dissatisfaction over time. Show them her curiosity about what could have been. Let the players decide for themselves whether to let her go.
9 Discover that adoption bit
It’s perfectly fair to keep the game short. When dusk falls has quite a long run already, there is plenty of content here. But when Jay finds out how his mom adopted him as her own, the scene is cut short. He doesn’t care at all if he gets a short question.
Yes, people need to recognize that the people who raised you, not the ones who gave birth to you, are your parents. Yet there are still feelings to ponder and memories to look back on. Give players a chance to see what Jay thinks.
8 Explain how Tyler got so dark
While gamers anticipated the release of When dusk falls, one of the main selling points was the cast of characters. Overall, the story does a great job rounding out everyone and keeping players unique and distinctive.
But there is a moment when Tyler changes character without explanation. He instantly changes from a protective older brother to an attempted fratricide. It’s not that Tyler can’t have this dark side, but gamers need more context to make the shift believable.
7 Reduce player-controlled characters
Part of the brilliance of choosing an adventure is the number of outcomes. It’s hard with one character. With two characters, it’s really hard to navigate. Detroit: Become Human had three characters and it took a huge studio to make that work.
Book One works so well because it makes it easier for players to choose Vince or Jay. Adding Zoe, Paul, Ash and others forces the number of outcomes to be trimmed. Other characters end up being written out. It’s fine to add more characters, but stick with just a few that control the players.
6 Making Ash relevant
Ash essentially gets his own chapter at the start of book two. The shift away from the breathtaking action and violence is a welcome one and part of why When dusk falls feels like other cinematic movies. But after this chapter and his big decision, Ash again fades into irrelevance.
For that, players are given incentives to invest their emotional connections in who they control. Ash’s decision at the end of the chapter is a huge plot point, but it has no impact on himself. Don’t tease this connection, invest more in it, or reduce the interaction to a short video.
5 Fill in the gap between Paul and Sharon
Sharon has committed a series of failed robberies in her time. When she interacts with Paul, she claims she has another get-rich-quick scheme, but she needs his help to do it. It’s about robbing the illegal account that Dante set up.
Players who agree to the plan eventually see Paul and Sharon living in luxury on the beach. Look, it’s not that Sharon can’t succeed. However, there is a lot of complexity involved in cleaning an account. That action must be detailed.
4 More QTEs during longer scenes
Part of what makes game stories different from movie stories is the amount of control given to the player. This keeps them engaged and interactive, even if there is just a simple exposition on the screen.
Some scenes, especially in book two, can get quite long. It’s good if the QTEs have no impact, just let the player do something. If they screw up, the result could be you stub a toe or something funny and lighthearted that doesn’t change the whole plot.
3 Eliminate False Choices
The game has many huge choices. Saving Michelle or letting her die feels meaningful and honors the decisions gamers have made along the way. But there are some big moments that hype themselves as intersections, but the result is essentially the same.
One problem with showing prequel events, as with the Stranger and Bear in Book Two, is that the outcome is somewhat fixed. The decision feels big but in the end it doesn’t matter. There are a few of these moments. Don’t pull the player’s chain by hinting at an opportunity to change something.
2 Choose Vince and Michelle back up
Outside of an epilogue, a phone call, and an opening scene in book two, Michelle and Vince are almost completely omitted as a plot point. In the future, they no longer have any control over Vince. That makes sense from a practical standpoint, since Vince can die or live in the first Book.
Still, this robs the player of seeing many of his choices. Vince and Michelle can save the marriage, dissolve it, become a widow or change profession. While interesting, these results are completely irrelevant to the story in Book Two.
1 Faster pace in book two
This is probably the biggest (rational) complaint about the game and for good reason. Book two drags heavily compared to book one. From the opening chapter with Ash to the final destination with Zoe and Jay, there’s just too much silence.
This can happen when there are so many branches and choices to make; none of them can be fully explored. The game ends with a huge whimper after starting with a huge bang. Go back and fix it or book three really needs to pick up the pace.
When dusk falls is now available for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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