To Dawn 2's sequel status is a bit confusing, but it makes sense

In its latest State of Play, Sony revealed a number of interesting and exciting gaming projects, with To Dawn 2 be one of the most unexpected. The fact that there is one Until Dawn the sequel itself isn't surprising – the game has enjoyed a significant resurgence in popularity in recent years, and a sequel was always on the table. What's surprising is that on the surface it seems to have absolutely nothing to do with the first one Until Dawn.

Spoilers ahead too Until Dawn.

The original Until Dawnreleased in 2015 but remastered in Unreal Engine 5 for a 2024 re-release, follows a group of teenagers who encounter deadly, supernatural forces deep in the snow-capped mountains. In typical Supermassive Games fashion, the players control the story itself, but the essence of the plot remains mostly static: Josh is always unfolding his delusional joke, Mike is always going on a solo adventure in the insane asylum, and so on. There have been rumors and speculations about where this story could go next, assuming Supermassive made certain plot beats canon, but they usually involve the return of at least one character from the first game, like Josh or Sam. Enter To Dawn 2which seems to swing to a completely different attitude and role.

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Until Dawn 2 has nothing to do with Until Dawn—but it does

IN To Dawn 2players follow a group of “ghost hunter” content creators on a remote tropical island said to host unexplained supernatural activity. As you might expect, these influencers are self-centered, obsessed with clout, and willing to stoop to the lowest levels to get hot content. While they have staged their supernatural encounters up to this point, they get much more than they bargained for when real horrors begin to unfold in this fraudulent paradise.

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Exactly what these horrors will entail remains to be seen, though To Dawn 2 reveal trailer gives some hints. First, there's a masked figure shown stalking through the woods, machete in hand, as well as a bizarre psychosexual entanglement between Neil Newbon's character, his apparent partner, and one of the young ghost hunters. Again, we don't know exactly how these factors will fit into the broader picture To Dawn 2 narrative, but it's clear that the lead role is anything but secure.

The To Dawn 2 reveal didn't include any characters from the first game (except one), nor are there any mentions of Wendigos, Blackwood Mountain, et cetera. But at the same time, the parallels between the two games couldn't be more obvious: you have a squad of cocky young adults in over their heads, their arrogance leading to their downfall. There is a kind of psychological tormentor (Josh in To Dawn 1Neil Newbon's character in To Dawn 2), and there is a strong hint of greater forces at work. If To Dawn 2 follows the same narrative trajectory as the first game, where the psychological tormentor is essentially replaced by the supernatural threat over time, then the formal parallels will be even closer. Basically, Until Dawn is a heavy-handed homage to a specific type of 90s teen horror film, and To Dawn 2 seem to have similar ambitions.

You can argue for that The quarry follows the same formula as Until Dawn likewise, but there are some important differences. For example, the main characters in that game are not “punished” for their arrogance – they are average camp counselors who are supposed to be in the area. In addition, it lacks core non-supernatural red herring of Until Dawn.

How Until Dawn 2 could connect to the first game more directly

When you get to the elephant in the room, one actually comes back Until Dawn actors in the sequel: Peter Stormare, as the psychiatrist Alan Hill. He only makes the briefest of appearances in the trailer, but his face and legendary voice are instantly recognizable. He exits the trailer by saying, in his most nervous manner, “Can you do what needs to be done?”

You can interpret Stormare/Hill's return in a few ways. For example, you could write it off as a simple nod to the first game, which is essentially how Dr. Hill was used in Until Dawn movie, but I think there's a little more to it than that. Dr. Hill as players see in the first Until Dawn is actually a figment of Josh's imagination, a sinister version of the psychiatrist he met in the run-up to the events of the game. He exists to humiliate, mock and chastise Josh as a manifestation of the latter's guilt.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

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As opposed to what Until Dawn the movie would suggest, there is no indication that Dr. Hill actually is antagonistic – he only seems that way in Josh's mind. Yet he is somehow connected to the supernatural goings-on To Dawn 2whose trailer certainly seems to portray him in a scary light. If this is indeed the same Dr. Hill as the first Until Dawnthen his appearance in the sequel may have an obvious explanation: he is once again tormenting Josh, which would mean that Josh will appear in To Dawn 2. Perhaps he is the masked figure in the trailer, who somehow found his way to this tropical island and continues to work under the influence of his own madness and Dr. The Hill persona. He might even be a fake slasher villain, mirroring the arc of Jack Fiddler, AKA Flamethrower Guy from To Dawn 1.

Of course, this is just a theory, and it has some problems, especially in relation to a new ending that was added in Until Dawn remake. In it, Sam wakes up in his Los Angeles apartment with a mysterious scar on his arm and hears Dr. Hill's unmistakable voice beckons her before the scene fades to black. This suggests that Dr. Hill, either the real or the vision that tortures Josh, is actually connected to other aspects of Until Dawn myth. As such, he could theoretically interact with other, new characters as well.