Timothy Seppala, writing for Engadget, names UNTIL DAWN his favorite game of the year.

“I never thought a video game would make me feel like Wes Craven. Before I started playing Until Dawn, I was almost positive that Sony’s advertising and marketing teams were ignoring it for a reason. Imagine my delight when I realized I couldn’t have been any more wrong.

Supermassive Games’ PlayStation 4 debut is unlike any big-budget game I’ve played in ages. Rather than sticking a gun in my hand, it sat me down in a director’s chair and essentially told me to craft my own horror movie. It could’ve been disastrous, but Supermassive intrinsically gets what makes for a good horror flick: the unknown, atmosphere, killer writing, and great performances from (mostly) unknown actors.

Sure, I’ve played scarier games (oh hi, Outlast and Dead Space), but those weren’t necessarily “fun” for me; I only made it an hour into the former before NOPE-ing out. Until Dawn expertly balances scares and an atmosphere of unease with genuinely funny bits to lighten the mood. This alone makes it much easier to play for extended periods. But even if I hadn’t needed to pack my play-through into a weekend, I still would have. It didn’t take long for the game’s hooks to dig in and pull me through experiences that I didn’t think were possible in a big-budget video game and I couldn’t wait to see the next one.

My filmmaking talents peaked with a crappy stop-motion short at community college, but my appreciation for movies has done the exact opposite. I don’t know why I’m surprised a video game that lets me live out an altogether different childhood dream had such an impact on me, but here we are. Supermassive Games, you have my undivided attention.

Honorable mention: Fallout 4, Bethesda Game Studios (PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4)”