More than nine yearsafter the game originally released as a PlayStation 4 exclusive, a remade version ofUntil Dawnfor PC and PlayStation 5 has finally hit Steam. Staying true to the original, the remake brings us back to Blackwood Mountain where we’re tasked with keeping eight friends alive until morning. Much of the game remains the same, but having been rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5, the scenery -andthe characters - feel more alive than ever before.
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If this is your first foray into Until Dawn, you may recognize a few of the faces thanks to the game’s use of motion capture. For example,Rami Malek, who plays Josh, was on the big screen in 2018’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” A talented cast of actors join him in lending their voices and faces to their characters. As a result, each character you play - and the relationships you build between them - feel important and, at times, even emotional when you see the very real human connection between the cast members. And if you’re curious about who’s who, we’ve got you covered.
This list includes only playable characters, so you may find that some of the minor characters are not mentioned here.
1Joshua ‘Josh’ Washington
Motion captured by Rami Malek
First up is the man of the hour himself: Josh, the very person responsible for orchestrating the friends' reunion atop Blackwood Mountain. Described in-game as persistent, creative and playful, Josh first comes across like he’s the life of the party - he cracks jokes and makes innuendos with his friends, urging them all to “party like we’re f*cking porn stars!” - and it’s easy to forget at first that this is the same character who lost both of his sisters a year prior in the game’s prologue. As the story progresses, however, we experience just how much his sisters' disappearances have affected him, and how he feels about the people closest to him. Josh Washington is a man of many complex (and at times, dark) emotions and a character like this requires an actor capable of those big emotions. Rami Malek, who lent his likeliness and voice to Josh, was up to the task.
Malek is best known for his role as Freddie Mercury in 2018’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” for which he won an Oscar award for Best Actor, and as Elliot Alderson in the TV series “Mr. Robot.” Malek’s other credentials include “Amsterdam,” in which he played Tom Voze; “BoJack Horeseman,” in which he voiced Flip McVicker; “The Legend of Korra,” in which he voiced Tahno; and “Need for Speed,” in which he played Finn.
2Samantha ‘Sam’ Giddings
Motion captured by Hayden Panettiere
Sam is described as diligent, considerate and brave, and we see what kind of person she is as early as the prologue. She is the only character who voices discomfort with the group prank pulled on Hannah, and even tries to stop it before it gets out of hand. While she can be playful and humorous - at one point, she even quips “The towel didn’t turn out to be the best outfit for fighting off killer maniacs, you know?” while getting changed - she is also the first to volunteer herself for dangerous situations in order to protect her friends. She doesn’t scare easily, which puts her in the middle of many on-the-spot decisions to help keep herself (and her friends) alive.
Sam is motion captured by Hayden Panettiere, whose credits include Kirby Reed in the “Scream” franchise, the titular character Beth Cooper in “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” Dot in “A Bug’s Life” and Claire Bennet in “Heroes.” Until Dawn is also not her only video game rodeo - Panettierie lent her voice to the “Kingdom Hearts” franchise, where she voiced Kairi in “Kingdom Hearts II” and “Birth by Sleep,” and Xion in “Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.”
3Michael ‘Mike’ Munroe
Motion captured by Brett Dalton
There’s a reason that so many of the ladies in Until Dawn have their eyes set on Michael Munroe. There’s also a reason why Mike spends a majority of the game wearing a sleeveless shirt, despite the fact that he’s on a mountain in the middle of a cold winter’s night. He’s easy on the eyes, and he knows it. He’s described in-game as charismatic, driven and brave, and the first few times we see Mike, he’s using that charm of his to flirt with his girlfriend, Jess. Despite seeming like the dictionary definition of a Casanova at first, Mike steps up when things start going south and proves that he’s not afraid to do what needs to be done - whether that’s shooting locks off of doors in an abandoned sanatorium or kicking wolves in the face.
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Mike is motion captured by Brett Dalton, whose credits include Grant Ward in “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D,” Ryan Hayes in “Elementary” and Carter Griffin in “The Equalizer.” He’s also lent his voice to “God of War Ragnarök,” where he voices Freyr, and “Destiny 2.”
4Emily ‘Em’ Davis
Motion captured by Nichole Sakura
Emily (her friends call her ‘Em’) is described in-game as intelligent, resourceful and forthright. She comes across as the know-it-all mean girl at first, even stating herself that “Rule number one, ‘Emily is always right.’ Rule number two, ‘Nothing else matters because Emily is always right.” Her quick tongue even gets her into a heated fight with another character very early on in the game. However, despite her cool (and sometimes evencruel) personality, Emily proves herself to be capable in stressful situations, and if she ends up needing to fend for herself, she will. She is resourceful and works fast on her feet, determined to stay alive and make it off Blackwood Mountain at all costs.
Emily is motion captured by Nichole Sakura, whose credits include Amanda in “Shameless,” Cheyenne in “Superstore” and Louise in “Maggie.” She’s also had appearances in “Teen Wolf,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Robot Chicken” and “Big Hero 6: The Series.”
5Matthew ‘Matt’ Taylor
Motion captured by Jordan Fisher
After the prologue, we’re first introduced to Matt as Emily’s boyfriend - or better yet, as her pack horse (which he calls himself as he’s busy lugging all of her bags up the mountain). Matt is described in-game as obliging, dependable and active, and he’s shown repeatedly to be someone who tries to avoid conflict. He remains fiercely loyal to Emily in their time together, even when she is making cruel or unhelpful remarks towards him, and steps in to defuse a situation between her and Jessica early in the game. Depending on choices made throughout the game, he’ll also risk his own safety to help those closest to him, even if many of those risks have ahigh possibilityof ending in his own death.
Matt is motion captured by actor, singer and dancer Jordan Fisher. Fisher’s credits include Bart Allen in “The Flash,” Robaire in “Turning Red,” Jacob in “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” and John Ambrose in “To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You.” He’s also credited on the hit song “You’re Welcome” from Disney’s “Moana.”
6Jessica ‘Jess’ Riley
Motion captured by Meaghan Martin
Jess is described in-game as outgoing, driven and impulsive, and early on, she comes across as a typical airhead who’s just looking to spend a weekend partying with her boyfriend on Blackwood Mountain. She’s confident of herself and (at least on the outside) of her sexuality, and she’s not afraid to let people know it, stating things like, “Who needs grades when you’ve got all the natural advantages you’re able to handle?” But don’t be fooled: She’s not as carefree as she looks. She lets on early that she has a vulnerable side in a scene she shares with her boyfriend Mike, and if you make the right choices in your playthrough, you’ll find yourself playing a much more vulnerable and terrified Jess who’s just trying her best to stay alive.
Jess is motion captured by Meaghan Martin, whose credits include “Camp Rock” and “10 Things I Hate About You.” She’s also lent her voice to a number of video games, including the “Kingdom Hearts” franchise, where she voices Namine, and the “Xenoblade Chronicles” franchise, where she voices Linka.
7Christopher ‘Chris’ Hartley
Motion captured by Noah Fleiss
Described in-game as loyal, protective and humorous, Chris first comes across as a prankster who likes to lighten the mood, whether that be surprising Sam at the cable car station or donning all black robes and chasing his friends around in the basement (and declaring that they just “got monked” when he’s revealed). Still, even if some of his jokes can go a little too far, Chris is protective of his friends and puts the safety of those closest to him first. If played through according to his protective nature, Chris repeatedly puts himself on the line in order to find Sam, and later, to rescue Josh. Chris is also the only character in Until Dawn that’s tasked with making twoveryheavy life-or-death decisions, so it’s a wonder that he can still have a heart of gold at the end of it all.
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Chris is motion captured by Noah Fleiss, whose credits include “Joe the King” and “Dead Souls.” He’s also had appearances in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Blue Bloods” and “The Baby-Sitter’s Club.”
8Ashley ‘Ash’ Brown
Motion captured by Galadriel Stineman
Ashley is described as academic, inquisitive and sensitive. Despite willingly taking part in the group prank pulled on Hannah a year prior, Ashley seems to have the most thoughts about it a year later, and has the opportunity to bring it up a few times throughout the night. She’s easily frightened and becomes increasingly distressed by the events taking part on Blackwood Mountain, insisting at several points that there are supernatural forces haunting her and her friends, even when no one believes her. (In her own words: “You were looking at your phone, you dip! What are you tweeting!? ‘Hashtag there’s a freaking ghost after us?!")
Ashley is motion captured by Galadriel Stineman, whose credits include appearances in “True Blood,” “Shameless,” “Rizzoli & Isles,” and “This Is Us.”
9Hannah & Beth Washington
Motion captured by Ella Lentini
While, yes, the twins aretechnicallyonly playable in the prologue, the Until Dawn remake features an extended prologue that gives more depth to the events of the night and a prank that ultimately sends both sisters out into the wilderness of Blackwood Mountain. This extended prologue makes Hannah and Beth feel alotmore like characters and a little less like plot devices.
Both Hannah and Beth are motion captured by Ella Lentini (they’re twins, after all). Lentini’s credits include appearances in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex,” “Piece of Cake,” “General Hospital” and “Art Show Bingo.”
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