Until Dawn: Rush of Blood

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is an arcade first-person shooter Until Dawnspin-off developed by Supermassive Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation VR. The game was officially released worldwide on October 13, 2016.

Description
From the warped minds of the team behind PS4 horror classic Until Dawn, comes Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, a virtual reality experience to strike fear into the hearts of every trigger-happy arcade shooter fan. Arm yourself to the teeth then blast your way through a horde of enemies and monsters coming at you from all angles. Duck and dodge everything that's thrown at you in this fright-filled rollercoaster ride from hell exclusive to PlayStation VR. Can you survive seven levels of pure terror to top the global leaderboards? With multiple paths to take and nightmarish themes to scare the living daylights out of you, no two rides will ever be the same and neither will you...

A first-person VR experience, Rush of Blood takes its player on a thrilling arcade on-rails roller coaster ride through multiple levels. Here the player is obligated to shoot incoming dangers, whether it'd be The Psycho or a terrifying ghost.

Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, introduced Until Dawn: Rush of Blood on stage and said that in the VR game, "The thrill of the ride won't just come from the track ahead, but from a terrifying world that is out to get you."

Levels
There are seven different levels in the game, each increasing in difficulty and having unique locations and enemies. The seven levels can be played chronologically in a new story, or can be played individually on a level select menu.
 * 1) Haunted Lodge
 * 2) Nightmare Descent
 * 3) Hotel Hell
 * 4) Psycho Cellblock
 * 5) Ghost Town
 * 6) Mines of Death
 * 7) Final Inferno

Skill Levels
The game and each individual level can be played at one out of four skill levels: Easy, Normal, Insane, and Psychotic. Each of the first three presents an increasingly difficult challenge. Psychotic Mode, the final skill level, is the most difficult and only allows a single life. Completing all four will unlock a 'true ending' for the story.

Weapons
During levels, the player may obtain different weapons by shooting a colored box with a weapon. The weapon will be utilized by the respective hand that shot the box.

Scoring
In each playthrough, the player will be awarded scores for shooting certain targets and enemies. At the end of each level, the player is then given a rating and score breakdown and is also rewarded with points for accuracy and for every time the player achieves a multi-kill. Hitting valid targets adds a level to a multiplier, which can rise up to a maximum of 8x. The multiplier drops if the player stops shooting, and resets if the player takes damage. The scores the player gets are stored in an online leaderboard.

Secrets
A number of hidden clown collectibles can be found in each level, and a single mystery item can be found in some levels by looking at them. The single mystery item provides a short story sequence. The game rewards the player points for finding them.

Routes
There are a number of branching routes to be taken, and some of these are hidden. Each alternative route will present the player with hidden secrets, more scoring objects, or additional information to the world. They can be accessed by shooting signs with an arrow flipping to the direction the track goes, or shooting the barriers in front of the alternate path before reaching the diversion.

Trophies
A total of 40 trophies are able to be obtained in-game; one platinum, two gold, sixteen silver, and twenty-one bronze.

Transcript
''Hi there, my name is Simon Harris and I’m an Executive Producer over at Supermassive Games. Today, we’re delighted to unveil Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, developed exclusively for PlayStation VR on PS4.''

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is a descent into madness, taking you on a terrifying roller coaster ride of thrills and scares in a fast-paced, arcade-style shooter.

We’re incredibly excited to be developing for PlayStation VR as this allows us to bring games to PS4 with a level of immersion and involvement never before experienced by players.

''When we first started working on Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, we were still in the middle of development on Until Dawn, but it was clear to us that the world and characters we were creating would be perfect to expand into new experiences. As we established compelling gameplay for VR, we were able to combine that with a journey through many familiar aspects of Blackwood Pines, but from a horrifying new perspective!''

Playing Until Dawn: Rush of Blood in VR is incredibly different to playing games of a similar genre in the traditional method of sitting in front of a TV screen, so we’re looking forward to seeing how players react!

''Prepare for Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, the (Last?) ride of your life! ''

Development
Towards the end of October 2015, rumors of an Until Dawn DLC started to spread around. Supermassive Games, however, dismissed the rumors and clarified that Until Dawn fans had to wait for an official announcement.

On October 27th, 2015, Rush of Blood had been officially announced by Sony during a conference at Paris Games Week. Supermassive Games confirmed the announcement later that same day.

On November 13th the game developers have reiterated that Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is in fact not a DLC, sequel or extension, as it is a completely standalone game. Amidst said confusion of it being a DLC of Until Dawn, Sony Entertainment has confirmed that Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is independent of the Rush of Blood title. It was further explained Rush of Blood was in development the same time as the main Until Dawn game.

Reception
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood currently receives an aggregated score of 72.81% on GameRankings based on 16 reviews, and a 72/100 on Metacritic based on 50 reviews. Praise mainly is directed at the line of tense and horror experience. The game allures criticism mostly towards predictable frights/jumpscares and straightforward action.

GamesRadar's Louise Blain gave it a 4/5, calling it "horrifically brilliant". She praised the game's successful and masterful use of scares but criticized the game's boss battles, calling them "misplaced" and "ridiculous". Chloi Rad of IGN gave it a mixed review of 6/10, critizing its constant use of predictable jumpscares.

Trivia

 * According to the developers, the ride is “a descent into madness” taking place in the mind of one of the original characters. This is most likely referring to Josh.
 * Dan T. is the name of the character who guides you through the game. He is portrayed by Larry Fessenden, writer of the original Until Dawn script, who also played the role of The Stranger.