The adventure/crime story As Dusk Falls has put upstart developer INTERIOR/NIGHT on the map. A team made up of former Quantic Dream staffers, they certainly know their way around cinematic narratives with branching paths. It should come as no surprise then that As Dusk Falls follows that same trend. The choices players make in the game will carry significant weight as the story plays out.
Unlike other branching narrative games like The Dark Pictures Anthology or even some of Telltale's releases, As Dusk Falls does not present choices - known as "Crossroads" in-game - as being "good" or "bad." Each decision players make will have various ripple effects, but they all result in both positive and negative outcomes. As such, this list doesn't indicate which choices players should make, but instead simply singles out the most significant decisions that will need to be made as the narrative plays out.
10 Go With Jim Or Stay With Michelle (Chapter 1)
The first major decision players will make in As Dusk Falls also happens to be a very significant one. While in the hotel, Vince will begin giving his wife Michelle a massage. Jim, Vince's father, will then ask Vince to come for a walk with him.
While either choice will reveal Jim and Vince's history together, staying with Michelle will leave Jim feeling hurt by Vince's choice. It also means that, while the past troubles between Jim and Vince will be revealed, the current state of Jim's health and his reasoning for breaking contact for 30 years will remain unclear.
9 Surrender Or Shoot Tyler (Chapter 1)
This decision can be avoided entirely if Vince and Tyler don't fight as a result of a previous Crossroads decision. However, this confrontation is more likely to happen than not. Vince has Tyler Holt at gunpoint, while Dale Holt is holding Michelle hostage. Vince has the option to shoot Tyler, potentially endangering Michelle's life, or to surrender, giving up his advantage.
Both choices will result in the gun being fired and the screen cutting to black. What changes is who is holding the gun. Obviously, if Vince chooses to shoot Tyler, that scene will play out as expected. If Vince surrenders, Tyler will pick up the gun and shoot Vince. This decision will lead to vastly different outcomes at the beginning of Chapter 2.
8 Send Zoe Or Michelle (Chapter 2)
As the hostage situation stretches on, both families begin to get hungry. Tyler agrees to exchange one of the hostages if the police will bring them pizza. Players will have the option to choose which hostage gets to leave.
Michelle may be the obvious choice given that she gets shot earlier in the Chapter, but she will want their daughter, Zoe, to go instead. The choice between getting Michelle medical attention for her injury and getting Zoe safely out of harm's way will have a significant bearing not just on the hostage situation, but on Zoe's trauma in the future.
7 Warn Dale Or Don't (Chapter 2)
Before the Holt brothers can escape in their helicopter, the local Sheriff, Dante Romero, wants to have a word with them. Dale, the middle brother, agrees to go talk with Dante and brings Vince (at gunpoint) with him as security.
After the discussion with Dante, Vince will spot a red laser from a police sniper that appears on Dale's forehead. Vince can warn Dale and save his life or not, but players should be aware that letting Dale die will set off a string of other deaths that may not be obvious at this moment.
6 Leave Him Or Cut Him Down (Chapter 3)
Chapter 3 will feature several flashbacks focused on the youngest Holt brother, Jay, and his father, Bear. Regardless of how the earlier flashbacks play out, Bear will eventually attempt to hang himself in the family's barn.
Jay will have the choice to either cut him down or leave him. Cutting Bear down will save his life, but will also affect Jay's later decisions in the hostage situation. Meanwhile, leaving Bear hanging will spare Jay from any further abuse from his father.
5 Lower It Or Keep It Raised (Chapter 3)
Depending on choices made earlier on, Vince will get into a confrontation with either Dante or Tyler. After that plays out, Vince will walk outside and see Zoe being held captive by Sharon Holt, Tyler's mother. The Holts want to take Zoe with them as a hostage to discourage police intervention. Vince will raise a pistol to try and make them free Zoe, but he will be ambushed from behind by Jay, who also has a pistol.
If Jay decided to cut down his father earlier in the Chapter and players choose to make Vince keep his gun raised, then Jay will shoot Vince, but non-lethally. If Vince lowers the gun, he can try to convince Sharon to let Zoe go, but trust will need to have been established between Vince and Sharon prior to this scene for Vince to avoid getting shot.
4 Unlock The Door Or She's Safer Here (Chapter 4)
Shortly after leaving Vince behind at the motel, Tyler and Sharon step out of the car to have a private conversation, leaving Jay alone watching Zoe. Zoe will ask Jay to let her go, and players will have to choose if he does so or not.
Letting Zoe go means that she will escape the Holts, but will be alone in the woods. However, keeping her in the car means she will still be present when the car crashes later in the Chapter.
3 Stomp Fingers Or Save Tyler (Chapter 4)
As the older members of the Holt family's trust in Jay begins to decay, Jay and Tyler will get in a fight, causing Jay to run and Tyler to give chase. They will end up in the woods and Jay will attempt to climb a tree to escape from Tyler. Tyler will follow, but loses his footing and nearly falls from the tree.
Jay will have the choice to stomp Tyler's fingers, ensuring he falls and injures his leg, or save Tyler by pulling him up onto a safe branch. Tyler's injured state and the level of trust between him and his younger brother will have significant effects on how Tyler's story plays out.
2 I Want You Here Or It's Best If You Go (Chapter 5)
After Jay begins his escape to Canada, he hitches a ride to Utah and then calls his childhood friend Vanessa for help. She steals her father's credit card and both she and Jay end up on the run together, with Vanessa helping Jay find his way North.
Eventually, Jay and Vanessa will have a heart-to-heart conversation about why Jay is actually running away. After he comes clean, Jay can ask Vanessa to come with him or tell her it's best if she doesn't. If he tells her not to come with him, Jay will spend Chapter 6 alone.
1 Turn Him In Or Forgive Him (Chapter 6)
After Jay makes it to Canada (with or without Vanessa, depending on choices made along the way), he will spend several years living quietly before Zoe travels to visit him. After learning the fates of the rest of the characters, Zoe can accuse Jay of ruining her life. Jay will apologize and offer to turn himself in.
If Zoe chooses to call 911 here, Jay will be arrested and, because he is the only Holt the police catch, will be saddled with the crimes of his entire family and will be given the death penalty. If Zoe chooses to forgive Jay, they will have several options of how to move on from their past. Zoe will leave, and shortly afterward, Jay will move on as well.
As Dusk Falls was released on July 19th,2022, and is available on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.