| “ | Oh, Michael, I have the best idea! Let's go hug a bear! Come on, please! Come on! | ” |
— Jessica
|
Jessica "Jess" Riley is one of the eight main protagonists and a playable character in Until Dawn. She was voiced and motion captured by actress Meaghan Martin.
Appearance[]
Jessica is a teenage girl with gray eyes, blue eye shadow, and blonde hair tied with magenta hair ties. Her nails are a dark raspberry color.
One Year Ago[]
In the Prologue, Jessica wears her hair in two short pigtails. She is clad in a knit wool mint sweater and a dark green layered skirt. She wears dark tights, yellow socks, and brown laced boots. Her accessories include silver earrings and a necklace.
Until Dawn[]
When the group meets up a year later, she now wears her hair in double Dutch braids. Her attire consists of a stone blue casual parka jacket with a gray fur trim along the hood. Beneath this is a purple top over a plain white undershirt. Her jeans are low on her hips, beneath the band of her underpants, and she wears cream-colored snow boots with dark fur trim.
While in the guest cabin, she can remove just her jacket, boots, and purple top or remove everything but her underwear and bra.
Damage and other changes[]
Jessica’s changes in appearance are as follows:
- Many bodily injuries and facial injuries: dragged by the Wendigo (Fixed event, determinant variations)
- More visible injuries happen if she's wearing fewer clothes, and her underwear gets torn.
Personality[]
| “ | Jessica is... she has a whole lot of personality. She is definitely the sort of mean girl character that, y'know, at school she knows she's pretty, she knows that boys like her, and she is going to use it to her advantage. | ” |
— Meaghan Martin on Jessica
|
Jessica is described as confident, trusting, and irreverent in the original game, while the 2024 remake redefines her as outgoing, driven, and impulsive. Jessica is a typical provocative girl, who is quite brash in personality and dreams of being a model. She loves partying and dislikes studying.[1] Her beauty and fun-loving personality don't go unnoticed: she was crowned Homecoming Queen in high school and Mike dumped his ex-girlfriend, Emily, to promptly get with her. Ironically, Jessica originally planned the prank on Hannah to protect her former close friend's relationship with Mike.
She is typically laid-back, flirty and playful, constantly teasing others, giving nicknames, and acting immature. However, once provoked, she can be quite defensive and fierce, as seen in her quarrel with Emily. She does seem to care deeply for animals, being shocked and upset after possibly killing a bird and upon seeing a mauled deer. She is also very open about her sexuality, confidently expressing the fact that she'll have sex with Mike, her new boyfriend. Depending on the player's choices, Jessica may reveal to Mike that she uses her seductive skills as a shield from her insecurities.
Following her Wendigo attack in Chapter 4, Jessica's once overtly bubbly demeanor is now contrasted by a broken and exhausted one, as she fights to survive the night in a severely injured state.
Until Dawn[]
Biography[]
2024[]
Party girl Jessica has a big personality and is highly flirtatious—two traits that apparently led Mike to drop Emily and date her instead. Before this, she and Emily were close friends; ironically, it was Jessica who planned the fateful prank on Hannah Washington to protect Emily's relationship with Mike.[2]
2015[]
A beautiful bottle blonde with a mischievous nature, fun is Jessica's raison d'etre. First on the guest list at any party, if there's one thing she's not, it's shy. Her fun-loving nature has certainly managed to turn Mike's head – he dumped Emily to get with her.
A childhood ballerina, Jessica once wanted to be a cheerleader, until she realized that it was going to be quite a lot of work.[1]
Involvement[]
| Chapter Appearances | |
| Prologue: | Debut |
| Chapter 1: | Appears |
| Chapter 2: | Appears |
| Chapter 3: | Appears |
| Chapter 4: | Appears |
| Chapter 5: | Absent |
| Chapter 6: | Absent |
| Chapter 7: | Mentioned |
| Chapter 8: | Flashback |
| Chapter 9: | Determinant |
| Chapter 10: | Determinant |
| Credits: | Determinant |
One Year Ago[]
In the remake[]
In the original game[]
Chapter 1[]
One year later, Jessica, now in a relationship with Mike, returns to the lodge to commemorate the anniversary of Hannah and Beth's disappearance.
Jess meeting Mike at the cable car station.
After she arrives, she waits for Mike in front of the mountain's cable car station. While waiting, Chris and Sam's car docks. Jess prepares herself to greet the visitors before being startled by Sam, who tells her that the door is locked and asks Jess to let them out. Jess presses the button to unlock the door and is soon after teased by Chris, who will snatch a letter she's holding that's addressed to Mike. After either insisting he should return it, or informing him and Sam that she and Mike are now exclusive, Jessica will get the letter back and be left alone again at the station to continue waiting for Mike.
Mike finally finds Jess and greets her by throwing a snowball, which prompts a friendly fight eventually causing Mike to fall on top of Jessica, giving her the choice to kiss him or hit him with a snowball.
Chapter 2[]
Taking a selfie together after leaving the lodge.
They head up to the lodge and greet Ashley, Chris, Josh, Matt and Sam who have assembled themselves in the living room and sit on the couch together. Soon after, Emily enters. Emily, being upset her former friend now has a relationship with her ex, provokes Jessica. Jessica, however, takes her own turn to insult Emily back. Matt can choose to encourage or defuse the argument. Josh tells them that if they can't get along then they should split up and makes Mike and Jessica go to the guest cabin. The whole argument can be skipped if Matt saw Mike and Emily flirting and decides to attack Mike. Regardless, the duo will be kicked out.
After being kicked out of the lodge, the duo heads to the cabin to spend some time alone.
While following the path, they discover that a fallen tree is blocking it. Unable to get up or around it, the two find another path leading into a cave. Jessica falls into what turns out to be a small section of the mines. No matter what happens, both Jess and Mike will end up squeezing past the mine cart or pushing it forwards to clear the path and walking through to the other side. While on their way out, they find a small, recently used camp (which is The Stranger's).
When they finally get out of the mines, they find another fallen tree. This one is smaller, however, and Jess climbs on top of it. She teases Mike for not thinking of climbing over it sooner and throws a snowball at him. As he reaches down to get a snowball himself, Jess disappears from the top of the tree and screams in the distance.
Chapter 3[]
A worried Mike climbs over the tree in search of Jess. After walking past a certain point, Jess will jump out and scare her boyfriend. He can either play it cool or take advantage of the revenge opportunities later on (spooking her with an old gas mask found in the abandoned shack or aiming a gun from the cabin at her as a joke both of which will upset Jess). On their way to the cabin, they may find a tree that has Mike and Emily's initials carved on it from a previous winter getaway. Jess will tease Mike about this and say she didn't think he was this sappy, which Mike can either admit, or deny that he made the carving and pin it on Emily instead.
As they're nearing the cabin, they stumble upon a dying deer. If Mike chooses to kill the deer, Jess will be upset by all the gore. Either way, the deer's body is propelled backwards by an unknown force (which they believe is a bear), scaring the couple into running for the cabin.
After reaching the cabin and calming down, Jessica asks Mike to make a fire for them. She also requests mood lighting and a blanket. Eventually, she notices that her phone is missing. She wants to go outside and look for it (as she knows her parents will be upset with her since it's the fourth phone she has had this year alone), but is easily dissuaded by Mike, who says it's too dangerous because of the "bear" and that they should wait.
When the two are cozy, Jess may admit that she doesn't feel quite right if Mike failed to impress her earlier. She tells Mike that she's creeped out by all the goings-on and tells him that her flirtatious nature and snarky comebacks are just a front for all of her insecurities. If Mike is receptive and responds thoughtfully, their relationship will improve. She then asks him to close the shutters, as she's afraid someone is watching them. After some time, the two get closer and exchange some flirty banter. Depending on how romantic their relationship has been made by the player (depending on whether or not the player chose to antagonize Jessica throughout the chapter), she will either be in her full outfit, a shirt and jeans, or undergarments.
Jessica is grabbed by a Wendigo.
As they're about to start having sex, a window breaks in another room. Upon investigation, Mike discovers it is Jessica's lost phone. Jess, believing this is some elaborate prank by the rest of their friends, rushes out onto the cabin's porch and begins yelling angrily. After slamming the door and facing Mike, the glass on the door suddenly shatters as she is violently pulled through by an unknown force.
Chapter 4[]
While being dragged away, she calls out for Mike who is in pursuit.
- If Mike is fast enough (risking shortcuts and not failing the QTEs), he will find her in an abandoned mining building, injured, but alive.
- If Mike is too late to reach her, the Wendigo already had enough time to rip off Jessica's jaw, killing her and dropping her body on the elevator shaft.
If alive, she is unable to move on her own and asks Mike to help. As he reaches out to her, the elevator shaft plummets, taking her down with it. Convinced she is dead either way, Mike proceeds to get revenge on her attacker.
At the end of the chapter, she and Mike may be mentioned by Emily about their whereabouts, who assumes they are "off 69'ing each other."
Chapter 7[]
Jessica does not physically appear in this chapter, but she is mentioned numerous times. When Sam encounters Mike and if he didn't lose his fingers, she will have an option to ask about her well-being. Mike will reply that Jessica is dead, even if she is not. She is next mentioned by Mike claiming that "Jessica is fucking dead," surprising Josh. During the trail to the shed, Mike will accuse Josh of being the one to kill her, which he will deny and say he's sorry that something happened to her. Her "death" will be mentioned a few more times in the shed when Josh tries to antagonize Mike.
Chapter 8[]
Jess also does not appear in this chapter, but is mentioned when the Stranger knocks on the lodge's door. Chris speculates that the person could be Jess, but Mike quickly dismisses this by saying “it’s not Jess,” convinced she could not possibly be alive. Once the Stranger explains the curse of the Wendigo to the group, Mike will have a series of flashbacks of his encounters with the creature, including one of Jess being grabbed through the window in the guest cabin.
Chapter 9[]
Jessica regains consciousness.
In Jessica's first physical appearance since Chapter 4, she is now shown to be alive, waking up cold, concussed and with severe cuts all over her body. She will only be alive if Mike managed to be quick enough in his earlier pursuit. Jessica has spent most of the night laying unconscious and wounded on the elevator grate that caused her to descend into the mine. She slowly gets up and may grab a miner's jacket and boots if she undressed for Mike earlier. Trying to gain strength to walk, she is alerted by a Wendigo screech nearby.
In the tunnels, a Wendigo mimicking Jessica's voice will draw Ashley's, and possibly Chris', attention, which may lead to their demise.
Chapter 10[]
There are three potential fates for Jessica in Chapter 10.
- If Jessica died before Chapter 10, her decapitated head, (potentially) among the heads of other friends, will roll in front of Mike's and Sam's feet after they open the door to the Wendigo’s lair during their search for Josh. Mike will point her out specifically, even if other friends have also died. Her body can then be seen hanging upside down when Mike and Sam venture further.
- If Jessica survived and Matt did too, she may suddenly find him jumping down a mineshaft. In a disorientated state, she tries to hit him with a shovel, which Matt can fend off if he's quick enough. Bewildered by her condition, Matt asks what happened and they engage in a small conversation. Matt may warn her about “the monster” if he survived his earlier encounter, to which Jessica explains that the monster was the one who dragged her into the mines. If Matt did not encounter the Wendigo and thus is unaware of its presence, he may instead warn her about the Psycho, convinced that he is still the main culprit on the mountain. Jessica will attempt to clarify that the real attacker is not him but in fact the Wendigo, though Matt dismisses this swiftly, stating that she’s had a rough night. He will then attempt to lead her out of the mines.
An injured Jessica looking for a way out of the mines.
The Wendigo Hannah is shortly alerted by their movement, emerging from the darkness of the mines behind the pair, pursuing them. Noticing the incoming danger, they can either hide or attempt to run. If Matt chooses to run ahead, Jessica will be left defenseless and will be killed by her jaw getting ripped off. If they hide, Matt must stop Jessica from falling and succeed in standing still, otherwise they will both die. After that, they will progress through the cave until the Wendigo notices them once more. Matt can either abandon Jessica to save himself or hide with her. If he chooses to abandon Jessica, the Wendigo will catch up to her and kill her.
If he chooses to hide together, he will barge through a wooden barricade and they make their way out of the mines. They move to the edge of the outside cliff and try to remain still until the Wendigo is unable to detect them. If Matt does move, however, they will both be killed. If the player successfully keeps still, Matt and Jessica survive until dawn. They will look up and see the lodge in the distance as light is beginning to break over the horizon.
- If Jessica survived but Matt did not, Jessica will wander through the mines alone. She will walk up to a table near the crashed elevator and will light up a lantern. Here the choices will be the same, though worded differently. If she attempts to run at any time, moves when hiding, or does nothing when presented with a choice, she will be killed. If she successfully escaped out of the mine, she will look up to the lodge, surviving until dawn.
Credits[]
Jessica is seen sitting in the interrogation room speaking with an officer as she attempts to tell him about the events that happened. The first and third interview clips will be shown regardless of the decisions made.
- The officer will ask Jessica how she got into the mines. Jessica will answer that she was carried and taken, but she does not know anything else besides that.
- If Ashley survives and tells the police she heard Jessica's screams at some point, Jessica will then reveal that it wasn't her that called out to Ashley for help, but a Wendigo.
- Regardless if Mike survives or not, Jessica is grateful remembering that he came for her, asking about Mike's whereabouts and condition shortly thereafter.
- If Mike and Sam are both dead, Jessica will be the one to inform the police about something down in the mines.
She will also be mentioned by Ashley and Mike in interviews.
- If Ashley survived the night, she will report hearing Jessica's voice in the mines and that she does not know why Jess was down there.
- If Mike survived the night, he will briefly mention Jess when talking about Josh, stating that he thought that Josh was Jessica's attacker.
- If Mike survived the night, and Jessica died in Chapter 4, Mike expresses regret and deep sadness, stating that he "was so close" and that if he was just a little faster he could have saved her.
Possible Deaths[]
| Possible Deaths | |||
| Chapter | Event | Caused by | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Lower jaw ripped off | Hannah (Wendigo) | Mike doesn't take the shortcuts AND/OR stumbles while running after Jessica. |
| 10 | Jess (or Matt) fails to remain still, Matt fails QTE to catch Jessica, Matt or Jess chooses to run, Matt abandons Jessica, or one of them simply fails to make a decision. |
Killed Victims[]
- A bird (Accidental, direct, determinant)
Jessica can throw a snowball at a bird in Chapter 1. She will, however, be upset by its death. Mike and Jessica will dodge a falling icicle moments later, as a result of nature having been harmed.
Relationships[]
Hannah and Beth[]
Despite Jessica's issues with Hannah, she and Beth seem to get along as Jessica is Beth's second highest non-familial relationship. They are also seen pictured together, along with Hannah and Emily. Beth still calls Jess, along with Ashley, Emily, Matt, and Mike, "jerks" for playing their prank on Hannah.
Jessica did not respect Hannah while they knew each other. She was the most visibly excited during the prank and orchestrated it in response to Hannah making moves on Mike, who was dating her then-friend Emily. Later, Jessica defended her actions while chasing after Hannah, claiming ''she just can't take a joke.'' When Mike and Jess find police tape a year later, Jess can refer to the prank as ''stupid and half-baked,'' but will criticize their decision to run into the woods, saying ''how could anyone have expected them to do a dumb thing like that?'' Jess can also remark that Mike's idea of the twins being happy they're still thinking of them is a nice way of looking at it.
As a Wendigo, Hannah appears to be particularly persistent in pursuing Jessica, even deploying specific tactics. She first stalks Mike and Jessica for a long time during their hike to the cabin, watches through the window as they are about to have sex, and eventually throws Jessica's phone through the cabin window to lure her outside. She will then capture Jessica by grabbing her through a window and proceed to drag her through the snow into the mines. When killing Jessica, Hannah will sadistically tear off her jaw and decapitate her post-mortem.
In Beth's base stats, Jessica places below Hannah, Josh, and Sam, but above the rest.
Ashley[]
Ashley and Jessica are not seen together in the game after the events of the Prologue, but out of all the other girls, Ashley is her highest relationship status. At the risk of her life, Ashley can follow Jessica's voice in the mines, showing concern for Jessica. If Ashley survives, she mentions hearing Jessica in her interview.
In Jessica's base stats, Ashley is tied with Sam, placing below Mike, Matt and Josh, but above Chris and Emily. In Ashley's base stats, Jessica is tied with Emily for the third rank, and they both place above Mike.
Chris[]
Jessica does not seem to have the best relationship with Chris. She becomes upset with him and calls him a tool after he steals her letter for Mike, and doesn't seem charmed or humored by his personality. If Chris is left behind when the group enters the mines, he can choose to follow Jessica's voice at the risk of his life, indicating that he does care for her well-being.
In Jessica's base stats, Chris ranks second-to-last, just above Emily. In Chris' stats, Jess places last.
Relationship Increases
- If Jessica explains to Sam and Chris that she and Mike are together, her relationship with Chris will slightly increase.
Relationship Decreases
Emily[]
See Emily and Jessica for more information.
Jessica insults Emily during their catfight.
During the prologue, Jessica and Emily are best friends. Jessica planned the prank on Hannah to protect Emily, who was dating Mike at the time. They both hid under the bed together during the prank and, along with Mike, appear to be the most involved in the prank on Hannah.
In the year that has passed, Jessica and Emily have developed an antagonistic relationship due to Mike's new relationship with Jessica. Emily and Jessica may later have an argument about Mike, which can be encouraged or diffused by Matt. While talking to Mike, Jessica calls Emily a whore and tells him that she hopes Emily gets eaten by a bear. Emily in return may mention to Matt that the further they get away from Jessica, the better she will feel.
In both Emily's and Jessica's stats, they rank last.
Josh[]
Josh, strangely enough, does not seem to blame Jessica for the disappearance of Hannah and Beth. He still jokes around with her and Mike, both of whom were among the most involved in the prank on Hannah. According to Jessica, he even flirts with her and Mike even jokingly suggests they have a threesome with Josh which Jessica almost takes seriously. When Mike confronts and blames Josh for Jessica's death, he seems genuinely shocked and swears that he does not know what happened to her.
In Jessica’s base stats, Josh is ranked third place, below Mike and Matt. In Josh’s base stats, Jessica is tied with Sam and Ashley for second place, below Chris.
Relationship Increases
- If Josh prefers Jessica over Mike, her relationship with Josh will slightly increase.
Relationship Decreases
Matt[]
See Jessica and Matt for more information.
Jessica and Matt's relationship is largely determined by the player's actions. Jessica will show disrespect towards Matt regardless of whose side he takes in their argument, and their relationship will decline if he chooses to side with Emily. However, if Jessica and Matt both survive until Chapter 10, Jessica is slightly relieved to see Matt in the mines and will apologize if she attacked him with a shovel; Matt in turn shows concern for Jessica's injuries, and will be shocked if she tells him that she fell into the mines. If Matt fails to choose an option or chooses to run ahead, resulting in Jessica's demise, he will be shocked over her death. However, he can also choose to abandon Jessica when she fails to catch up to him, making him the indirect cause of her death.
In Jessica's base stats, Matt is ranked second after Mike. In Matt's base stats, Jessica is tied with Emily for his highest rank.
Relationship Increases
- If Matt saw Mike and Emily flirting, challenges Mike, but then apologizes afterwards, her relationship with Matt will slightly increase.
- If Jessica and Emily fought and Matt sides with Jessica on both occasions during her fight with Emily, her relationship with Matt will slightly increase.
Relationship Decreases
Mike[]
See Jessica and Mike for more information.
A year after Hannah and Beth's disappearance, Mike broke up with Emily and began dating Jessica. They appear to be very comfortable with each other, since they head up to the cabin to have intercourse and flirt often along the way. How Mike treats Jess will determine how much she strips down for him at the cabin. After Jess is grabbed and taken by the Wendigo, Mike will chase after her. Regardless of if she is saved or not, he believes her to be dead after the elevator collapses and will blame Josh for her death. If Mike survives until dawn but failed to save Jess, he will be heartbroken during his interview, claiming that "if [he] was a little faster" he could've saved her. If Jess survives, she will remember Mike's heroism and be grateful, asking about his well-being and whereabouts.
Both in Mike and Jessica's base stats, they are each other's highest relationship.
Relationship Increases
- If Jessica kisses Mike, her relationship with Mike will increase.
- If Jessica and Emily fought and Mike agrees with Jessica that Emily was being a bitch, her relationship with Mike will increase.
- If Mike and Matt fought and Mike calls Matt a dick, her relationship with Mike will increase.
- If Mike shows respect towards Hannah and Beth, her relationship with Mike will slightly increase.
- If Mike comes to Jessica's aid immediately, her relationship with Mike will increase.
- If Mike is witty after the bird scares him, her relationship with Mike will slightly increase.
- If Mike is witty after Jessica scares him, her relationship with Mike will increase.
- If Mike admits the truth about the tree carving, her relationship with Mike will slightly increase.
- If Mike grabs the key to open the cabin door, her relationship with Mike will slightly increase.
- If Jessica resisted Mike's advances, and Mike asks her what's wrong, her relationship with Mike will increase.
- If Jessica resisted Mike's advances, and Mike reassures her that she's super hot, her relationship with Mike will slightly increase.
Relationship Decreases
- However, If Mike shows Jessica the gun he found at the cabin, her relationship with Mike will only slightly decrease.
Sam[]
Sam and Jessica have a neutral relationship. Despite Sam criticizing her for playing the prank on Hannah in the prologue, they seem comfortable around each other when Sam and Chris meet her at the cable car station.
In Jessica's stats, Sam is tied with Ashley for fourth, placing after Mike, Matt, and Josh. In Sam’s base stats, Jessica is tied with Mike, ranking last.
Relationship Increases
- If Jessica insists on taking the letter back from Chris, her relationship with Sam will slightly increase.
- If Mike didn't amputate his fingers and Sam shows concern for Jessica after Mike returns from the Sanatorium, her relationship with Sam will increase.
Relationship Decreases
Trivia[]
Playability[]
- Jessica is the third protagonist able to be played.
- Jessica is playable in 2 chapters (1 and 10).
- Jessica is one of three playable characters - the others being Matt and Chris - to have a determinant playable segment.
- Jess is the only character who has a determinant segment dependent on another character dying. Jess is only playable in Chapter 10 if she survived Chapter 4 while Matt died in Chapter 6.
- Jess, along with Matt, appears in the least amount of chapters out of the playable characters, with 6.
- If she dies in Chapter 4, she will only appear in 4 (5 including corpse) chapters; the least possible amount of chapters a protagonist can appear in.
- Jessica has the least playtime out of all protagonists (and playable characters in general), with around 5 minutes (if Matt is alive in Chapter 10).[3][4]
Totems[]
- In both the original game and remake, Jessica can only find one totem in Chapter 10.
- However, that totem can be found by Matt instead if he survived Chapter 6. This makes her the only protagonist possibly unable to find any clues or totems on her own.
Clues[]
Facts[]
- Her dream job is a model.
- She loves partying and hates studying.
- She was voted most likely to become famous in the high school yearbook.[5]
- In ten years, she sees herself 'probably on TV'.[5]
- Jessica's favorite quote is by Beyoncé: "When I leave this world, I'll leave no regrets."[5]
- Her highest traits are honest, funny and romantic.
- Her intermediate traits are brave and curious.
- Her lowest trait is charitable.
- Jessica is one of the most honest and least curious out of all the protagonists.
- Her highest base relationship status is with Mike.
- Her lowest base relationship status is with Emily.
- Jessica was crowned Homecoming Queen in high school.
- Jessica is affected by four Butterfly Effect segments.
- This makes her the second least affected protagonist.
Deaths[]
- Jessica is the first protagonist who can die.
- Jessica's death in Chapter 4 is the game's only off-screen death in order to conceal the identity of her killer until later in the game.
- If Jessica died in Chapter 4, her decapitated head will roll out and be recognized by Mike in Chapter 10 after Sam opens the metal door.
- In Chapter 10, if Jessica and Matt are both alive, there is no way for Jessica to survive without Matt, as she dies either with him, or alone if Matt chooses to run.
- If Jessica and Matt are killed together, Jessica will always die first. The only exception is when they fail the second Don't Move segment, where the Wendigo first kills Matt and then Jessica.
- Jessica is one of the six protagonists - the others being Chris, Emily, Josh, Mike and Ashley - who can be killed by another protagonist. In Jessica's case, Matt can abandon her in Chapter 10.
- Jessica is one of the four protagonists - the others being Chris, Josh, and Matt - who may only be killed outside the lodge, meaning that their bodies won't be found unless the police go down to the mines, which requires at least one protagonist to survive (except Josh).
- Jessica's death scene in Chapter 4 underwent some changes during development:
- A version of her death scene where her jaw is intact can be seen in a Vimeo animation reel. This suggests that the developers may have intended for her to die of her injuries sustained in the fall. Alternatively, this animation may have been created for censorship reasons or to avoid potential spoilers.
- This version is used in the Japanese edition of the game, which also is the only death scene that is not censored with a fade to black.
- In one version of the beta, both her jaw and tongue are missing; her tongue is intact in the final version. She also screams when she falls, which she does not do in the final game. This version of her death is still used in the Credits and the "Previously On" segments of the original game.
- A version of her death scene where her jaw is intact can be seen in a Vimeo animation reel. This suggests that the developers may have intended for her to die of her injuries sustained in the fall. Alternatively, this animation may have been created for censorship reasons or to avoid potential spoilers.
- In an interview with the Crimson-Head podcast in 2023, Director Will Byles confirmed rumors that in an early version of the game, Jessica's death in Chapter 4 was always guaranteed. This was changed when the developers decided to take the approach of "everyone can live, everyone can die."[6]
Trophies[]
- In the original game, Jessica has one trophy relating to her:
- "Don't Scare Jessica To Death,” given when Jessica survives the night.
- This is a reference to the film Let's Scare Jessica to Death.
- She and Wolfie are the only characters to have a trophy rewarded specifically for keeping them alive.
- In the PlayStation 3 Beta version of the game, the trophy for keeping Jessica alive was called "Broken, bruised, and dramatically less horny...”
- "Don't Scare Jessica To Death,” given when Jessica survives the night.
- In the remake, she has three:
- "Only Others Left Alive" given if Jessica and Matt are the only survivors.
- This is a reference to the film Only Lovers Left Alive.
- "Drag Me Through Hell," given if Mike saved Jessica without failing a quick time event.
- This is a reference to the film Drag me to Hell.
- "One Hour Selfie," given for Jessica and Mike taking a bad selfie.
- This is a reference to the film One Hour Photo.
- "Only Others Left Alive" given if Jessica and Matt are the only survivors.
Other[]
- Jessica can affect one chapter title: Chapter 4.
- To obtain Loyalty in Chapter 4, the player must say he/she disliked Jessica, Sam, Emily, or Matt the most during Dr. Hill's fourth therapy session.
- Jessica is the only character who does not directly interact with Ashley throughout the game.
- Jessica is the first protagonist to encounter the Wendigo.
- She is the only character to have no dialogue mentioning Josh in the credits.
- Along with Ashley and Matt, she is one of the youngest protagonists, at 18 years old.
- According to her, she had her phone replaced four times within the same year.
- It is possible that Jessica's last name, Riley, was inspired by Tatum Riley from horror classic Scream (1996). Both Jessica and Tatum are popular, assertive blonde girls with an interest in cheerleading.
- Director Will Byles previously cited another Scream character, Casey Becker, as being an inspiration for Jessica's storyline, where a seemingly important character could die early on. He also revealed that Jessica originally could not survive during early versions of the PS3 beta: "Originally, Jessica was not able to survive the chase. She was the Drew Barrymore of the game, to start off with. We wanted you to like this character and then 'nope that's gone.' We stole that from Scream."[7]
- Jessica can remove her clothes depending on her relationship with Mike. She may undress to her white shirt and jeans, to her underwear, or not remove any clothing. If she undressed for Mike and is still alive, she will take a miner's jacket and boots to cover herself in Chapter 9.
- Jessica, Sam, and Josh are the only characters who have four outfits in the game. If you include her miner coat, Jessica has five, the most out of all characters.
- Jessica and Mike were the first characters to be created.
- In some pre-release footage, Jessica's abduction in Chapter 3 began with her being pulled out of the window by her shoulders, and receiving cuts from the broken glass. The final version has her being pulled out of the window by her hair; however, the early version can still be seen in a flashback Mike has in Chapter 8.
- Jessica's appearance underwent several changes during development:[8]
- In the PS3 beta version of Until Dawn, she wore a white cap, ski pants and gray/black snow shoes, and the fur trim on her jacket was white. The white trim can also be seen on a version of her PS4 design in the Valentine's Day trailer.
- In the PS4 alpha version, she wore her hair in longer pigtails, and the trim on her jacket was brown and slightly larger than it is in the finalized design. She also did not wear eyeliner, wore darker lip gloss, and her eyeshadow appears more brownish.
- In the PS4 beta version, her design is closer to the finalized one, albeit with some changes. Notably, her sweater in the Prologue has a slightly larger pattern, she is not wearing any jewelry, and her hair ties are pink.
- Concept art depicts her with plain white underwear, and her underwear has a pink skull print on it in the PS3 beta version.
- In the PlayStation 3 prototype of the game, the player takes control of both Mike and Jessica on their way to the guest cabin. This was later changed into solely Mike.
- Jessica is the only character who is not aware of The Psycho throughout the entire game, especially when she is the sole survivor. However, Matt can warn her about him if he did not encounter the Wendigo in Chapter 6.
- Jessica and Mike have a scene in the remake where Mike attempts to delete the video of Jess pranking him from her phone.
- Jessica has numerous cut dialogue conversations, including:
- Emily and Jessica's catfight, which originally was much longer and a lot of dialogue was cut.
- Dialogue of her and Chris discussing how Josh is doing at the cable car station.
- Chris bragging about how strong he is to her and Sam.
- A conversation between her and Sam.
- If Mike fails to start the generator in time, Jessica remarks that she is "freezing her buns off," a line that is repeated multiple times throughout the game by other characters.
- Cut dialogue of when she is with Matt in the mines.
- Jessica's winter attire is inspired from concept art of Summer from the 2008 London Studio prototype of Until Dawn.
- The launch trailer for the game’s remake shows Jessica being interviewed in room 2 even though she is interviewed in room 1 in the actual game.
- Nina, a character in the Until Dawn film, shares the same last name as Jessica.
Quotes[]
- "You couldn't buy a moldy loaf of bread with your skanky ass."
- "Who needs grades when you've got all the natural advantages you can handle?"
- "As far as I can tell I still have all seven of my limbs!"
- "Stand back Debbie Downer!"
- "Michael and I are gonna fuck! That's right, we are going to have SEX! And it's gonna be HOT! So enjoy it, 'cause I know WE'RE GOING TO!"
Prologue[]
- "Hannah's been making the moves on him. I'm just looking out for my girl Em."
- "Ugh, it's fine. She just can't take a joke." - to Beth after she asks the group about her sister.
Chapter 1[]
- "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. New people. Time to meet and greet."
- "Uh... are you guys having a really weird stroke?!"
- "Maybe nosy nancies shouldn't go nosing around in other people's... nostrils..." - to Chris after he snatches a letter from her hand.
- "But who am I to retaliate? What choice do I, a supple young rebel girl, have to surrender to the strapping military guard come to take me into custody?" - Jessica to Mike.
- "So did I go down?"
- "I don't think so." - Mike.
- "Well I think I'd know so if I did." - to Mike if she wins their snowball fight.
- "Good to know I've got a hot B.O.D."
- "I'll say -" - Mike.
- "'Bodyguard on Demand.'"
- "Whoa. Sexy AND smart." - Mike.
- "Roll up your tongue and let's get back to the lodge, hotbod." - Jessica and Mike after an icicle almost fall down on them.
Chapter 2[]
- "Stay out of it, you dumb oaf!" - Jessica smacks down Matt.
- "Who needs grades when you've got ALL the natural advantages you can handle?" - Jessica to Emily.
- "You couldn't buy a moldy loaf of bread with your skanky ass." - Jessica's comeback to Emily.
- "That bitch is on crack or something." - Jessica insulting Emily.
- "As far as I can tell I still have all seven of my limbs!" - Jessica after falling.
- "Oh, Michael, I have the best idea! Let's go hug a bear! Come on please! Come on!" - Jessica to Mike.
- "Watch out bird brain!" - Jessica to Mike after he gets startled by a bird.
- "Stand back, Debbie Downer."
Chapter 3[]
- "Michael, I am a lady, and a lady needs a proper romantic setting. A lady would like to cuddle up with her man by a nice cozy fire bathed in atmospheric mood lighting." - Jessica in the cabin.
- "I'm sorry... Ugh... I'm sorry, I think I'm a little freaked out and it's hard for me to like, keep this up, and-"
- "What? Keep what up?" - Mike
- "Look...I act all super confident and like a total sexy babe and everything but underneath, I gotta be honest, I'm... really kinda insecure..." - Jessica revealing her insecurities.
- "Hey! YEAH! PRICKS! That means you! I KNOW you're OUT THERE! The FUCK are you trying to do!? You want to ruin our fun THAT BAD?! Well guess what?! You can't! You can't ruin our good time, because Michael and I are gonna FUCK! That's right! We are going to have SEX! And it's going to be HOT! So ENJOY IT, because I know WE'RE GOING TO!" - Jessica's rant to her "friends" messing with her.
Chapter 4[]
The character has no notable quotes in this chapter.
Chapter 5[]
The character does not appear in this chapter.
Chapter 6[]
The character does not appear in this chapter.
Chapter 7[]
The character does not appear in this chapter.
Chapter 8[]
The character does not appear in this chapter.
Chapter 9[]
The character has no notable quotes in this chapter.
Chapter 10[]
- "How did you end up here?" - Matt.
- "Mike and I were... we were messing around and... and... then it was... we..."
- "What...?" - Matt.
- "I don't- I don't know... I was by the window and there was all this glass and.. it was in the snow and then... it was... moving so fast, fuck... and then I was, I was down here..."
- "It came after me! (…) It fucking pulled me down here into this fucking nightmare!" - Jessica telling Matt about her experience with the monster he mentioned.
Credits[]
- "I was... carried... and... taken... and..."
- "What did you see?" - Interviewer.
- "I don't know... I don't know."
- "Your friend Ashley, she told us she tried to help you." - Interviewer.
- "No..."
- "She said she heard you calling out." - Interviewer.
- "No... not me..."
- "...Mike..."
- "What do you remember?" - Interviewer.
- "He came for me...! He did...!"
- "Came for you?" - Interviewer.
- "Where is he...? Did he make it?"
- "What carried you? You said it carried you- was it one of your friends?" - Interviewer.
- "No. No... it was... it was down there... it came from down there-"
- "I'm sorry, what are you talking about?" - Interviewer.
- "The mines... there's something in the mines..."
Gallery
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jessica's character profile in the Your Companion app.
- ↑ PlayStation Store
- ↑ Character Playtimes
- ↑ Playtime clarification
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 This is seen in their yearbook page in the Press Kit Edition of the game.
- ↑ Survival Horror Podcast #32 Until Dawn Director & Writer Will Byles
- ↑ Crimson-Head Team's podcast
- ↑ Jessica's design evolution
Characters
| |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protagonists | |||||||
 Sam |
 Mike |
 Josh |
 Ashley |
 Chris |
 Emily |
 Matt |
 Jessica |
| Supporting Characters | |||||||
 Hannah |
 Beth |
 The Psycho |
 Wendigos |
 Dr. Hill |
 The Stranger |
 Wolfie |
 Minor Characters |