The gameplay of As Dusk Falls revolves around interactive storytelling, as well as novel techniques used to gauge consensus among players for pivotal narrative decisions when playing co-operatively in its multiplayer modes.

Jay can escape the pursuing FBI through Glacier National Park in Montana with or without Vanessa and leap into the water marking the border, being assumed dead, or he can be imprisoned.

In 2012, Zoe is revealed to still be suffering from nightmares and anxiety caused by her experience in the Desert Dream, especially as she has started receiving letters from Jay asking for her to write back.

The ending is determined based on various choices made: Zoe can forgive Jay but ask that he no longer contact her, or she can turn him into the police; Jay can live free but on the run, be imprisoned, or executed; Tyler can be caught, or remain a fugitive working on an oil rig; Sharon can be caught or escapes to a tropical beach with Paul; Vince can take the blame for the aircraft incident and work an office job or sue the airline and open his own flying school; Michelle can die, be separated or still married to Vince, or engaged to someone else; and if Bear survives, he places flowers on Dale's grave.

[4] Development was led by creative director Caroline Marchal, who was previously employed by Quantic Dream as a designer for the company's titles Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls.

[13] Robert Purchese of Eurogamer called it "the best interactive movie game I've played", citing the multiplayer component, photoreal comic strip art style, effective key frames, impressive voicework, character development, flashback-based storytelling, mature depiction of heavy subject matter, and TV-inspired presentation as its strengths, concluding, "[As Dusk Falls] shows how well games can handle stories and themes like these when done with care and understanding, and how well it can pull us into the lives of others and invest us in the decisions they have to make.

"[27] Game Informer's Matt Miller gave it 8.75 out of 10 and praised its wide appeal, stating, "For players interested in the progress of interactive narrative frameworks, it’s a laudable success.

"[14] Writing for GameSpot, Mark Delaney gave high praise to the motion comic artwork, audio drama presentation, quality voice acting, thoughtful thematic material, impactful choices, and the developer's keen understanding of pacing and characterization, but took issue with out-of-place action scenes and an ending hampered by sequel baiting.

[16] Gabriel Moss of IGN found the title to be highly replayable and enjoyable due to its impactful choices and branching narrative, writing, "Since no time is wasted making you search for puzzle clues or awkwardly stumble around in a 3D environment, As Dusk Falls leaves space for a noticeably wider number of meaningful decisions than in any Telltale game, and they don’t just feel like they’re giving the mere illusion of choice.

"[18] Shacknews' Donovan Erskine called the Xbox version "an impressive debut from Interior Night" and praised the emotional weight given to the solid writing by the vocal performances, but expressed minor complaints with its subpar music and clunky cursor controls.

[22] Writing for The Guardian, Keza MacDonald gave the title 4 stars out of 5, concluding, "As Dusk Falls comfortably exceeds the standard of its genre when it comes to plotting, characterization, performance and the impressive malleability of the story.

"[23] Dean Takahashi of VentureBeat felt the game straddled the line between a soap opera and drama and lamented the lack of logical narrative choices, claiming that these elements hindered the empathy both sides of the story were able to create.

[28] Jordan Middler of Video Games Chronicle awarded the title 2 stars out of 5, stating, "For every well-developed moment of story interaction, for every revelation that took us by surprise, and for every interesting piece of art, it’s undercut by dialogue that vacillates between contemporary drama and first-year uni project, and an art style that benefits the quiet moments, but utterly wrenches any momentum of action from the piece.