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-green eyes, blue eye shadow, and blonde hair tied with magenta hair ties. In the remake, she appears to have light freckles on her nose. Her nails are a dark raspberry color. She wears lip gloss in the original, but it is absent in the remake.

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 injuries are visible if she's wearing fewer clothes, which are also torn.

Personality

• Original
• Remake

Jessica is described as confident, trusting, and irreverent in the original game, while the remake describes 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

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]

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]

Involvement

One Year Ago

• Original
• Remake

In the original game

Jessica is first seen arguing with Sam about the impending prank on Hannah. Sam questions the cruelty of the prank, and Jessica replies that Hannah deserves it and claims that she is only orchestrating the prank to protect her friend, Emily, saying Hannah had been "making moves on him (Mike)." She and the others head up to the guest room to wait. After Hannah arrives, she talks to Mike and begins to unbutton her top which triggers a laugh from Jessica, exposing the prank. Sam arrives and the others emerge from their hidings spots. Embarrassed, Hannah runs away. Jessica and the others chase her down to the front door. Beth, noticing the commotion, asks what happened, and Jess states that Hannah "just can't take a joke," causing Beth to get angry and run after Hannah.

In the remake

Jessica is first seen orchestrating the prank on Hannah. She watches Hannah pick up her note, making sure she reads it. She then walks back to the rest of the group - Mike, Matt, Ashley, Emily and a worried Sam. Jessica kneels down and whispers to her friend Emily, holding her hands. Emily proclaims that she can’t believe Jess ‘’actually did this,’’ but Sam questions the cruelty of the prank. Jess stands her ground, claiming Hannah deserves it for making moves on Mike and that she is looking out for ‘’her girl Em,’’ Mike's girlfriend. Emily and Jessica exchange a quick look when they notice Hannah walking upstairs, and the group go to get ready for their prank. During a montage, Jessica helps with the prank setup. Briefly, she and Mike eye each other, Jessica has an alluring smile on her face, and then Emily separates them — a moment that indicates Jessica already had feelings for Mike. When preparations are complete, Emily and Jessica hide under the bed together. Hannah enters the room to meet Mike. She begins to unbutton her blouse, triggering an audible reaction from Jessica which Emily attempts to stifle. Hannah notices everyone, and Sam bursts in the room, turning on the lights while Jessica and others emerge from their hiding places. Humiliated, Hannah runs away, out of the lodge, and Jessica and the others follow her. When Beth notices the commotion and asks what they did, Jessica dismissively replies that Hannah just can’t take a joke.

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.

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 snowball 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

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.

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

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, Hannah the 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.

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

• Original
• Remake

Original

Remake

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 of Mike surviving 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.

Jessica will also be mentioned by Ashley and Mike in the 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

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 stats, Jessica places below Hannah, Josh, and Sam, but above the rest.

Ashley

Ashley and Jessica are friends. In the remake, a digital camera photo shows they spent time together at the Prologue party, along with Hannah and Emily. They both participated in the prank against Hannah.

While traveling through the mines, Ashley will hear the Wendigo mimicking Jessica's voice and can follow it. If she follows it to a door in the mines and unlatches the door, then the Wendigo will decapitate her. If Ashley survives the game, she will tell the police that she heard Jessica in the mines. If Jessica is also alive, the police will tell her that Ashley heard her. Jessica will respond by saying that the voice was not her.

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 is among Chris’ lowest relationship statuses, and likewise Jessica does not seem to be charmed or humored by him. However, in the Prologue of the remake, Jessica and Emily are shown to have playfully pranked Chris by drawing on his face while he was passed out. During the main story, Chris tries to snoop into Jessica’s private life by snatching a letter—intended for Mike—from her. He teases her for it, and Jessica may either call him a “tool" or explain what the letter means. Later during the night, Mike tells the rest of the group that Jessica has died, and Chris appears saddened, telling Mike he’s sorry. If Chris separates from the group in the mines, he will hear "Jessica's" voice calling out. He may follow it in response, showing that he does care about her wellbeing.

In Chris’ base stats, Jessica is tied with Matt for the bottom rank. In Jessica’s base stats, Chris is ranked second-to-last, before Emily.

Emily

See Emily and Jessica for more information.

During the Prologue, Jessica and Emily were close friends, which Jessica indicates when she states that she's pranking Hannah in order to "look out for her girl Em." Jessica claims that the prank is to defend Emily's relationship with Mike, whom Hannah has a crush on. However, in the remake, this statement takes on an ironic tone because Jessica and Mike are seen eying each other during the prank set-up, which causes Emily to shoo Jessica away. In both versions, they hide under the bed together as they watch Hannah fall for the prank. In the remake, Emily covers Jessica's mouth to stifle her laughter.

A year later, Mike dumps Emily in order to date Jessica, and this causes the girls to develop an antagonistic relationship. Jessica explains the situation to Chris and Sam as uncomplicated: "Em's out. I'm in." However, Emily feels betrayed by Jessica's actions and describes them as "slutty." After everyone arrives back at the lodge, Emily may see Mike and Jessica kissing on the sofa and start a fight. Jessica argues back but eventually leaves with Mike. On the way to the guest cabin, she may tell Mike that "Emily's as dumb as she looks if she thinks she can cut in on what we got going on." Likewise, on the way back to the cable car station, Emily may complain to Matt about Jessica, potentially calling her a "stupid bitch."

In Jessica and Emily's stats, they rank last for each other.

Josh

Josh has a fairly amicable relationship with Jessica, despite her being the one who organized the prank on Hannah. He often implies that he finds Jessica attractive, and the two share traits such as their love of partying. However, Josh will become angry with Jessica if she engages in an argument with Emily at the lodge. He sends her and Mike to the guest cabin, perhaps with the intention of pranking them, though this never happens due to Jessica being abducted (and potentially killed) by a Wendigo. He teases Jessica as he gives her the key to the cabin, and Jessica tells Mike that she suspects Josh was flirting with her. When Mike jokingly suggests that they should invite Josh to come with them, she seems okay with the idea. After Josh reveals himself to be the Psycho, Mike accuses him of murdering Jessica. Josh does exhibit genuine concern for Jessica, telling Mike he’s sorry something happened to her. However, when Mike continues to disbelieve him, Josh uses Jessica as a way to taunt Mike. He claims he would recall killing her because she’s soft and has a "tight bod."

It is possible, based on the player’s choice, for Josh to tell Hill that Jessica is his least favorite member of the group. Hill will respond by saying that Jessica is a little dumb, but that Josh doesn’t have to worry about her for the time being.

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.

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.

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.

Sam

Sam and Jessica are friends, though they conflict with one another in the Prologue. Here, Sam argues with Jess about the group's plan to play a prank on Hannah, saying that it’s cruel. However, a year later, they appear to be on better terms. Jessica helps Sam and Chris get out of the cable car, and Sam is friendly towards Jessica, standing up for her when Chris steals her letter. She also shows an interest in the letter’s contents herself, saying that Jessica can tell them what it’s about. Sam can later ask Mike about Jessica after he returns from the Sanatorium, indicating she cares about her well-being. When Mike replies that he believes Jessica is dead, Sam will be shocked.

In Jessica's stats, Sam is tied with Ashley for fourth, placing lower than Mike, Matt, and Josh. In Sam’s base stats, Jessica is tied with Mike, ranking lower than Chris, Ashley, Emily, Matt, and Josh.

Trivia

Playability

• Jessica is the third protagonist able to be played.
• Jessica is playable in 2 chapters (1 and 10).
  • She also has 3 playable segments total: two in Chapter 1 (21:17 and 21:41) and one determinant segment in Chapter 10 (06:24).
  • This makes her the protagonist with the second least playable segments, tied with Emily.
• 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, Matt is the one who is able to find that totem instead if he is still alive. For Jess to find that totem herself, she has to survive Chapter 4 and Matt not survive Chapter 6. This makes Jess the only protagonist possibly unable to find any clues or totems in a playthrough.

Clues

• Jess doesn't find any clues throughout the game, same as Josh.

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 jaw being ripped 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.
• In an interview with the Crimson-Head podcast in 2023, executive director Will Byles confirmed that, during early development of the PS3 version, Jessica was guaranteed to die when Mike finds her on the elevator shaft after chasing for her. 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...”
• 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.

Chapter Titles

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.

Other

• Jessica is the first protagonist to encounter the Wendigo.
• She is the only character to have no dialogue mentioning Josh in the credits.
• Jessica is the only protagonist who does not directly interact with Ashley throughout the game.
• 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 in 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 the Supermassive Games version of Until Dawn, having existed since the Beyond iteration.^[8]
• 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:^[9]
  • In the PS3 beta version, 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 pieces of unused dialogue, including (but not limited to):
  • Jessica joking to Chris and Sam that they were late due to being on a date, and commenting on Sam's scratch if the crow attacked her.
  • Dialogue of her and Chris discussing how Josh is doing at the cable car station.
  • A much longer version of Emily and Jessica's fight in the lodge, including Jessica bringing up that Emily was still trying to seduce Mike by sending him risqué selfies after their breakup.
  • 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.
  • More dialogue between Matt and Jess in the mines.
• Jessica, Matt and Mike are the only characters to retrieve a lantern. She can only retrieve it if she survived Chapter 4 and if Matt was previously killed in Chapter 6.
• 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. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} According to her character profile in the Your Companion app.
2. ↑ PlayStation Store
3. ↑ Character Playtimes
4. ↑ Playtime clarification
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} According to her yearbook page in the Press Kit Edition of the game.
6. ↑ Survival Horror Podcast #32 Until Dawn Director & Writer Will Byles
7. ↑ Crimson-Head Team's podcast
8. ↑ Until Dawn iceberg
9. ↑ 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