Cronos: The New Dawn is pretty good

Some Games don’t need to do much to get me to buy them. Take Cronos: The New Dawn. I didn’t even see the trailers, I just saw some pictures and short clips and decided that I will be buying and trying it. After that I avoided all other media until the game came out; meaning I knew nothing of the publisher, story, or the combat. I saw that it looked like Dead Space and that was enough for me.

Starting the game I was immediately hooked. Our main character, Traveler ND-37, is awakened and is subjected to questions that we the player must answer. These questions, presented to us by a machine, are not very clear and with no clear feedback, we are left to wonder if there are right and wrong answers. Before being given control of the Travel, the design of its armour captures the eye. Obviously a futuristic protective suit of some sort, but one that looks like some of the very first diving suits that were invented. This is not without reason. Furthermore, it was surprising to me that our character is a woman, with an obviously female voice that, initially at least, seems robotic and lifeless. For some odd reason, this made it more intriguing, perhaps because with a design such as hers, we would automatically expect a man.

Once I was given control of Traveler and was able to leave my container, I was presented with the world. Bleak, dead, devoid of life not just in terms of absence of life, but as if death had filled the world. The atmosphere gave me vibes of Metro 2033, with a sole person set to transverse the post/apocalyptic world. But, the Traveler stand out, as if she was ripped from Dead Space and put in that universe.

This brings me to the first point I want to discuss. It is difficult to develop a game that is truly innovative in terms of gameplay. By true innovation I mean something that has not been tried before and that by itself makes the game stand out. That would require not just creativity and talent from the developer, but the willingness to grant freedom and take risks from the publishers. However, there are still other was of making your game unique. I learned about this first when I played Darksiders I. You can take elements from different games and mix them together. When done right, not only can this bring up your game in terms of mechanics, but it can attract players from the fan bases of those games.

You are a lone person fighting monsters made from distorted flesh and bodies fused together, while roaming the the streets and buildings and of an alternate version of Poland that was decimated during the 1980s. In terms of atmosphere it definitely looks like the lovechild and Dead Space and Metro. This is not just seen in the atmosphere but in the gameplay as well. Being in a suit of armour, your movements are generally slow and you have no option of doing dodging or other evasive manoeuvres. The movements feels like a mix between the original Dead Space and the remake. I’ve come to appreciate this type of movement in these games as you have to rely on your aim and positioning, and avoid panicking in desperate situations, in order to come out alive. While there are no dodges, the sprinting itself can be used to such effect. If you time your sprint well and move in the appropriate direction, you can essentially doge enemy attacks. I think the movement is spot on in this game, for what its trying to accomplish. You even have mele attacks similar to that of Dead Space, with a wide hook for enemies in front of you, and a heavy stomp for breaking boxes or enemies unfortunate enough to find themselves under your boot. Imagine my surprise when I saw how the anti-gravity boots worked in this game, or that there was any platforming in this game at all. The jumping from platform to platform is pretty much ripped from the zero gravity sections of the original Dead Space, but modernized in that not only the transition from one platform to another looks smooth, but that you can walk the surfaces and switch from one to another. Furthermore, your suit and weapons can be upgraded using resources you find in the world, pretty much as you do in Dead Space.

Another surprise mechanic was the manipulation of time taken from Singularity, where you can reverse or advance specific locations or objects to help you traverse the world. It is not as extensive as in Singularity but it here and is used a lot times for spectacle, as you see in game how the world changes around you. While I found it to be a nice addition, some people may be disappointed by these mechanics. These mechanics, along with the electric nodes given to you later in the game, could have become the tools solve real puzzles in order to move forward in the game. While some of them do require a little bit of thinking, they are mostly obstacles rather than puzzles, the solution presents itself many times at first glance and you know what you need to do, it’s just a matter of doing it. I think it’s a personal preference, as in how high or low your expectations are when these kind of mechanics present themselves in a game.

And it is a SURVIVAL horror game after all. Like both Metro and Dead Space, you have to manage how you are going to survive in this hostile world. Your health, your ammo, your inventory, your weapons and tools, these are the basics of a survival games. Some of the resources you find can be used to craft ammunition, health packs, or other equipment. This aspect of the game was tuned very well. You need to keep an eye on the resources and manage them not just during a fight, but in preparation for the next one. You can’t just shoot as much much as you want and pop your heals left and right, you’ll be left without a way to defence yourself and be taken out quickly.

What about the horror element? The atmosphere in this game does a lot of heavy lifting. Looking back at my video recordings I find myself walking most of the time when exploring and not in combat, not only because of the beautiful and haunting visuals and to appreciate the environmental art, but because I was always cautious about what would be around the next corner. This game does rely on jump scares but not to the point that it started to become annoying, for me at least. The game also introduces a little bit of psychological horror, with visions/delusions that defy reality and make you questions whether the danger you see in front of you is real or not. This psychological horror comes into play more towards the end of the game, and while I myself love psychological horror and things that mess with your mind, I think it was an intentional decision to change things up as you’re approaching the end of the game

The other element of the horror is body horror. Enemies are either an amalgamation of different bodies or a mixture of body parts and foreign appendages that just look wrong when looked at. Corridors or entire rooms can be filled with biomass, a mixture of body parts and people, where they have merged to a point where it is difficult to distinguish what is what. While the body horror is done well, it should be noted that it is not the first time that this type of body horror has been used. Over the recent years games such as Dead Space remake, Still Wake The Deep, and Callisto Protocol, all have relied on biomasses and body horror not just for the horror element but for the design of enemies. These games do have distinct styles though and can be told apart, but one can wonder if the trope of body horror is one that can run out of imagination in terms of presentation. But here it does its part at least.

Going back to gameplay, while taking inspiration from other games can be good, adding your own unique twist can always be beneficial. Cronos: New Dawn has that; the merging mechanic. Enemies can absorb the bodies of defeated enemies and become stronger and more dangerous. They can not only gain new attacks, but will become harder to kill. To prevent this you must burn the bodies before they can be merged. This can be done using the pyre or the torch, tools that can be used to burn the dead bodies and stun enemies nearby. You can also use explosives placed in the environment to your advantage as long as you position yourself correctly. While an interesting mechanic, it does not quite stick the landing. It feels more like a simple step or button in the combat. Yes, you need to think about your tools and the position of yourself, the enemies, and the dead bodies, but …. it just doesn’t that impact on the gameplay that I think the developers were going for. It is not a bad mechanic by any means, plus, I think it should be at least appreciated when developers try a new mechanic in their game, especially considering that it is a mechanic that works but just doesn’t have the ….. how to say …… oomph. Especially considering that a merging enemy can be stopped (most of the time) from doing so by simply shooting it or even punching it, it just turns into a normal loop of gameplay that is similar to other survival horror games.

This brings me to the aspects of the game that I think are lacking or are not done well. First, there is the enemy type. Listen, when it comes to certain types of video games, like zombie games or in this case, body horror, there are types of enemies that are common to all those games. These are tried and true enemy types that you have come to expect in these games, including: the acid spitter, the big slow enemy, the wall crawler, and so on. I get it. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least try. Or, if you want to stick to those, include as many as you can. Essentially there are 5 enemy types, not including bosses. To be fair, the merging mechanic allows variations of each enemy type, for example, the big slow enemy can be the normal version, be spitting acid, or be armoured. That said, these don’t feel like a different or distinct enemy. Second, pacing . Generally speaking, the game is paced pretty well. There is a good balance between action and combat, exploration and atmosphere, and storytelling. But this does falter at some points. For example, the platforming sections, while they can be cool and show off some beautiful landscapes, they can go on for too long sometimes. Then there are sections of the game that are straight up repetitive. The perfect example of this is when you need to turn on two generators to use the second tram, the Traveller herself says that “This is becoming repetitive”. Just because you are aware of the issue and bring it up does not make it any better. The next issue I want to bring up particularly annoyed me; the inability to drop items. Sorry but this is just stupid. How is it that for inventory management I cannot drop items? You can “delete” inventory items but not drop them. This lead to a couple of situations where I had to get rid of items permanently to make space for more important or mission items. Furthermore, if you are crafting ammos, it can complicate inventory management for no reason as ammo is first put into a separate space before it can be loaded into the gun. This makes upgrading your inventory spaces essential in order to avoid the headache of unnecessary management complication.

Enough discussing gameplay, let’s talk story. Because of avoiding all media I had absolutely no clue what the game would be about. The fact the it involved time travel was new to me when I learned it at the 2 hour mark of the game. During those first two hours a lot of words are thrown at you, without you knowing what they mean. But not all of them are relevant to the story. For example, the collective, you never really learn what it actually is or what its true motivations are, because it does not matter in the story, and the things that do matter are elaborated on as the game goes on. As the story moves forward you keep guessing and making your own theories as to what is going on. First with the introduction of The Warden, then the possibility of you causing The Change, then The Pathfinder. New players are added as the story continues and new revelations are made. You get some answers and leads but are always left with more questions. Furthermore, the game uses the story to touch on different themes and how they can be related to what’s going on, it brings up questions about the soul, freedom, religion, authority, humanity. While these individually are not explored very deeply, the keep the game varied, as different missions or conversations are centred around a specific one. And then during the finally all is revealed. I knew that Warden was up to something, that it had something to do with how he felt for humans, but I wouldn’t guessed that it was his obsession for a single woman that drove him and the story, and that, The Traveller, technically speaking, is Weronika. The best twists are ones that not only catch you off guard, but ones that also make things that came before make sense. This can be seen in the Traveller’s behaviour as her static voice starts to show more emotion and we get to see Weronika’s key trait in the Traveller’s behaviour, her persistence. It gives meaning to what Mother Eliza was telling the Traveller as she was roaming different parts of the abbey.

It’s not just the overall story, the smaller stories add a lot to this game as well. Stories that are told through recordings, texts, and paying attention to the world around you. My favourite is probably the the one in the floating house on your way to the hospital. It’s not much; a house filled with sculptures where you can find three writings that belonged to the sculptor. Then in the basement of the house, you will find what the sculptor was referring to in his writings, the secret he was keeping. A very small story but a welcome one, especially considering that it is placed in what is a long journey to get to the hospital, where your next objective lies. While some stories are isolated, others are more relevant and can have an impact, a small one but an impact nevertheless, on your game. This is done through the essences that you collect. Depending on who you have in your phylactery, you will hear different voice lines at different points in the game, not to mentions the gameplay buffs these essences give you.

Last but not least, let’s wrap this up by discussing the music and sound design. Perfection I dare say. These are things that help immerse you in the world and heighten the atmosphere. Even when there are no enemies around, at times strange noises can be heard coming from different directions, making you paranoid, whether it is something done to install horror in you or whether it is an enemy lying in wait. A lot of the guns have a charging mechanic, and it is satisfying to listen as the charge ends in shot that when connected with the enemy, makes the sound you would expect of bullets piercing flesh. Your melee attacks not only feel like they pack a punch but they sure sound like it was well. As the games places takes place in different areas, the sound design is crafted to reflect where you are and elevate the immersion, whether it be the snow and how it silences everything, a sand storm and how you hear the wind gushing against you, or the narrow corridors of an underground station and how the sounds echo.

And the music…. what stands out to me is not the music played during combat and during horror sections as you traverse the world, but the specific music that is played during certain set pieces or when you arrives at key locations. Considering that you travel to Poland during the 1980s, it is fitting that the music can give off Stanger Things vibes. In this bleak cruel world, this music makes it so that you are in a little bit of an awe when you arrive at certain locations, invoking a curiosity as to what secrets that place can hold. All that said, I think the choice of abstinence from music is equally important. In certain sections, maybe half the game actually, there is no music as you roam the world. All you hear are your footsteps and whatever weather is present. Maybe you’ll hear noises that can imply an enemy is nearby. but other than that, it’s just you. The lonesome feeling that this instils is a key in a horror game as knowing and feeling that you are so alone in this hostile and dangerous world can at times make you feel helpless, and maybe more alert to any sings of danger.

I think Cronos: New Dawn is a game that every survival horror fan should try. The combination of different elements in its gameplay, story, themes, and world building, make it unique. Will it be remembered as one of the greates? Probably not. While the atmosphere and story are excellent, the gameplay bring it down a bit, not in that it’s bad, just in that it feels very familiar to other games, and the small mechanics don’t have a very big impact. There are different endings and a NG+ so there is a possibility for multiple playthroughs. At the end, not every games needs to shake the genre and redefine it in some way. This game is simply a great addition to the genre, and I enjoyed playing it.