Experienced the chilling thrills of Cronos: The New Dawn - a horror game that's shaking up the genre
In the post-apocalyptic world of Cronos: The New Dawn, players take on the role of a heavily armored Traveler navigating through an alternate reality during a cataclysmic event known as The Change. Developed by Bloober Team, this third-person survival horror shooter offers a unique blend of tactical combat, resource management, and environmental puzzles, set against the backdrop of the steelworks in Nowa Huta, Krakow, Poland.
The game's combat system is centred around a balance between striking quickly on a foe and dealing meaningful damage. Both the pistol and shotgun can be charged up to deliver more devastating blows, but doing so takes a noticeable amount of time. Uncharged shots, while firing faster, deal significantly less damage.
A key aspect of the game is the enemy merging mechanic. Orphans, the game's enemies, can merge with the bodies of defeated foes, creating significantly stronger and more dangerous monsters with combined abilities. This merging drastically increases enemy toughness and healing potential, making it crucial for players to prevent it at all costs by torching dead bodies to stop absorption.
Resource and ammunition scarcity are another defining feature of Cronos: The New Dawn. Every shot counts, and players need to plan their attacks carefully to avoid being overwhelmed. The game encourages a cautious and strategic approach to conserve ammo and manage encounters.
Players wield a torch that is critical for combat survival. The torch can burn living enemies or dead bodies to prevent merging. Fuel stations scattered around the world allow refills, but only one station can be used at a time, creating an additional layer of resource management.
Aside from combat, players encounter anomalies requiring puzzle-solving with a unique "rift weapon." Sometimes, players need to backtrack slightly to move forward after fixing anomalies. This integrates exploration and puzzle elements into the tactical survival gameplay.
The objective of the game is to find rifts to travel back in time to 1980s Poland to extract and save key people. The decisions made about who to save affect the story's outcome. The game features multiple different endings for players to experience, depending on the souls of people extracted.
Exploring usually yields more vital resources, making it an essential part of the game. The game is challenging and requires strategic planning due to limited resources and the tactical element of preventing enemy merging. Estimated to last around 16 hours for the main campaign, Cronos: The New Dawn is a game that demands methodical, cautious, and constantly adaptive play.
With its unique blend of combat, resource management, and environmental puzzles, Cronos: The New Dawn promises to deliver a fresh but brutal survival horror experience.
The Traveler in Cronos: The New Dawn finds himself laden with gadgets crucial for survival, such as the torch that doubles as a combat tool and a means to prevent enemy merging. The game's survival horror essence is further enhanced by the integration of technology, like the rift weapon designed for solving environmental puzzles and navigating through anomalies.
