Cronos: The New Dawn preview — Heed the Call

Survival horror runs through my blood and veins, and Bloober Team happens to be one of my favorite developers out there. As such, their newest IP Cronos: The New Dawn piqued my interest ever since its announcement. Since then it’s held a top spot as one of my most anticipated games of the year! Luckily, I was able to attend a hands-on preview event that showcased the first couple hours of the game, and boy are we in for a treat.

Set in an alternate 1980s Poland, Cronos: The New Dawn sees a world where a mysterious virus transforms humans into grotesque abominations known as Orphans. You are The Traveler, an agent of a mysterious organization called the Collective, tasked with rescuing and digitizing the souls of key figures who perished in the catastrophe. Many Travelers before you have failed, and it is up to you to carry on and complete their mission.

Gameplay is classic third person survival horror, blending tense tactical combat with resource management. Cronos differentiates itself through its signature “merging” system where monsters can consume corpses to become enhanced versions of themselves. Fire (torch fuel) is the only way to stop this gruesome evolution. However, it’s a precious and rare resource, forcing you to make a difficult decision of when to use it or when to conserve it.

Of course there’s crafting as well, using acquired rare materials to create ammo, torch fuel, or shell patches (healing potions). An interesting thing to note is opening up the crafting menu does not pause the game, making tense enemy encounters even more frantic if you are ill-prepared.

Occasionally, you’ll stumble upon an all too familiar save room where you can access your storage, purchase items, spend cores to upgrade your abilities, or use energy, the currency in this game, to upgrade your weapons. Inventory management is a big part of any survival horror experience, and it’s no different here. You start off with only 6 slots, and important items such as keys and bolt cutters hog up valuable real estate in your bag.

Combat itself is punchy and kinetic, with weapons featuring dual firing modes that keep encounters varied. The preview only had me trying out 2 such weapons, a pistol and shotgun, both of which can be charged to fire enhanced shots. You also have a melee punch and foot stomp attack, but only resort to these in emergencies as they barely do any damage.

It should be noted that there is no dodge or parry mechanic. The only way to avoid enemy attacks is to strafe away and run around them. The learning curve can be punishing, especially for newcomers unfamiliar with genre conventions, and the constant threat of resource shortages may feel overwhelming at times, especially during forced encounters. You need to know when it’s worth fighting and wasting precious ammo and when it’s better off just running past enemies.

Did you know that cats play a prominent and charming role amidst the game’s harrowing, post-apocalyptic horror setting? On your journey you’ll meet various adorable felines, each one modeled after real pets belonging to the development team at Bloober! Not only can you pet these cute little creatures, doing so often grants you an in-game item or reward, such as upgrade materials or ammo!

Since this was a hands-on preview event, I’m not sure of the PC specs the demo was running on, but it was technically flawless. The game’s ambition definitely shines through with its detailed environments and smooth 60 frames per second performance. Animations are fluid, weapons have impressive weight, and the overall technical polish was impressive to say the least. You can fully rebind the controls, and there’s even aim assist and adaptive triggers on a controller! I played on a beautifully designed custom DualSense controller that was themed after the game, featuring gorgeous red and black color schemes.

The highlight of the demo culminated in an intense boss encounter, a special Orphan that spawned tentacles and could travel beneath the ground. The game does give you enough ammo and crafting material inside the arena to succeed, but it won’t be a cake walk. This fight requires you to use fire first, either from your torch fuel, or from blowing up gas canisters to expose the Orphan’s three weak points. Pro tip: you are actually fully resistant to flames, so you can punch fire barrels and not get damaged in order to preserve ammo.

Cronos excels in capturing a unique atmosphere, blending Eastern European brutalism with retrofuturistic technology. The environments are intricately detailed, veering between bleak industrial decay and pockets of eerie, abandoned domesticity. However, there are moments when the heavy reliance on greys and muted palettes feels oppressive, causing some environments to blur together visually. 

The sound design is another highlight, with composer Arkadiusz Reikowski's work perfectly setting the atmosphere and tone. Ambient sounds such as the distant growl of a mutated beast, the echoing clatter of debris, or even the disconcerting silence, are expertly deployed to keep you on edge at all times.

It was revealed during the event that the full game should take around 16 hours to complete, with even more playtime for those looking to find all the secrets and explore every nook and cranny. Bloober Team has laid a solid foundation for what to expect in the full release of their newest IP, and I can’t wait to dive deep into Nowa Huta! Such is our calling.

Cronos: The New Dawn is scheduled for release in fall 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. For more news on Cronos: The New Dawn, stay tuned to GamingTrend!