I will be the first to admit that survival games and games that require good aim are two genres that I often shy away from. I am not skilled at either of these, so games in the genre can often be intimidating. Cronos: The New Dawn overlaps with both and does a wonderful job of being everything that those who love the challenges of these types of games cherish, while also making the barrier to entry for those like myself who love a good story but are not as capable in other areas feel welcome in its world.
Cronos: The New Dawn
Release Date: September 5, 2025
Played on: PC via Steam
Platforms: PC Steam | Epic Games |GOG, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2
Developer: Bloober Team
Cronos: The New Dawn is a time jumping horror game where you play as “The Traveler” a woman given the mission of traversing between the current and 1980s Poland to extract the souls of different people from the start of the outbreak and digitally bring them to current day in the hopes of giving humanity a fighting chance at a new start and to become apart of The Collective. To accomplish this goal, she must explore to find dive points that serve as extraction points for collecting souls.
The game has two difficulty modes: Anvil of the Collective, the standard mode used when the game was released. Upon finishing the game, you unlock a New Game+ mode, which allows you to keep your gear and gun, and unlocks a hard mode of the game for those wanting an even bigger challenge. There is also Temporal Diver Mode for those who enjoy a story-focused experience. This mode halves enemy health and doubles traveler health, making the experience a bit more enjoyable and less punishing.
The event known as “The Change” has left behind large mutated monsters called Orphans. Orphans can fuse with the fallen of their kind to grow stronger. This makes it important to burn as many of their bodies as we come across to prevent them from being used against us in battle situations. I will warn the squeamish that this game is mostly body horror, and the monsters are pretty unsettling, especially when they fuse.
You also eventually find a flamethrower to burn orphan bodies. Making sure to watch your reserves and bullets as resource management can be the difference between getting to the next level and perishing.
You are equipped with a gun for which you must craft bullets. Crafting is a balancing act as the materials are fairly scarce, and at the beginning of your journey, the inventory space is extremely limited. This does make the game pretty difficult, as there are sometimes spaces that will not open for you until you eliminate all of the enemies in an area. When you’re running low on ammo and there are no materials around, or your inventory is full, it can put you in a real bind on how to proceed.
There are cats that you can find throughout the game. They are not just a fun little interaction; they can also reward you with rare items. So interact with as many of them as you can.
There are a total of three endings for this game. Ending A and B come from just completing the game. However, the third ending, C, requires you to make a very specific choice while playing the game during a New Game+ run.
Overall, this game is fantastic. From the story to the ambiance that keeps you locked in. It is accessible to players of all skill levels and allows them to fully enjoy the experience at their level. It gives us unique monsters that echo humanity’s fall and possess terrifying abilities. The story draws you in and keeps you with every twist, turn, and reveal.
