Firstly, pardon my absence. Last week (week of Sept 2 – Sept 5), I was driving across the US to move from my home of eight years, Chicago, to the new horizons of San Diego, CA. I also currently have no internet and THAT has been a bit of a struggle, but so it goes. The reason I bring the internet piece up is directly tied to why I bought the Switch 2 version of Cronos and not Steam or PS5.
(Yes, you still need internet to download the game, but a Switch 2 is very portable whereas a desktop and monitor is not.)
Some commentary on playing this on the Switch 2:
- It runs fairly well, but does have some frame drops/graphical aberrations at times
- Battery life is decent, although I mostly play docked with it displaying on my gaming monitor
- Despite the limitations of a Switch 2 versus my $3500 PC, the graphics are quite good and the cut scenes are gorgeous
- I have the brightness up higher than suggested because old and blind, so yes my screenshots look a bit washed out through no fault of the Switch 2
(Some potentially very minor spoilers for incredibly early gameplay. This review is being written after about 6-8 hours of playing.)
Meet The Traveler, the main character of this survival horror adventure.
She is who you play as you venture into New Dawn, a 1980s Polish town, that has been ravaged by this mysterious disease called ‘The Change’. As you venture, you find signage and letters left behind by residents and leadership alike, allowing you to piece together what has happened in this creepy, empty land. In fact, the bulk of the story is told through discoverables and requires a little bit of exploration, so I don’t suggest speedrunning unless you are less interested in the why and more interested in shooting at things.
You learn quickly that Traveler is not a unique title to your character as you are looking for her predecessor who is also a Traveler. It is instead a job title introduced in the starting screens with this ominous message, along with others sprinkled through gameplay and dialogue.
The landscape is eerie and empty, as you walk through the wreckage of a neighborhood and eventually past a dilapidated playground. Once inside an apartment building, there is a locked door you can open but with a warning scrawled on the wall alongside it.
Shortly after you run into your first enemy – be ready to be jumpscared – and learn early on that resources are scarce and must be rationed with some intent. The Traveler comes equipped with a handgun-like weapon that transforms into futuristic brass knuckles should you decide to melee an enemy, door, or crate. Combat is fun, but enemies are a little scary (I’m a chicken) and the puzzles in-game aren’t incredibly difficult to figure out.
While I am not that far into the game, I will say as someone who is terrified of horror games, I am enjoying this one. Yes, I get jump-scared. Yes, I yell and press pause, but I get back to it. The story and world is incredibly alluring and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the reason I wanted to play this game in the first place is because I think The Traveler is cute.
(There is no photo-mode so she has one pose, essentially.)
It’s scary, but not overwhelming and requires attention to resources and rationing, including running from enemies at times to conserve ammo. The music and sound effects add to the creepiness and are also great indicators that something bad is on the cusp of occurring. The combat is fun and engaging and even on a Switch 2, weapons feel good. And I can’t forget to add – you can pet the cats. It’s even encouraged as they leave items for you when you interact with them. Plus, you can use the brevity after being unceremoniously chased by some semi-human entity intent on smashing your skull in.
So far, I’d say if survival horror, Eastern European brutalism, cute egg-head protagonists, and/or cats are your thing – pick this game up. Team Bloober did an incredible job and I can’t wait to delve deeper into the world of New Dawn.
Official Website: https://cronosnewdawn.com/
Reveal Trailer: https://youtu.be/ibQP4F8SyeA?si=cWhC76LKaUNfKHRp
Launch Trailer: https://youtu.be/81QCcARZ4DI?si=aHzmgiXh_oPl4s5W
IGN – 12 Tips to Survive in New Dawn: https://youtu.be/KpDRXrzja40?si=dOVs7qzSYLV8eaer
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