Cronos: The New Dawn review – solid gameplay, stellar world, shaky performance

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A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Following the significant surge in popularity after the successful remake of Silent Hill 2 last year, Bloober Team has chosen an intriguing path by deciding to develop their next project as a completely fresh intellectual property, with a setting inspired by their hometown, Krakow.

This daring decision proved successful, as the story told in Cronos: The New Dawn seems uniquely crafted by none other than the Bloober Team.

In this game, the action unfolds within the New Dawn, which is modeled after the Krakow district of Nowa Huta. The setting follows a time period after an inexplicable apocalypse referred to as ‘the Change.’

As a wanderer in this barren landscape, your mission is to discover peculiar occurrences that will enable you to journey back to the commencement of the transformation, so you can retrieve crucial individuals.

In terms of standout survival horror experiences, Cronos falls short. Throughout my time playing, I didn’t encounter any moments that left me in awe of the gameplay presented.

As you progress, you move primarily along sequential stages, slaying enemies while being mindful of your scarce supplies. Occasionally, you encounter relatively straightforward challenges that might not quite live up to the title of ‘puzzle.’

Although the gameplay might seem ordinary at times, Cronos excels in mastering the core aspects of survival horror to such an extent that one may overlook its shortcomings due to its proficient execution of these essential elements.

One significant gameplay feature of Cronos lies in its fusion mechanism, where the game’s creatures, known as Orphans, have the ability to consume each other’s remains to acquire new abilities, thereby growing much stronger.

Initially, the combined Orphan poses a significant danger. With your relatively weak armaments and scarce supplies, encountering a merged Orphan essentially means certain defeat.

In due course, equipped with enhanced firearms and a plentiful supply of ammunition, it significantly diminishes the challenge. Unfortunately, the game’s most engaging feature being so effortlessly conquered is disappointing, although it doesn’t entirely spoil my overall appreciation for Cronos.

Besides, if you’re playing on Hard Mode, this is certainly less of an issue.

Towards the closing stages of the game, Cronos presents a clever, intriguing riddle. I do think that incorporating such puzzles more frequently would have enriched the overall gaming experience, as these challenges were uniquely satisfying and unlike anything else in the game.

Despite the fact that I wasn’t enthralled by the gameplay of Cronos, its narrative and world were something else altogether – they were incredibly well-crafted.

Initially, the narrative of Cronos is somewhat vague, providing minimal details about your assignment or the motives behind it. Instead, you are tasked with gathering fragments of information scattered throughout the game’s environment, such as letters, notes, posters, and other items to better understand the storyline.

In a solitary universe where you battle with both inner and outer struggles, Cronos’s world-building proves magical. Frequently, I found myself deviating from the usual path not to gather resources or enhancements, but to immerse myself further in New Dawn’s landscape and observe the gradual progression of its inhabitants towards their demise.

As a fellow enthusiast delving into the intricacies of Cold War history, particularly that of Poland, I can confidently say that you’ll be enthralled by numerous nods to life during the era of the Polish People’s Republic.

The game frequently explores conflicts between personal independence and communal unity, or liberty against strict rule. At times, it may seem as though you’re observing the struggles of a Polish worker from the 1980s.

It comes as no surprise that Bloober’s portrayal of the era is both sarcastic and unyielding. While some may find their criticisms of the Communist period to be overly obvious, it is their right to remember history as they see fit. Regardless, I found myself thoroughly enjoying delving into their interpretation.

As time runs out, Cronos attains its zenith across all aspects. Straightforward stages transform into intricate, twisting mazes, whereas scattered plot elements gradually come together, forming a narrative with genuine depth and ethical dilemmas.

Unfortunately, at the last stage, a glitched door stopped me from completing the game. Since I’m near the deadline for reviews, it’s important to note that I may have completed 99% of the game, but the remaining fraction is crucial and affects my overall experience.

Moving on to my main issue with Cronos, particularly for PC players – this issue is quite considerable.)

Not to hop on the recent anti-Unreal Engine 5 bandwagon, but Cronos is another below-par UE5 title.

Currently, my system isn’t nearly as advanced as a supercomputer, but it did manage to operate Expedition 33 smoothly with high settings and a consistent 60 frames per second. While I wasn’t aiming for extraordinary results, I did anticipate it would deliver satisfactory performance.

Even with my initial gameplay of Cronos set on the minimum graphics options, managing a steady 30fps was more luck than anything. On average, I hovered around 25fps, but there were instances where it dipped as low as 17 frames per second.

Fortunately, the update seems to have improved the game’s performance significantly, enabling me to play on higher settings and a faster frame rate. However, it’s not entirely stable, as I found myself fluctuating between 40-60 frames per second every few seconds. Although this was a significant improvement and didn’t ruin my gaming experience like my initial encounter suggested, it still needs some fine-tuning for perfection.

Due to facing difficulties reaching the game’s conclusion and experiencing performance issues, I found myself constantly reviewing different scores. Eventually, I decided to award four stars, but with an added note of caution.

If you’ve been experiencing performance issues with your PC when playing newer games using UE5 and you’re finding it challenging, I strongly suggest considering the console version of Cronos as an alternative, or just being patient until the PC performance issues are resolved.

Indeed, Cronos offers a delightful adventure that’s absolutely worth playing if you’re fond of the survival horror genre.

Although it strongly borrows elements from previous games like Mass Effect and Resident Evil in terms of gameplay, it innovatively advances the survival horror genre with fresh approaches when it comes to its mood and delivery.

This tale is unique in its kind, and what makes it particularly special is that it springs from the creativity of the Krakow locals at Bloober Team, drawing upon and reinventing elements of their very own city’s past in a captivating and evocative manner.

If Silent Hill 2 served as the spark that ignited Bloober Team’s creative energy, Cronos: The New Dawn demonstrates their continued prowess in the horror genre by delivering a solid sequel, proving they are not just a one-time success but a formidable force to be reckoned with in the world of horror gaming. I’m eagerly awaiting their future projects.

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2025-09-03 17:10