Cronos: The New Dawn Interview – Story, Setting, Combat, and More

2024 saw Bloober Team achieve significant success with their outstanding remake of Silent Hill 2, and in 2025, the studio is poised to continue its stride with a new survival horror title named Cronos: The New Dawn. With an engaging time-travel, post-apocalyptic plotline and the assurance of another immersive survival horror adventure inspired by some of the genre’s leading legends, this game appears to be quite captivating. To delve deeper into its intricacies and understand how Bloober Team aims for a second consecutive triumph, we recently spoke with Cronos: The New Dawn’s game director and producer, Jacek Zięba. You can find the complete interview below.

“Cronos marks the progression for Bloober Team as our follow-up project, representing a significant leap from Silent Hill 2. Our aim is to develop our next major intellectual property, yet with a unique twist that sets it apart from our previous game.”

In comparison to Silent Hill 2, Cronos: The New Dawn may be significantly bigger and more challenging for Bloober Team due to the increased scale and ambition of the project. Therefore, it’s reasonable to assume that players might anticipate a larger and more complex game experience with Cronos: The New Dawn.

Is it possible for you to surpass the pinnacle of excellence in the renowned horror series, a title that stands unparalleled? That’s quite a challenge, and I’m not certain there’s an straightforward response. However, what I can confidently affirm is that _Cronos_ marks our progression as the “novel” Bloober Team following _Silent Hill 2_. This is where we aim to develop our next significant intellectual property, yet something distinct from our previous game – hence, our decision to embark on a sci-fi survival horror project.

In terms of classification, how would you categorize Cronos: The New Dawn within the spectrum of horror genres created by Bloober Team?

Or more informally, which kind of horror does Cronos: The New Dawn fall under, considering the various types of horror (supernatural, psychological, techno) that Bloober Team has previously explored?

Retro futurism, apocalyptic, mind-bending sci-fi survival horror with a time travel story.

In discussing “Cronos: The New Dawn,” one of its captivating aspects is the unique blend it offers, with half the narrative unfolding in 1980s Poland. I’d like to delve into the reasoning behind selecting this particular time period and explain how vital it is to the game’s core themes and overarching storyline.

Why did we choose the 1980s in Poland for our setting? The answer lies in the historical, social, and political context of that era, which provides a rich backdrop for our narrative. This period was marked by significant upheaval and change, making it an ideal time to explore themes such as struggle, resilience, and transformation – central elements in our game’s story.

Moreover, the 1980s in Poland offers us a unique opportunity to delve into the human spirit during times of adversity, providing a compelling contrast with the fantastical elements that form an integral part of the game. The historical context will not only serve as a foundation for our narrative but also as a catalyst for the characters’ growth and development.

In essence, the 1980s Poland setting is crucial to the game’s central themes and larger story because it offers a dynamic and challenging environment that mirrors the struggles faced by our characters, while also providing a backdrop for the fantastical elements that drive the narrative forward.

The central setting of our game is The New Dawn, which bears resemblance to a district in Kraków, a city known for its historical significance as the seat of Polish kings. Constructed by the communists during the 1950s, this district served as a symbol of their power and prosperity. With Poland still under communist rule during the 1980s, it became increasingly challenging for the regime to keep control over its population. This struggle culminated in a martial law declaration that lasted almost two years. Despite these hardships, there was a sense of change brewing on the horizon, which eventually led to Poland gaining independence in 1989. In essence, we were caught between anger, rebellion, and continued work with the regime during this tumultuous period.

Let’s merge this setting – the location, the government, the apprehension about the future during the Cold War era, and the general sense of unease – with our concept of an alternate history. In our reimagined timeline, certain occurrences are absent, while fresh events unfold.

In addition, the spirit of the ’80s influences our distinct style when it comes to science fiction, bringing us nearer to aspects reminiscent of the initial two Alien films and the original Star Wars trilogy.

All of this will be crucial to Cronos.

As a gamer, I can tell you that Cronos feels more rooted in the realm of survival horror classics like Silent Hill or Resident Evil. Unlike other games, we’re not aiming for repetition with Cronos.

For Bloober Team, Cronos marks another fresh intellectual property in their portfolio, and it’s always exciting to witness their continuous transition from one innovative concept to another. In a creative landscape where relying on established IP for financial security is increasingly popular, what enables you to consistently challenge this status quo?

From within Bloober Team’s creative heart, I continue to seek, to transform. While we’ve honed in on the haunting realm of horror as our primary focus, there remains an endless sea of stories yet untold, a vast landscape of gameplay experiences waiting to be explored as we traverse this studio’s journey. With each new release, we fortify ourselves and expand our wisdom, nurturing the seeds of innovative ideas that burn within us—one such idea being Cronos. We strive to make informed decisions. Alongside our earlier works, we also cultivated Blair Witch, a game that taught us invaluable lessons and opened the door for our next ambitious project—though its scale may differ, it shares some parallels with Silent Hill 2. I believe our success lies in the delicate balance of following emerging trends and carving out our unique, distinctive path.

It appears that the concept behind Cronos’ dual timeline has a resemblance to the dual reality gameplay in The Medium. Is it possible that this idea developed from there? Could players in Cronos navigate both timelines concurrently, similar to how The Medium allowed for simultaneous traversal of two realities?

In contrast to the experimental nature of “The Medium” which explores the concept of existing in two worlds simultaneously, “Cronos” leans more towards traditional survival horror games such as “Silent Hill” or “Resident Evil”. Post our work on “The Medium”, we’re aiming to develop a game that places greater emphasis on gameplay mechanics. To achieve this, we’ve chosen to delve into the realm of survival horror while adding our own distinctive touch – though for now, I’ll leave the specifics as a surprise…

In the game Cronos: The New Dawn, developed by Bloober Team, what can we expect regarding combat elements? Given their previous works like Silent Hill 2, Bloober Team has not emphasized combat extensively. However, could you clarify how significant the combat aspect will be in this particular game?

In terms of battle style, Cronos leans more towards the action-horror genre akin to Resident Evil, rather than the atmospheric horror of Silent Hill. The new Resident Evil remakes demonstrate an impressive ability to merge classic designs with contemporary tech and gameplay norms. Each remake offers its unique take on this blend, exploring different aspects of the genre – providing us with a vast body of knowledge that can be utilized to create something both familiar and fresh for players.

“When it comes to combat, Cronos is more Resident Evil and less Silent Hill.”

Outside of combat, how will the game approach exploration and the level design?

Consider gameplay similar to RE2 at times, blended with elements of Dark Souls. The difficulty level might feature a well-trodden path, occasional backtracking, and intricate, labyrinthine stages.

Could it possibly be that we might release “Cronos: The New Dawn” for the anticipated successor of the Nintendo Switch in the future?

Using the current Switch, we witnessed some extraordinary magic with game ports like The Witcher 3, so who knows what wonders await us on the next one. Let’s wait and see what the future unveils.

2025-01-09 14:11

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