‘Cronos: The New Dawn’ was by far my favorite experience at Gamescom 2025 — Bloober might have cooked an Xbox / PC horror masterpiece

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After recovering from Gamescom 2025‘s excitement and a short bout with norovirus, I’m raring to go again and eager to share my experiences playing some outstanding games at the event.

At various events, I had the opportunity to test-drive games like Crimson Desert, Silent Hill F, and Hollow Knight: Silksong before their grand releases. However, I must confess that the game which stood out to me the most was not one of these well-known heavyweights.

Hidden among the array of games showcased at the Xbox booth was a title that has piqued my interest since its unveiling – “Cronos: The New Dawn,” by Bloober Team, known for their work on Layers of Fear, The Medium, and the Silent Hill 2 Remake.

In the past, I’ve been open about my criticisms towards Bloober Team. I appreciated their work on Layers of Fear and Observer, but I felt they stumbled with The Medium. This led to concerns that they might take over Silent Hill from Konami. However, the release of the Silent Hill 2 Remake was a surprise. Not only did it achieve what many thought impossible, but it’s highly likely that it will be remembered as one of the standout Xbox games and PC games in 2025.

The New Dawn. This game will be released on Xbox, PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC on September 5, 2025.

After getting my hands on it, I was delighted to find myself mistaken. Bloober Team’s Cronos is reminiscent of several horror giants, such as Resident Evil and Dead Space. Yet, it also evokes a sense of dreadful loneliness that seems almost exclusively Bloober in origin, threatening to overwhelm you.

A tribute to horror greats, and very much its own beast

Though Bloober has experienced varying narrative success with past games, one consistent strength is their mastery of atmosphere. From The Medium’s haunting visions inspired by Beksiński, to the eerie Blade Runner-inspired dreamscape of Observer, Bloober consistently demonstrates a deep understanding and appreciation for the horror genre.

In my opinion, the main challenge hindering the studio was the limited interactivity, making more complex interactions feel awkward or clunky. Furthermore, in some instances, Bloober may have been too direct when addressing certain themes, which took away from the mysterious and suspenseful atmosphere that can ignite fear and paranoid thoughts in viewers.

Following a thorough and victorious playthrough of Silent Hill 2, it appears that Bloober has found their stride. The remake of Silent Hill 2 masterfully refined the original’s deliberately gritty combat system while staying true to the game’s madness-filled narrative journey. This adventure offers a roller coaster ride of emotions, encompassing its slower, investigative puzzle stages and intense, nightmare realm sequences.

As a tech-loving gamer, I must say that Bloober Team appears to have expertly infused their expertise into Cronos: The New Dawn. I’ve had the privilege of trying out two distinct demos for the game. One demo focused on combat elements, while another remained hidden, providing a more intimate look at the game’s narrative and rhythm. Let me tell you, my anticipation for the complete experience is skyrocketing, especially considering my adoration for Dead Space, Resident Evil, and even The Evil Within.

A quiet, Soviet post-apocalypse

In a more relaxed and straightforward manner: While playing Cronos: The New Dawn, I found that my muscle memory from Dead Space was activated. The protagonist’s bulky suit appears very similar to Isaac Clark’s, as it allows you to throw punches and stomp on fallen enemies with the same button combinations.

As a tech-loving gamer, I was taken aback by how much The Evil Within influenced this game, especially in terms of its combat mechanics. At first, your weapon sway is quite aggressive, giving the game a tense and realistic feel. But fear not, as you progress, you can upgrade and enhance it, using resources strategically hidden within the game world. This aspect encourages exploration, which I enjoy. However, the ammunition is remarkably scarce, making resourcefulness key to survival in this eerie world.

As an analyst, I’m presenting a choice: Should I conserve my resources for equipment upgrades or invest in ammunition? The game subtly nudges you towards resourcefulness, utilizing the environment to boost your combat efficiency whenever possible. Rest assured, you will encounter death in this game, but each demise brings valuable insights, such as the location of a hidden explosive barrel or a well-placed flamethrower ammo cache, which can aid you in overcoming the subsequent challenges more successfully.

In my demonstration, I caught another game critic conversing with Bloober Team about the firearm mechanics of the game, but I couldn’t help but voice my differing opinion. The weapon recoil encourages precise shooting, which can induce tension – a characteristic that makes it a horror game at its core, while still offering action elements. It reminded me strongly of The Evil Within in terms of blending terror and strategy, especially since setting enemy corpses ablaze becomes a crucial tactical move in your combat approach.

As “The Explorer,” your mission is to journey through both space and time to unravel the mystery of “The Alteration.” This enigmatic occurrence appears to have drastically shattered reality. In the current era, massive heaps of solidified human remains give birth to entities akin to Dead Space’s, characterized by twisted features, consisting of multiple fused human bodies.

If you don’t cremate their remains, there’s a chance that new adversaries could combine with them, resulting in larger, more terrifying creatures that require even greater resources to defeat. To prevent these fusions, you can use melee attacks or fire, but this adds an engaging strategic element to the combat as you decide which bodies to cremate and which enemies to focus on first.

I discovered that the battle sequences are exceptionally gratifying, despite being somewhat challenging. I’m intrigued to find out just how deep the enemy alliances will extend, and what other challenges await me as I delve deeper into the complete game.

Above all, I find the story captivating. The demonstrations left me astounded, offering an unyielding sequence of “What on Earth is happening?” moments, carefully preserving the mystery of the game before its release. Scattered audio logs and text files suggest the rising horror throughout various timelines, creating a portrait of a society gradually slipping into complete insanity.

In a forward-thinking community, the voyager embarks on journeys through historical time periods, yet we’re unsure about their identity, origins, and experiences. The enigma surrounding this character known as The Traveller adds an exciting layer of intrigue to Cronos, making it all the more fascinating.

Bloober has hit the big leagues, and I owe them an apology

Although there are obvious influences from contemporary Resident Evil games, Dead Space, and The Evil Within, Cronos: The New Dawn introduces a distinct retro-futuristic ambiance that is scarcely explored in such games. Set against the backdrop of Eastern Europe, the game’s atmosphere is tinged with the ominous influences of brutalist Soviet architecture, providing a glimpse into pre-Iron Curtain Poland and a time when Russian totalitarianism was vanquished. In this universe, it is “The Change” that is said to have overthrown the USSR this time, although it seems to have brought about the demise of the entire world, distorting time itself and transforming survivors into grotesque, congealed monstrosities.

Who, exactly, is this character called The Traveller? What does contemporary society look like today? Why has the sky changed? You’ll find an array of Giger-inspired, retro-tech relics scattered across an apocalyptic Poland. How did the flow of time get disrupted? And why are people joining together to form grotesque hybrids? The answers to these intriguing questions will be unveiled on September 5, 2025, on Xbox, PS5, and Steam.

OR

1. Who is this mysterious figure known as The Traveller? What are the characteristics of the present-day society we inhabit today? What brought about the transformation in our sky? What are these eerie Giger-esque remnants of retro-tech scattered throughout apocalyptic Poland? How was the course of time interrupted? And why have people started to morph into hideous conglomerations? The solutions to these captivating enigmas will be revealed on September 5, 2025, on Xbox, PS5, and Steam.

Initially, I didn’t believe that Bloober Team was capable of making it big in the gaming industry. But look at us now, following the release of Silent Hill 2 Remake, where the studio crafted their unique interpretation of the survival horror genre. So far, my initial feelings about it are extremely favorable. It’s gratifying to see Bloober Team rise to such heights and witness how completely wrong I was in my skepticism.

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2025-08-30 20:40