Dawn

About

Dawn is an atmospheric 3D platformer in which players guide a druidic creature named Ash through a beautiful environment to bring life and light back to a dead tree at the center of the world.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 444 reviews

music61 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

Beautiful graphics and calming soundtrack create a relaxing atmosphere.
Simple and enjoyable gameplay, perfect for casual players and children.
Free to play, making it accessible for everyone to experience.

Extremely short gameplay, can be completed in under 20 minutes.
Long loading times can detract from the overall experience.
Lacks depth in story and gameplay mechanics, feeling more like a demo than a full game.

music
101 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
36%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and soothing qualities, enhancing the overall relaxing atmosphere and beautifully complementing the visuals. While many players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to create a serene experience, some note that it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the combination of pleasant sound design and engaging music contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a delightful experience for those seeking tranquility.
- “The music and sound design fit perfectly and create a very relaxing feeling.”
- “Beautiful graphics, calming music, and decent platforming.”
- “Dawn is an absolutely beautiful game with a really nice soundtrack.”
- “Much better games exist, music is lame.”
- “The music had some unnecessarily sharp tunes that hurt my ears, and when I tried to turn it down using the volume sliders, it made no immediate change.”
- “The music got kind of repetitive and uninteresting after a bit of playing.”
graphics
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
30%
3%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the beautiful art style, vibrant colors, and overall aesthetic, which contribute to a calming atmosphere. However, some critiques highlight that while the visuals are nice, they are not groundbreaking and can suffer from performance issues like lag. Overall, the graphics are generally considered a strong point of the game, enhancing the experience despite some shortcomings in gameplay and technical execution.
- “Beautiful art style and amazing character design, especially considering it's a free game that took me only a few minutes to beat the first time through.”
- “The graphics are stunning, the music is relaxing, plus who doesn't want to be a magical plant creature flying in the wind?”
- “A very relaxing game with beautiful music and visuals; not the top textures, but more easy on the eyes.”
- “The graphics lag frequently, and the loading screen takes 2-3 minutes at the worst to load.”
- “For a short and graphically light game, lag anywhere is going to feel painful.”
- “Graphics in the game were average, but could have been made better.”
gameplay
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
59%
5%
The gameplay is generally described as simple and straightforward, with intuitive controls and a calming atmosphere, making it suitable for a short, relaxing experience. While the mechanics are enjoyable and the graphics are praised, many reviewers note a lack of depth and variety, leading to a feeling that the gameplay could benefit from more polish and complexity. Overall, it offers a pleasant but unremarkable experience, appealing to those looking for a brief escape rather than extensive gameplay.
- “The mechanics are straightforward and its overall aesthetic is quite beautiful!”
- “This makes for a short and simple, but very solid gameplay experience that I would absolutely recommend!”
- “The playable character is adorable and the art style is lovely, the gameplay is simple but fun and it has a nice soundtrack.”
- “The gameplay has nothing special and is extremely easy.”
- “I understand it's a free game but it's not something that I can recommend; it was pretty boring to me and offered nothing in the way of gameplay.”
- “Clearly not much testing has happened other than just the gameplay.”
story
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
64%
8%
The game's story is minimal and primarily conveyed through visuals, with many players noting a lack of depth and backstory. While some appreciate the simple narrative of reviving a tree and find the experience visually pleasing, others express a desire for a more substantial plot and longer gameplay. Overall, the consensus is that while the game offers a relaxing atmosphere, it falls short for those seeking a rich or engaging story.
- “The story is simple, yet beautifully told through images alone.”
- “The plot of Dawn was nice and simple; you are the last living piece of a grand old tree and you want to bring life to the rest of it.”
- “Great atmosphere, great story for a small game, highly recommend to try it out.”
- “There's barely even a story here, and the entire game can be finished within a few minutes.”
- “This game was free, so as a free-to-play game I will say it's worth the download, but there's no true story behind the game that you'll unlock.”
- “Overall, 'Dawn' was said to be a platformer and was that, but with little to no story aspect.”
atmosphere
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
74%
13%
13%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful graphics, calming music, and relaxing overall experience, making it a perfect escape from daily life. Players appreciate the cohesive design and atmospheric elements that enhance exploration, despite some minor criticisms regarding reused textures. Overall, it is described as a charming and stress-free adventure that prioritizes ambiance over challenge.
- “The game has great graphics and a really relaxing atmosphere; it's a bit lacking on the gameplay part, but for this type of game, it works.”
- “A beautyful and relaxing experience decorated with atmospheric artwork and fitting music.”
- “A short, highly atmospheric, and very much adorable little game, perfect for short periods of disconnect from the hustle and bustle of daily life.”
- “Too much reused textures ruined the atmosphere a bit, but it's fine as the game is only sixteen minutes long.”
- “A simple relaxing, stress-free platformer that is focused more on atmosphere than challenge.”
- “Incredibly beautiful, well designed, and I did love the wind (great idea). On the first fall, I had expected the usual screaming end, but that would not fit the game's atmosphere. Well done.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The game offers moderate replayability primarily through achievements, collectibles, and a new game+ mode, allowing players to revisit it for completionist goals. While the main story is short, players can enjoy additional challenges and the opportunity to unwind, making it appealing for both casual play and achievement hunting. However, once all achievements are obtained, the replay value diminishes significantly.
- “The game is quite short, being probably only around 15 minutes, but there's lots of replayability with the achievements and flowers to find if you're into that.”
- “It offers a few extra incentives for replayability such as collectibles and a speedrun challenge.”
- “Despite being short, it does have some replayability, especially for achievement-hunters (with some light and a couple not-so-light secrets).”
- “There's some replayability in the achievements and there's a new game+ that does nothing except let you choose a different skin; after you get all the achievements, that's about it for what the game can offer.”
- “Not much replayability as the story's only about 20 minutes, but it's easy and enjoyable.”
- “Despite being short, it does have some replayability, especially for achievement hunters, with some light and a couple of not-so-light secrets.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes strong emotional responses, with players expressing nostalgia for childhood gaming experiences and a sense of warmth from its wholesome narrative and soothing music. Many reviewers highlighted the atypical main character and the emotional impact of the ending, with some even moved to tears, despite minor criticisms regarding camera movement.
- “Really made me feel nostalgic for the games of my childhood.”
- “I mean, the ending just made me feel all warm and light inside (pun not intended).”
- “I cried at the end.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The character development in the game is praised for its beautiful art style and impressive character design, particularly highlighting the charming design of the main character. Players appreciate the fluid movements and engaging animations, which enhance the overall experience, despite the game's short duration.
- “Beautiful art style and amazing character design, especially considering it's a free game that took me only a few minutes to beat the first time through.”
- “The character design and her movements are beautifully done, and the music is quite lovely.”
- “Overall, a fun <5 min game (haha), awesome character design, and even more awesome soundtrack!”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game exhibits notable stability issues, including glitches and janky controls, which can detract from the experience; however, players appreciate the ability to quickly respawn after falling. While adjusting mouse sensitivity can help mitigate some problems, the game remains buggy outside of core gameplay elements, though it remains enjoyable overall.
- “The game is still buggy outside of the main gameplay, but it's enjoyable until the end.”
- “On the plus side, when you inevitably fall off somewhere due to the aforementioned glitches and janky controls, you magically float back up, so you can do it all over again.”
- “Lower your mouse sensitivity to the second lowest setting to avoid any glitches.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Players express that grinding in the game can be extremely time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time. However, many find the achievements enjoyable and motivating, leading to multiple playthroughs that don't feel tedious.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The achievements are fun to get and encourage multiple playthroughs without ever feeling like grinding.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's optimization is criticized for being poor, with high RAM usage and slow loading times at startup. However, once loaded, it appears to run smoothly. Overall, there is a clear need for further optimization improvements.
- “Loading is also very slow when you start, but other than that, the game runs smoothly from what I can tell.”
- “It is really poorly optimized and takes up too much RAM.”
- “Performance and loading times need to be optimized more.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Dawn is praised for its unique and quirky sense of humor, which complements its visually appealing platforming experience.
- “Dawn is a nice looking free platformer with its own quirky world and sense of humor.”