Dawnsbury Days
- March 8, 2024
- Dawnsbury Studios
Get on Steam"Dawnsbury Days" is a 2D turn-based tactics game with CRPG elements, based on the rules of PF2E. As the Dawnsbury Four, you'll battle monsters, make friends, and level up on a quest to save your home town. With multiple playthroughs and free encounter mode, there's plenty of replayability in this 4-hour adventure. The complex OGL-based rule system adds depth to gameplay.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game is a faithful adaptation of the Pathfinder 2E ruleset, making it an excellent introduction for new players and a fun experience for veterans.
- The combat is engaging and varied, with a good mix of tactical challenges that require players to think strategically about their actions.
- The mod support is robust, allowing for additional content and customization, which enhances replayability and community engagement.
- The campaign is quite short, typically taking only 3-5 hours to complete, which may leave players wanting more content.
- The story and character dialogue can be cheesy and overly simplistic, with frequent fourth-wall breaking that may detract from immersion.
- Some classes and features from the full Pathfinder 2E system are missing, limiting character customization options and gameplay variety.
- story166 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is simple and linear, primarily serving as a backdrop for combat encounters, with a lighthearted tone and humorous fourth-wall references. While the writing and voice acting are generally considered charming, the lack of dialogue choices and exploration options limits player interaction with the narrative. Overall, it provides a basic yet enjoyable introduction to Pathfinder 2E, appealing to those looking for a straightforward adventure rather than a deep, immersive story.
“The story dialogue is funny and filled with fourth-wall references to the characters being in a tabletop RPG.”
“The story, writing, and presentation were, in some ways, the biggest surprise in that I would normally expect that stuff to be an afterthought in a project like this, but the story and writing were actually well-written enough to be entertaining - not in a high drama sort of way but more as a self-aware parody.”
“Dawnsbury Days is a cute little game with a cute little story that faithfully recreates a short version of the Pathfinder 2E experience.”
“The story is basic, but still cute, and voice acting has massively improved compared to the demo.”
“The campaign is a completely linear story with fixed encounters.”
“There are no dialogue choices or side quests, and the story is fairly basic, though the setting is cool.”
- gameplay44 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is heavily focused on combat, providing an engaging and tactical experience that effectively teaches the mechanics of Pathfinder 2e. Players appreciate the intuitive design and variety of encounters, which go beyond simple fights to incorporate different objectives, making it a solid introduction for newcomers to tabletop RPGs. While the graphics and presentation are basic, the game excels in showcasing the depth of Pathfinder 2e's combat system, making it a recommended choice for those looking to learn the rules and enjoy a fun gaming experience.
“I ended up getting exactly what I wanted - a sense of how the mechanics I'd read about actually played - but I was surprised at just how engaging the combats were.”
“The gameplay and encounter design was quite good as well - there's more to it than just a series of fights, and they shake things up with different objectives that actually do make use of some of Pathfinder's combat-adjacent systems.”
“Pathfinder 2nd Edition is a magnificent system, and this is an exceptionally faithful adaptation of it; you could teach someone 80% of PF2E combat mechanics with Dawnsbury Days.”
“The actual gameplay is entirely combat, so if that turns you off, I guess you wouldn't like it.”
“Some mechanics are missing to account for the simpler medium of a video game such as inventory bulk, but a glaring omission was skill feats.”
“However, there is nothing more immersion-breaking to me than when the characters in a game talk about game mechanics in-text.”
- humor33 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of charming dialogue, 4th-wall breaks, and tongue-in-cheek references, reminiscent of B-movie one-liners and the style of "Order of the Stick." While some voice acting is criticized for being cheesy, the overall comedic tone is well-received, adding heart to the narrative and enhancing the enjoyment of tactical combat. Players appreciate the blend of humor and gameplay, making it a fun solo adventure for fans of the PF2E system.
“The humor and tongue-in-cheek dialogue from enemies is fabulous.”
“If you want a solo adventure to check out the rules or a fun 3-6 hour romp (depending on familiarity with the game systems) with a great sense of humor, this is a game you will enjoy.”
“Imagine a blend of b-movie one-liners and awkwardly timed humor, and you've got the essence of this game’s narrative style.”
- graphics22 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are described as simple and minimalist, yet they effectively complement the overall aesthetic and gameplay experience. Unique artwork for spells and items, along with basic graphical effects, showcase the developers' attention to detail. While the visuals may not be groundbreaking, they are deemed serviceable for the game's low price, and the inclusion of good voice acting enhances the overall presentation.
“You can tell a lot of love and thought has gone into making this game, with unique artwork for each spell, icons for each weapon or item, and even some simple spell effects.”
“Haven't beaten the campaign yet but it's a nice little CRPG with clean visuals and surprisingly good voice acting.”
“The graphics and gameplay are, again, quite basic but it works to the game's advantage.”
“The voice acting caught me off guard and genuinely makes up for the lack of graphical style.”
“The art style exists.”
“The graphics and gameplay are quite basic, but it works to the game's advantage.”
- replayability20 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability due to its customizable hero builds, the ability to replay the campaign with different team compositions, and ongoing content updates from the developers. Players appreciate the solid encounter design and mod support, which further enhance the game's longevity. Overall, it is highly recommended for fans of CRPGs and tabletop roleplay looking for a fun and engaging experience.
“There's already enough replay value just with the basic campaign in that you get 4 fixed hero personalities, but you're free to customize their builds to your heart's content, even before touching mods or additional modules.”
“The customization options and mod support make for lots of replayability.”
“I don't know how much replayability exists with the story mode, other than wishing to try other class combinations.”
“There's replay value in rebuilding your team differently each time.”
“You can replay the short campaign with your own custom party, giving you additional replay value, and from what I've seen, the creators have already been patching in new classes as they go.”
- music12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the surprisingly good soundtrack, others find it repetitive, particularly during gameplay, as it primarily features a single track for encounters. Although the option to disable the music exists, many users express a desire for a more varied and engaging musical experience. Overall, the music is considered serviceable but leaves room for improvement.
“The soundtrack is also surprisingly good.”
“The graphics and music are serviceable to the cost of the game.”
“The music gets really repetitive after your first playthrough (but can be disabled).”
“I hope you like the song they use for the encounters, because it's the only piece that the game uses for gameplay.”
“I know that a lot of work went into creating and automating the classes and enemies and that this is a labor of love, but I just felt wanting more of everything: better music, better art, better story.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a cute and wholesome story that resonates with players, despite its challenging moments. Users appreciate the depth of character customization, which adds to the replay value, though some express a desire for more interactive storytelling elements.
“The story is cute and wholesome, although I'd like to be able to interact with it in some way.”
“Very wholesome while being quite hard at times.”
“Very wholesome while being quite hard at times.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is generally lacking, prompting players to start on medium or easy difficulty for a better experience. While it mirrors the mechanics of 2e on hard mode, the absence of certain skill feats may make it feel easier for those familiar with Pathfinder 2e, especially since players can control party optimization more effectively than in typical gameplay scenarios.
“The game will work almost identically to 2e on the hard difficulty minus the absence of all skill feats except intimidating glare, though it might feel easy for anyone with actual pf2e experience because you can perfectly control full party optimization, when a lot of real players often intentionally break optimization for roleplaying purposes.”
“They're not particularly optimized, so start on medium or easy.”
“I feel like a lot of that has to do with a lack of direction for the performances rather than a lack of talent, but I had to mention it.”
