Dawnsbury Days

About

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

98%

Audience ScoreBased on 360 reviews

story27 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

Faithful adaptation of Pathfinder 2e rules, making it a great learning tool for new players.
Charming story and characters with humorous, fourth-wall-breaking dialogue that adds to the fun.
Excellent mod support allows for customization and expansion of content, enhancing replayability.

The campaign is relatively short, lasting only about 4-5 hours, which may leave players wanting more.
Limited character customization options and missing some core classes and features from the tabletop version.
Voice acting and writing quality can be inconsistent, with some performances feeling flat or cringeworthy.

story
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
69%
3%
The game's story is generally described as simple and linear, serving primarily as a backdrop for combat encounters rather than a robust narrative experience. While some players appreciate its lighthearted and humorous tone, often filled with meta references, others find it lacking depth and exploration opportunities. Overall, the story is considered enjoyable and charming for a short playthrough, but it is not the main draw of the game, which focuses more on combat mechanics.
- “An excellent port of an excellent tabletop RPG system is one thing, but then it also had the gall to have a sweet and funny story and a surprisingly varied encounter design.”
- “The story is cute and progresses nicely with risk, and it does increase in difficulty although it was short to complete.”
- “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.”
- “The game is focused on combat encounters, so if you are expecting a more Baldur's Gate, Pillars of Eternity, or other CRPG robust social and party interactions, you sadly won't find them, and the story is fairly basic with not really a lot of exploration, even dungeon crawling.”
- “The story is basic, but still cute, and the voice acting has massively improved compared to the demo.”
- “The main story and characters are quite lackluster, and there's no actual way to change any of your party's personalities.”
gameplay
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
65%
10%
The gameplay is a faithful adaptation of the Pathfinder 2e mechanics, providing an engaging and tactical experience that serves as an excellent introduction to the system for new players. While some players find the references to game mechanics in dialogue immersion-breaking, others appreciate the endearing nature of these interactions. Overall, the game features solid mechanics, varied encounters, and a fun combat system, despite its simplistic graphics and voice acting.
- “The game’s mechanics follow the Pathfinder 2e rule set to a T, with precise implementations of complex systems like action economy, character classes, feats, and skill checks.”
- “I'll almost certainly be recommending this to anyone in the future who is interested in getting into Pathfinder 2e, as it is a good representation of gameplay within the system, proving that the pen and paper system of 2e can easily be adapted into a fun and engaging game.”
- “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.”
- “The stories are trite and stupid, the voice acting is so bad it'll make you physically cringe, the characterizations are just stereotypes of a class/race, immersion is constantly broken by the characters speaking about game mechanics in casual conversation, and the assets are worse than what you can get from free packs.”
- “However, there is nothing more immersion breaking to me than when the characters in a game talk about game mechanics in-text.”
- “The actual gameplay is entirely combat, so if that turns you off, I guess you wouldn't like it.”
humor
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of meta references, tongue-in-cheek dialogue, and a mix of B-movie one-liners, creating a lighthearted atmosphere that resonates well with players. While some voice acting and humor may feel hit-or-miss, the overall comedic tone, including fourth-wall breaks and clever character interactions, adds charm and enjoyment to the narrative. Players appreciate the balance of humor with engaging gameplay, making it a fun experience for both fans of tabletop RPGs and newcomers alike.
- “An excellent port of an excellent tabletop RPG system is one thing, but then it also had the gall to have a sweet and funny story and a surprisingly varied encounter design.”
- “Imagine a blend of B-movie one-liners and awkwardly timed humor, and you've got the essence of this game’s narrative style.”
- “The humor and tongue-in-cheek dialogue from enemies is fabulous.”
graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
53%
18%
The graphics of the game are generally described as simplistic and basic, yet charming, with a minimalist aesthetic that some players appreciate. While the visuals may not be cutting-edge, they are complemented by unique artwork, clean designs, and effective spell effects, contributing to an enjoyable gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics serve the game well, especially considering its low price and strong mechanics.
- “Beneath the simplistic visuals lies an excellently designed little game.”
- “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.”
- “The charming simple aesthetic combined with a great and faithful rendition of pf2e in a unique setting is great fun.”
- “The story and graphics are pretty rough to get over but if you're like me and just like making parties and characters and trying out combat, you'll love this.”
- “The graphics and music are serviceable to the cost of the game.”
- “It may have poor (but charming!) graphics, but mechanics are great, gameplay is really fun, and story is interesting.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
10%
30%
The game offers significant replayability through its customizable team-building options and the ability to experiment with different class combinations. Players can enjoy multiple playthroughs of the short campaign, enhanced by mod support and ongoing content updates from the developers. Overall, it is highly recommended for fans of CRPGs and tabletop roleplay due to its engaging mechanics and replay value.
- “The customization options and mod support make for lots of replayability.”
- “With a super cheap price tag and high replay value, this game is definitely worth the purchase.”
- “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.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The music in the game is generally considered serviceable, with some players appreciating the quality of the soundtrack while others find it repetitive, particularly during encounters. Although the game features a limited selection of tracks, it allows players to disable the music if desired. Overall, there is a sense that the music could have been more varied and engaging.
- “The soundtrack is also surprisingly good.”
- “I hope you like the song they use for the encounters, because it's the only piece that the game uses for gameplay.”
- “The music gets really repetitive after your first playthrough (but can be disabled).”
- “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.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its wholesome and heartwarming narrative, which leaves players feeling happy upon completion. While the story is engaging, some players desire more interactive elements to deepen their emotional connection. The game also offers replay value through customizable hero builds, enhancing the overall experience.
- “It's exactly what it looks like, and it made me feel warm and happy after completing it.”
- “Very wholesome while being quite hard at times.”
- “The story is cute and wholesome, although I'd like to be able to interact with it in some way.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's optimization is perceived as lacking, suggesting players start on medium or easy difficulty for a better experience. While it functions similarly to its predecessor on hard mode, experienced players may find it easier due to their ability to fully optimize their party, contrasting with the more casual approach of many real players who prioritize roleplaying over optimization.
- “The game will work almost identically to 2E on the hard difficulty, minus the absence of all skill feats except Intimidating Glare. It might feel easy for anyone with actual PF2E experience because you can perfectly control full party optimization, while many 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.”