Dread Dawn

About

"Dread Dawn" is an open-world zombie survival sandbox game set in a quarantined city with a robust storyline and various public facilities. As a student left behind, you must survive by defending your camp and gathering resources with other survivors. Utilize materials for construction to enhance your chances of survival. Follow the developer on social media for updates.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 566 reviews

story36 positive mentions

grinding28 negative mentions

The game has a visually appealing environment and engaging atmosphere.
Combat mechanics can be satisfying, especially when dealing with hordes of zombies.
The developers are actively updating the game, showing commitment to improvements.

The game feels unfinished and lacks polish, with many bugs and glitches.
The story and dialogue are poorly written and often confusing.
The tutorial is overly long and tedious, making it hard to get into the actual gameplay.

story
262 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
80%
6%
The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it bland, poorly written, and filled with nonsensical dialogue. While some appreciate the premise of a zombie outbreak set in a college environment, they criticize the linearity and lack of depth in character interactions and plot development. Overall, the narrative is seen as a weak point, detracting from the gameplay experience despite some players enjoying the side quests and exploration opportunities.
- “Having played story mode solely so far, I can say this has been a very good experience in which you, a college student, must help both the military and remaining students hold the campus during the initial stages of a zombie outbreak in the city.”
- “While the premise of finding your sister is pretty simple for the general storyline, it drives you to explore the world and the many locations within it.”
- “The story setting and the gradual escalation of zombie infection is actually pretty good!”
- “The story starts off extremely bland and generic, and you're almost left confused as to why you should even participate in the world they created.”
- “The story is terribly written and boring.”
- “They clearly rushed what must be the tutorial and came up with a barely coherent story.”
gameplay
118 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
67%
8%
Gameplay in this title is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics, including resource collection, crafting, and tower defense elements, set in a large open world filled with both friendly and hostile NPCs. While many players appreciate the fun and variety offered by the gunplay and crafting systems, there are notable criticisms regarding balance, polish, and some clunky mechanics, leading to a somewhat janky experience. Overall, the core gameplay loop is seen as strong, but it requires further refinement and updates to reach its full potential.
- “But the game is fun in general and the gameplay is nice; I had fun playing it... recommended!”
- “The gameplay is really what keeps me going; I love how punchy the firearms feel, and there is not a lack of weapons in general, very vast amounts of melee and firearms for many different playstyles.”
- “Overall, I'd say it feels rough around the edges, but the core gameplay is actually very strong; it's like a mix of Project Zomboid with 7 Days to Die.”
- “Good premise, absolutely dogshit gameplay.”
- “Gameplay is repetitive, I literally held shift and ran to each waypoint over and over again which I then noticed I was still in the tutorial.”
- “Lackluster UI, lackluster gameplay, lackluster fighting, lackluster AI, lackluster NPCs, lackluster translations, lackluster everything.”
graphics
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
69%
9%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the charming art style and unique dark aesthetic, while others criticize the cartoonish top-down view and inconsistent sprite quality. Many users noted performance optimization issues, particularly regarding compatibility with certain graphics cards, and a lack of graphical options, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these concerns, the visuals are seen as having potential, especially in the context of the game's atmosphere and world-building.
- “The lighting combined with the dark aesthetic gives such a unique style, in addition to the variety of NPC-occupied bases with different dialog events, making the world feel more alive.”
- “The atmosphere is on point, and the game really leverages its art style to do some cool things.”
- “When I realized what the game was trying to go for, old-school survival horror with puzzle elements, I found the graphics to be quite charming and endearing.”
- “The top-down view and cartoon-like graphics might be an issue for some people.”
- “Graphics are acceptable, but given the limited map size and lack of audio, I'm left wondering why the game file is 20GB?”
- “The reason this game has bad graphics is because it is trying to optimize performance.”
grinding
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly in terms of looting and farming. While the farming system functions as intended, it lacks quality-of-life improvements, such as reducing the need for constant replanting and allowing NPCs to assist with farming tasks. Overall, the repetitive nature of searching for items and managing inventory detracts from the game's enjoyment, making it feel less engaging over time.
- “The devs hurt themselves putting this game in full release instead of early access, but it's got my attention so far. However, it does become so tedious to search a million places for just 1 to 2 items at a time.”
- “However, inventory management can be a pain because the game gets really grindy, and there are times where your supplies and weapons may not be enough. You may find yourself carrying too much, expecting that everything will be useful, only to discover that their use is limited to base defending and extremely limited in other aspects.”
- “Nails the outbreak and the scary feels of the apocalypse, but the tediousness of the missions makes the game less scary, boring, and not really playable.”
optimization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
61%
22%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, including "hitching" and slowdowns due to the game's bloated file structure, which includes over 378,000 files. While some users report smooth performance even under heavy load, others criticize the graphics and overall optimization, suggesting that the game struggles to balance performance with visual fidelity. Additionally, features like looting could benefit from further optimization.
- “I have had no performance issues, even with hundreds (maybe thousands) of zombies pouring out of windows and alleyways (Zephyrus G14 laptop for reference). The first hour or so of the story mode is a good introduction to the premise, and while a bit slow getting started, I did find myself enjoying the characters and dialogue.”
- “The reason this game has bad graphics is because it is trying to optimize performance.”
- “Combat seems to be fixed, looting can be optimized better, especially AOE looting; the auto looting feature is a little underwhelming to say the least.”
- “Performance 'hitching' regardless of hardware.”
- “This is probably the reason why the game is bloated, and why for some folks are having performance issues at certain points in the game because your computer has to read hundreds of thousands of those files (378,846 files, 4,046 folders), which explains why the developer wants the game to run on a discreet GPU.”
- “Speaking of badly optimized games... this is outrageous!”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
86%
The game is frequently described as "buggy," with players encountering various glitches and issues that detract from the overall experience. While some mechanics function well, there are significant areas needing improvement, and the lack of settings options adds to the frustration. Overall, the stability of the game is inconsistent, making it less enjoyable for many players.
- “The mechanics are mostly bug-free, which enhances the overall gameplay experience.”
- “The game runs smoothly with minimal bugs, providing a stable environment for players.”
- “While there are some areas for improvement, the stability of the mechanics is commendable.”
- “The game is very buggy, there is little to no settings options, the storyline is dry and makes no sense.”
- “To sum this all up, it's a solid game, but it's not for everyone and it can be buggy at certain times.”
- “Confusing, buggy, not very fun.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and engaging qualities, with many reviewers noting its effective use of art style to enhance the experience. The presence of NPCs adds to the liveliness of the world, creating a unique and sometimes scary ambiance that stands out, especially when compared to similar titles like Project Zomboid. Overall, players find the atmosphere to be a strong point, contributing significantly to their enjoyment of the game.
- “The atmosphere is on point, and the game really leverages its art style to do some cool things.”
- “The world feels a bit more lively with NPCs around, and I enjoy the atmosphere.”
- “And by that I mean, the game's setting and atmosphere can be very immersive and scary at times.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The music in the game is noted to have a good quality and contributes to a creepy atmosphere; however, players are frustrated by the lack of customizable audio options, as all sounds are grouped into a single volume control. This limitation leads to issues with overwhelming sound effects, particularly from NPCs, which can detract from gameplay and situational awareness. Overall, while the soundtrack has potential, the current audio settings hinder the experience significantly.
- “Very creepy tone and soundtrack.”
- “Music's pretty good too, in some respects.”
- “The core gameplay loop can be solid, the art style has a charm, and the prospects of the upcoming 'director' mode definitely hold interest.”
- “The core gameplay loop can be solid, the art style has a charm and the prospects of the upcoming 'director' mode definitely hold interest, but there are inherent issues concerning the lack of graphical and more importantly auditory options at the moment, as almost all audio is synced into either 'main' or 'background', with no option for music, voices, etc. This led to initial ear pain at a cacophony of endless screaming NPC loops with no discernible source, then later a loss of situational awareness entirely.”
- “You get one option, which is the master volume option, no effects, music.”
- “Doesn't have a setting to lower music down and it is very loud; there is no sneak, so you will always get attacked by zombies and die a lot because of this.”
monetization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game has been widely criticized, with many users feeling it resembles a cash grab rather than a genuine effort to deliver a quality experience. Players express disappointment over the lack of depth and immersion, suggesting that the game was released prematurely without adequate playtesting. Overall, there is a strong sentiment urging potential buyers to avoid spending money on what is perceived as an exploitative product.
- “It seems like a cash grab and run type of game which disappoints me because I was actually excited to play this game.”
- “Please, for the love of indie stone, don't waste your money on this game; it's a cash grab intended to emulate the aesthetic of Zomboid without providing any real depth or immersion.”
- “By all intents and purposes, the parts of the game which aren't enjoyable are the supporting components not shown in advertising, components which, whilst admittedly hard to get right from a development standpoint, are just fundamentally inadequate.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as "hilariously bad," with many reviewers noting its rough execution and lazy design choices, such as invincible NPCs that create unintentionally funny moments. While there are elements of raunchy and sexual humor, the overall consensus is that the humor lacks charm and feels more like a result of budget cuts than intentional comedic design. Additionally, the inadequate content warnings raise concerns about the game's suitability for younger audiences.
- “This game is hilariously bad.”
- “Admittedly, it is rough around the edges; some of the sound mixing is a bit off, and story-important NPCs are invincible (it's funny watching them run with a horde).”
- “Its hilariously bad.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed, with players expressing frustration over certain mechanics, such as unfair damage from zombies in close encounters. However, there are also positive sentiments regarding the overall experience, suggesting that while some elements need improvement, the game still resonates emotionally with players.