Dread Dawn

69%
Game Brain Score Based on 268 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Dread Dawn Game Cover
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"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.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

69%
Audience ScoreBased on 268 reviews
story17 positive mentions
grinding12 negative mentions
  • The game has a visually appealing environment and a well-built world that immerses players in the zombie apocalypse setting.
  • The concept of combining tower defense mechanics with survival elements is intriguing and offers potential for engaging gameplay.
  • The developers are actively updating the game, showing responsiveness to player feedback and a commitment to improving the overall experience.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, significantly impacting the gameplay experience and leading to lost progress.
  • The dialogue and story are poorly written and often feel unnatural, detracting from the overall immersion and enjoyment.
  • The combat mechanics are clunky and lack feedback, making encounters with zombies feel tedious and unengaging.
  • story124 mentions

    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 initial premise of a zombie outbreak and the exploration elements, others 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 overall gameplay experience.

    • “I'm 25 hours into the story mode and still haven't finished it, but I'm at the final quests.”
    • “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 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.”
  • gameplay54 mentions

    The gameplay is a mixed bag, featuring a large open world with engaging mechanics like resource collection, crafting, and tower defense elements, but it suffers from glitches and a lack of polish. While many players appreciate the fun and variety in combat and exploration, others criticize the balance, AI behavior, and repetitive tasks. Overall, the core gameplay is seen as strong with potential for improvement, making it enjoyable for those willing to invest time despite its rough edges.

    • “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, with a vast array 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.”
    • “It has a good base of mechanics and content for a new release.”
    • “Gameplay balance makes the game really easy.”
    • “Good premise, absolutely terrible gameplay.”
    • “Lackluster UI, lackluster gameplay, lackluster fighting, lackluster AI, lackluster NPCs, lackluster translations, lackluster everything.”
  • graphics21 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the charming art style and unique dark aesthetic, while others criticize the cartoonish top-down view and inconsistent sprite designs. Some users noted performance optimization issues and a lack of graphical options, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these concerns, the visuals contribute positively to the game's atmosphere and world-building, suggesting potential for future improvements.

    • “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.”
  • grinding12 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the repetitive nature of looting and farming, which can detract from the overall experience. While the farming system has potential, it requires quality-of-life improvements, such as reducing the need for constant replanting and enhancing inventory management. Many users express a desire for more engaging content and dynamic events to alleviate the monotony of grinding tasks.

    • “The devs hurt themselves putting this game in full release instead of early access, but it's got my attention so far, but 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, and times where you carried too much expecting that they will all be useful only for you to find out that there is not much you can do with them.”
    • “Looting is tedious and frustrating.”
  • optimization9 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, including hitching and slowdowns, attributed to the game's large file size and complexity. While a few users report smooth performance even in demanding scenarios, others criticize the overall optimization, suggesting that it struggles to manage its extensive assets effectively. Additionally, there are concerns about graphics quality being sacrificed in the pursuit of better performance.

    • “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 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 discrete GPU.”
    • “Bizarre performance issues.”
  • stability7 mentions

    The game is frequently described as buggy, with various mechanics needing improvement and inconsistent performance affecting gameplay. While some aspects are solid, the overall experience can be marred by glitches and confusing elements, making it less enjoyable for certain players.

    • “The mechanics are mostly bug-free, providing a solid foundation for gameplay.”
    • “The game runs smoothly with minimal crashes, enhancing the overall experience.”
    • “I appreciate the consistent performance, which allows for immersive gameplay without interruptions.”
    • “The game is very buggy; there are 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.”
  • atmosphere7 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive and engaging qualities, with a unique feel that sets it apart from similar titles like Project Zomboid. Reviewers highlight the effective use of art style and the presence of NPCs, which contribute to a lively and sometimes eerie environment, enhancing the overall experience. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a strong point, especially for its price.

    • “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.”
  • music6 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its quality while others criticize the lack of customizable audio options. Many users report issues with overwhelming sound effects and a complete absence of background music, leading to frustration and diminished situational awareness during gameplay. Overall, the limited audio settings detract from the experience, overshadowing the otherwise charming art style and engaging gameplay.

    • “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.”
    • “It has sound in the sound menu, but there's no option to change the loudness of music, voices, guns, or weapons.”
    • “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. Almost all audio is synced into either 'main' or 'background', with no option for music, voices, etc. This led to initial ear pain from a cacophony of endless screaming NPC loops with no discernible source, and later a loss of situational awareness entirely.”
    • “There is no background music whatsoever.”
    • “You get one option, which is the master volume option; there are no effects or music settings.”
  • monetization5 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with players expressing disappointment over its lack of depth and immersion compared to its advertised features. Many users feel that the game was released prematurely without adequate playtesting, leading to a perception that it prioritizes profit over quality. Overall, there is a strong sentiment urging potential buyers to avoid spending money on it.

    • “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.”
  • humor5 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as "hilariously bad," with a mix of rough execution and lazy design choices that detract from its charm. While some players find amusement in the game's shortcomings, others criticize its inappropriate content and inadequate ratings, suggesting it is not suitable for children. Overall, the humor seems to stem more from the game's flaws than intentional comedic elements.

    • “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).”
    • “This game is hilariously bad.”
    • “It's not charming or funny; it's just lazy and shows how much they cut the budget or don't care.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    While the emotional experience of the game is generally positive, players express frustration with certain gameplay mechanics, such as unfair damage from zombies in the police station, which detracts from immersion. Additionally, some users feel that UI elements could be improved to enhance the overall emotional engagement.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

10hMedian play time
18hAverage play time
5-40hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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