Dread Dawn
- September 30, 2024
- Kioop
- 33h median play time
Get on Steam"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
Reviews
- The game has a huge world to explore with a decent variety of weapons and crafting mechanics.
- The atmosphere is engaging, with random events and NPC interactions that add to the experience.
- The developers are actively updating the game, showing commitment to improving the overall experience.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs, including crashes and animation issues that hinder gameplay.
- The UI is clunky and lacks essential features like keybinding options and clear inventory management.
- The story and dialogue are poorly written and often confusing, detracting from the overall immersion.
- story109 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around a college student navigating a zombie outbreak while assisting both military forces and fellow students, creating a tense atmosphere that enhances the survival experience. However, many players find the narrative lacking depth, with poorly developed characters and confusing plot points that detract from immersion. While some appreciate the initial premise and exploration opportunities, the overall execution of the story is often criticized as janky and underwhelming, leaving room for significant improvement.
“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.”
“The story being set at the stage where people know something is going on, but not quite what, was a really good choice.”
“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.”
- gameplay44 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a vast open world, a variety of weapons, and crafting mechanics, offering a mix of survival and tower defense elements. While many players appreciate the engaging mechanics and the fun of looting and base building, there are criticisms regarding clunky UI, repetitive tasks, and a lack of polish in certain areas. Overall, the core gameplay is seen as strong, but it requires further refinement and balancing to enhance the overall experience.
“A huge world to explore, a decent variety of weapons, some standard crafting mechanics, and the fact that you're not completely alone and can find friendly and hostile NPCs.”
“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.”
“While the game's loot pool is not the greatest, the gameplay feels phenomenal. It really plays out like the demo I tried out months ago, definitely some fun.”
“Good premise, absolutely dogshit gameplay.”
“Lackluster UI, lackluster gameplay, lackluster fighting, lackluster AI, lackluster NPCs, lackluster translations, lackluster everything.”
“However, it is currently held back by a lack of polish, missing features like multiplayer, and poor design choices in its tutorial, interfaces, and gameplay.”
- graphics19 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the unique cartoon-like art style and atmospheric lighting, while others criticize the limited graphical options and performance optimization that detracts from the overall experience. Many find the visuals charming and fitting for the intended old-school survival horror aesthetic, though there are concerns about certain sprites clashing with the overall design. Additionally, issues with audio integration have been noted, impacting the immersive quality of the game.
“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.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to inventory management issues and the repetitive nature of looting and farming. While there are various survival options available, many feel that the farming system lacks quality-of-life improvements and that the initial missions are overly long and monotonous, detracting from the overall experience. Despite some recent updates improving farming locations, the grind remains a significant concern for players.
“However, inventory management can be a pain because the game gets really grindy, and there are times when your supplies and weapons may not be enough. You might carry too much expecting it to be useful, only to find out that their use is limited to base defending and extremely limited in other aspects.”
“Looting is tedious and frustrating.”
“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.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative 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, adding depth and enjoyment to the gameplay.
“The atmosphere is on point, and the game really leverages its art style to do some cool things.”
“Very atmospheric and I haven't encountered any bugs or anything like that yet.”
“And by that I mean, the game's setting and atmosphere can be very immersive and scary at times.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues due to the high number of files the game requires to load, while others report smooth gameplay even in intense scenarios. Critics note that the graphics suffer as a result of attempts to optimize performance, and there are calls for improvements in looting mechanics and auto-looting features. Overall, the optimization appears to be a contentious aspect, with varying experiences among players.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“The reason this game has bad graphics is because it is trying to optimize performance.”
“Bizarre performance issues.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as "hilariously bad," with many reviewers noting its rough execution and lazy design choices. While some elements, like invincible NPCs, provide unintentional comedy, the overall tone is criticized for being raunchy and inappropriate, lacking charm and coherence. Additionally, the inadequate content warnings regarding sexual themes further detract from the game's comedic value, making it unsuitable for younger audiences.
“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 hilariously bad.”
- music5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game has received criticism for its lack of options, with players noting the absence of separate controls for music and sound effects, leading to overwhelming audio experiences. The single master volume control results in a cacophony of sounds that detracts from gameplay, causing issues with situational awareness and immersion. Overall, the limited auditory settings have negatively impacted the gaming experience.
“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.”
“You get one option, which is the master volume option; there are no effects or separate music controls.”
“It has sound in the sound menu, but there is 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.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with users expressing disappointment over its lack of depth and immersion compared to its advertised features. Many feel that the game was released prematurely without adequate playtesting, leading to a perception of it being a money-making venture rather than a quality product. Overall, players advise against purchasing it, citing inadequate supporting components that detract from the experience.
“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.”
“Don't understand why all these goofy companies keep releasing their games before playtesting them. It still needs so much work; can't get my refund though. Awesome, thanks for the cash grab game.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is generally considered solid, but users report frequent bugs that can detract from the experience, leading to confusion and occasional frustration. While some players may enjoy it, the instability may not appeal to everyone.
“To sum this all up, it's a solid game, but it's not for everyone and it can be buggy at certain times.”
“Kinda buggy as well.”
“Confusing, buggy, not very fun.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative 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 the overall immersion. Additionally, some users feel that the user interface could be improved to enhance the emotional engagement.
