Dread Dawn

About

Dread Dawn is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Kioop and was released on September 30, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"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

Skip User Reviews

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 399 reviews

story27 positive mentions

grinding19 negative mentions

The game has a charming atmosphere and engaging gameplay that keeps players interested.
It features a large, immersive world with plenty of NPCs and dynamic events, making it feel alive.
The developers are actively updating the game, addressing bugs and adding new content frequently.

The game suffers from a lack of polish, with clunky UI and poorly translated dialogue that detracts from the experience.
Many players find the combat mechanics frustrating, with inconsistent hitboxes and unresponsive AI companions.
The tutorial is overly long and can be confusing, leading to a poor first impression for new players.

story
225 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
82%
6%
The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it to be flat and overly linear, often feeling like a lengthy tutorial rather than an engaging narrative. While some appreciate the basic premise of searching for a sister amidst a zombie apocalypse and the potential for exploration, others criticize the writing quality, pacing, and lack of meaningful side quests. Overall, the game offers a simple storyline that serves as a backdrop for gameplay mechanics, but it may not satisfy those looking for a deep or immersive narrative experience.
- “The game pretty much immediately puts you into the thick of it with the first mission being a trek across the entire map until you find your sister.”
- “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.”
- “Loving the story-driven campaign, this is not just a tower defense game or a survival game.”
- “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
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
68%
9%
The gameplay is a mixed bag, featuring engaging mechanics like resource collection, fortification building, and a fast-paced combat system that some players find addictive. However, it suffers from clunky UI, basic skill systems, and a lack of polish, leading to repetitive elements and frustrating encounters, particularly with bandits. While the core gameplay has potential and charm, many players feel it needs significant improvements and updates to reach its full potential.
- “The gameplay is fast-paced and the gunplay reminds me of the original series.”
- “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 months ago, definitely some fun.”
- “Ui and some mechanics are quite clunky.”
- “There's no clever mechanics for dodging or evasion and you inevitably take damage, which you constantly need to repair by eating food/health items.”
- “Lackluster UI, lackluster gameplay, lackluster fighting, lackluster AI, lackluster NPCs, lackluster translations, lackluster everything.”
graphics
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
67%
11%
The graphics of the game are generally considered acceptable, with a charming art style that grows on players over time, though some find the visuals inconsistent, particularly with certain sprites. While the atmosphere and lighting contribute positively to the experience, there are significant concerns regarding the lack of graphical options and performance optimization, leading to questions about the game's large file size. Overall, the visuals show potential but are hampered by technical limitations and a lack of depth.
- “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.”
- “So, yes, 'Dread Dawn' indeed shows potential with its visuals, world-building, and NPC systems.”
- “The reason this game has bad graphics is because it is trying to optimize performance.”
- “Graphics look odd the more you play; there are some sprites that do not fit the rest of the art style in my opinion.”
- “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.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly regarding looting and inventory management, which detracts from the overall experience. While there are various survival options like farming and crafting, many feel that the initial missions are overly long and repetitive, making the game less engaging. Recent updates have improved farming locations, but further quality-of-life enhancements are still needed to alleviate the grind.
- “Looting is tedious and frustrating.”
- “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 and their use is limited to base defending.”
- “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.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and engaging qualities, enhanced by a distinctive art style and lively NPC interactions. Reviewers note that it effectively creates a captivating and sometimes scary environment, making it a standout feature, especially for its price point. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's appeal, drawing players into its world.
- “The atmosphere is on point, and the game really leverages its art style to do some cool things.”
- “The game's setting and atmosphere can be very immersive and scary at times.”
- “The world feels a bit more lively with NPCs around, and I enjoy the atmosphere.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
30%
The music aspect of the game has received significant criticism due to the lack of customizable audio options, with players only able to adjust a single master volume. This limitation has resulted in overwhelming soundscapes, including incessant NPC screams, which detract from gameplay and situational awareness. Overall, the absence of background music and the inability to balance sound effects contribute to a frustrating auditory 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, 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.”
- “There is no background music whatsoever.”
- “You get one option, which is the master volume option; there are no effects or music settings.”
optimization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
Overall, optimization in the game has received mixed reviews. While some players report smooth performance even in high-stress scenarios, others experience significant issues likely due to the game's bloated file structure and reliance on discrete GPUs. Additionally, there are calls for improvements in looting mechanics and graphics quality, which some attribute to the optimization efforts.
- “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.”
- “The reason this game has bad graphics is because it is trying to optimize performance.”
- “Bizarre performance issues.”
- “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.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as inconsistent and often falls flat, with some players finding it "hilariously bad" rather than charming. Critics point out that the humor feels lazy and indicative of budget cuts, while also noting the presence of raunchy and sexual content that may not be suitable for younger audiences. Overall, the comedic elements seem to detract from the experience rather than enhance it.
- “Admittedly, it is rough around the edges; some of the sound mixing is a bit off, but it's funny watching story-important NPCs run with a horde.”
- “This game is hilariously bad.”
- “Its hilariously bad.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been described as somewhat unstable, with frequent bugs that can lead to confusion and frustration, such as friendly airstrikes inadvertently harming players. While some users find it solid overall, the instability may detract from the experience for others.
- “Kinda buggy as well.”
- “Confusing, buggy, not very fun.”
- “I mean, sure it's buggy; sure, friendly airstrikes sometimes hit you.”
monetization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game has been widely criticized as a cash grab, with players expressing disappointment over its lack of depth and immersion compared to its advertised aesthetic. Many reviewers feel that the game was released prematurely, lacking essential components and playtesting, leading to a negative overall 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.”
- “By all intents and purposes, the parts of the game that aren't enjoyable are the supporting components not shown in advertising. These components, while admittedly hard to get right from a development standpoint, are just fundamentally inadequate.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is marked by frustration, particularly during combat scenarios where players feel unfairly penalized for minor interactions, such as touching zombies. While there are positive elements, the overall experience is marred by these frustrating mechanics.