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TheDawn is a third-person shooting game about the journey of Maya, with superpowers who can manipulate time, and Max, the hacker who helps her. Will they be able to save mankind and face a new dawn?

TheDawn screenshot
TheDawn screenshot
TheDawn screenshot
TheDawn screenshot
TheDawn screenshot
TheDawn screenshot
TheDawn screenshot
TheDawn screenshot
TheDawn screenshot
TheDawn screenshot
TheDawn screenshot
+4
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93%
Audience ScoreBased on 4,284 reviews
gameplay556 positive mentions
optimization24 negative mentions

  • Great graphics and smooth gameplay mechanics, especially the time manipulation abilities.
  • Fun and challenging boss fight that requires learning attack patterns.
  • Short but enjoyable experience, perfect for a quick gaming session.
  • Game is very short, taking only about 30-60 minutes to complete.
  • Lack of graphical settings and resolution options can hinder gameplay experience.
  • Some bugs and glitches, particularly during the boss fight, can lead to frustrating moments.
  • gameplay
    972 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of this title is generally praised for its fluidity, engaging mechanics, and unique time manipulation features, making it a fun and fast-paced experience. However, many reviewers note that the game is quite short, typically lasting around 30 minutes to an hour, and could benefit from additional content, polish, and variety in enemy types. While the core mechanics are solid and enjoyable, some players found the gameplay to become repetitive and expressed a desire for more depth and complexity in future updates.

    • “The gameplay is crisp.”
    • “The gameplay oh boy, the gameplay, it is simply fluid, fast-paced, easy to learn, hard to master, and fun.”
    • “For the most part the gunplay is responsive, the abilities are fun (watching projectiles get time stopped is always a treat) and it had just the right amount of difficulty to get you to engage with all the game's mechanics.”
    • “The roughly built mechanics make this feel like a 'first game in a series.' Solid, but needs more polish.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, as expected from an inexperienced development team, there is not much variety and animations are average.”
    • “The game is built well graphically; however, I feel like it is lacking substance when it comes to gameplay. It just seems like an all-out brawl against robots, which can be somewhat enjoyable, but it gets very repetitive very quickly.”
  • story
    508 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is generally perceived as short and simplistic, often described as a basic narrative about AI domination that lacks depth and character development. While some players appreciate the intriguing premise and potential for expansion, many feel that the brevity of the story limits emotional engagement and overall impact. Overall, the consensus is that while the story is enjoyable for its length, it leaves players wanting more depth and content.

    • “Despite the limitations typically associated with indie developers, it manages to deliver a captivating and well-constructed story.”
    • “The story was short but efficient, the dialogs give some life to the characters (although not too much but it's hard to blame them with such a short game).”
    • “Very much enjoyed, combat was smooth and challenging and story was interesting with good flow.”
    • “The game is too short for there to really be any story.”
    • “Because it is such a short game you don't really attach yourself to Maya or Max (which are the only primary characters) and there isn't any depth to the story, which is fine because the developers' main goal was to deliver a short experience and showcase the gameplay.”
    • “The story is almost nonexistent, and that's honestly something to be expected with a game like this.”
  • graphics
    470 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received mixed feedback, with many players appreciating the art style and overall visual quality, often comparing it favorably to titles like Genshin Impact. However, a significant number of users have expressed frustration over the lack of customizable graphics settings, which has led to performance issues on lower-end devices and a fixed resolution that can hinder gameplay. Overall, while the visuals are generally well-received, the absence of options to adjust graphics settings is a notable drawback.

    • “After years, it is still a great game, great graphics and great story.”
    • “Graphics are great, can likely run on lower end devices.”
    • “I found it to be really stunning, the graphics, soundtrack, character visuals and most importantly the unique skills that Maya is able to control.”
    • “Unfortunately, the game's got insane jank, a 'creative design is my passion' level of bad presentation (the main menu could've been a 2D artwork and it would've looked infinitely better; it's that bad), and there's quite the wild jank in the boss fight itself (with how clunky Maya's dashes are, the final segment in the boss fight should've had 3 more seconds extra with better indicators that you're actually running out of time).”
    • “Locking the game resolution, and offering no graphics tweaks means the game is a failure, as PC gamers understandably need to tailor their gaming experience to the hardware they have.”
    • “This game is crap when you can't change the resolution; the game is so zoomed in that I can't read the subtitles or ability cooldown or weapon I'm using. The game needs to have a resolution change and graphics change to low-medium. I rate this game crap if it doesn't have many options to choose from; I would've rated it 10/10 if it didn't zoom in the screen so much that I can't see the entire screen.”
  • optimization
    84 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many players reporting severe performance issues, particularly on lower-end systems and Linux. Users noted a lack of configurable graphics settings, leading to significant frame drops and instability, which detracted from the overall experience. While some players experienced stable performance under certain conditions, the consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization improvements to run smoothly across a broader range of hardware.

    • “The game provides mostly solid 60 fps (minor frame drops when horde spawned) and stable performance without crashes or glitches in my playthrough.”
    • “Very well optimized.”
    • “Could definitely use some optimization though as it's a slight resource hog if also having other things open in the background.”
    • “The performance/optimization on this game just doesn't exist.”
    • “I wouldn't recommend it because I don't know if it's just me and my potato PC, but the optimization is terrible and I would drop down to frames in the single digits, so I stopped playing fairly soon.”
    • “Currently, I can't recommend it due to the bad performance.”
  • music
    72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received generally positive feedback, with many players praising the soundtrack as enjoyable and fitting well with the gameplay. While some tracks are noted as repetitive or generic, others stand out as memorable, enhancing the overall experience. Overall, the music complements the game's visuals and mechanics, contributing to a satisfying atmosphere, though there are suggestions for improvement in specific areas like combat themes.

    • “Great concept even though a bit rough around the edges, the voice acting is nice, the music is great and the interface design is amazing. I hope you make it into something much bigger someday.”
    • “Spectacular game, wonderful animation, beautiful soundtrack with a fair but short story.”
    • “The music was great & the flow of the action in combination with the different skills Maya can use to stop time and dodge bullets was a lot more satisfying than I thought it would be.”
    • “The music is okay, the designs are pretty solid for what appears to be an indie, my only problem is that the transition in-between the boss-level and the first level is pretty rough in both combat and artistic choice.”
    • “The music for fighting enemies could be better but I like the boss theme.”
    • “Soundtrack: [6/10] it's average, nothing much to say about this one.”
  • stability
    70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is frequently described as buggy, with players encountering issues such as unresponsive controls, glitches during boss fights, and occasional frame rate drops. While some users noted that the game runs smoothly at 60 fps without crashes, many expressed frustration over specific bugs that detracted from the overall experience. Despite these stability concerns, several players appreciated the game's mechanics and enjoyed their time with it, acknowledging its status as a student project.

    • “Well put together, bug free in my experience.”
    • “I wanted to enjoy this, and I respect that it was made by students, but it was just too buggy.”
    • “Blender fight was a buggy mess but the game mechanics are good.”
    • “Wtf is this game, super buggy. Beat it in 44 mins but could've been 15.”
  • character development
    34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is noted as minimal, with players expressing a desire for deeper exploration of characters like Maya and Max. While the character designs are praised for their uniqueness and appeal, particularly with an anime influence, many reviewers feel that the game prioritizes gameplay over narrative depth. Overall, there is a strong appreciation for the visual style, but a consensus that the story and character arcs could benefit from further expansion.

    • “I loved the character design, the voice acting (although I may not understand it, the accent puts the world into setting). I hope that this project can expand into something greater, because this is the definition of a good example for an indie developed game: straight to the point with a beginning and a clear end.”
    • “Amazing arts and character designs alongside the amazing gameplay makes me want to have more out of this short game.”
    • “There's simple gunplay, interesting powers, story to expand, and character development to flesh out.”
    • “So, there’s not much room for world background and character development, especially for Maya and Max. I also personally like Maya’s cool-looking and hybrid outfit design; it somehow reminded me of Honkai Impact vibe.”
    • “Also, more character development about Maya.”
    • “There isn't much character development, which leaves the characters feeling underdeveloped and lacking depth.”
  • grinding
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly during the lengthy final boss fight, which lacks engaging combat mechanics. Many reviewers express frustration with the need for multiple attempts due to the punishing nature of mistakes, suggesting that the game could benefit from more dynamic endgame content and checkpoints. While some appreciate the challenge, the overall sentiment leans towards the grinding experience being a detriment to enjoyment.

    • “The final boss was kind of neat at first, but it's just the most grindy kind of experience that's harmed by the combat being so lackluster.”
    • “The long duration makes the fight feel a bit tedious when one mistake means you have to do it again from the beginning.”
    • “I found the gameplay to be way too tedious and repetitive to be worth anybody's time.”
  • replayability
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game has limited replayability, primarily due to its short length and restrictive dialogue that guides players through the initial chapters. While some users note the potential for specific challenges, such as a zero damage run, the consensus is that the game lacks substantial replay value despite being free.

    • “+ great replay value.”
    • “The replay value is there.”
    • “🔲 infinitely replayable”
    • “The game doesn't have any replayability, but it's also free, like actually free, not 'free'.”
    • “There's a little replayability, but the dialogue kind of shoehorns you in the beginning, along with the tutorial, so there's only 2 chapters to play.”
    • “It does lack replay value, and it's short, but it is free.”
  • monetization
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with players appreciating the absence of in-game purchases in this free title, which enhances the overall experience. However, some users express frustration with the frequent ads that disrupt gameplay, suggesting that the game relies too heavily on ad revenue rather than providing a seamless gaming experience. Overall, while the lack of in-game purchases is a positive point, the intrusive ads detract from the enjoyment for some players.

    • “I did really enjoy playing, and for a small free game with no in-game purchases, it's really good.”
    • “Not good, not bad, not fun, just mediocre. It's one of those games that thinks throwing waves of ads at you is fun and makes the game more difficult. I'm not talking in the AAA area of games; Blood Spear is my favorite small team game, so I'm not expecting RDR2 here, but within the small indie area of games, this falls in the middle.”
    • “I really hope not to see much in-game purchases at the moment.”
    • “This game is nice for a short relaxing time, but one thing I don't like is that the bullet mechanics when aiming down sights (ADS) seem incorrect at all. I hope the developers will fix that.”
  • emotional
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its touching character backstories, which add depth and soul to the experience, despite the overall typical themes. Players express strong emotional reactions, such as crying over plot twists, indicating that the game successfully evokes feelings and connections. However, some feel the game could benefit from further development to enhance its emotional impact.

    • “The theme, although pretty typical, is fitting for the scenario, and the short character backstory is rather touching and gave this game that much more soul to it.”
    • “I cried when Maya turned out to be a boy.”
    • “Wholesome game.”
  • humor
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is highlighted by amusing moments, particularly during the boss's defeat and the credits, which elicited laughter from players. Many found the comedic elements to be clever and enjoyable, enhancing their overall experience.

    • “It was funny to see him go back and forth after his defeat and during the credits, though.”
    • “Funny enough, it did make me realize that I defeated the boss the first time wrong.”
    • “Very, very cool and made me laugh.”
  • atmosphere
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is generally praised for being immersive and delightful, effectively drawing players in with its engaging world. However, some critiques suggest that improvements are needed, particularly regarding the art style, which, while atmospheric, is described as overly grey. Overall, the atmosphere is a strong point, though there is room for enhancement.

    • “The game's atmosphere is nothing short of delightful, creating an immersive world that draws players in from start to finish.”
    • “Five dashes gives you plenty of movement, the ability cooldowns were comfortable, and the art, though grey, created a nice atmosphere.”
    • “Needs better atmosphere.”
    • “Needs better atmosphere.”
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2h Median play time
5h Average play time
1-5h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 26 analyzed playthroughs
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