The Peanut Gallery Reviews Cronos: The New Dawn

Josh Aboody
1 day ago
4 min read

If you're looking for a dark, challenging, and violent romp, Cronos: The New Dawn is your game.

**Played on Xbox Series X**

Cronos: The New Dawn is a great survival horror game that follows in the footsteps of Dead Space and The Callisto Protocol, both of which I also love. It is a linear adventure that blends time travel with an apocalyptic 1980s Poland setting. The result is a mostly satisfying tonic that scratched my third-person shooter and fright fanatic itches simultaneously.

Resources

The 20 hours I put in were spent with one thing in mind above all else: thoroughness. My methodical approach paid dividends as the scarce (at first) resources became all the more plentiful the more I explored. I scoured every nook and cranny for ammo, health supplies, and crafting materials. Inventory management is key, especially early on. You’re given limited slots and when I say limited, I do mean LIMITED. That means you’ll be making a new best friend: the stash container in the safe room. You can upgrade the number of available slots, but that is not a luxury you have right away. I was forced to double back on numerous occasions because I’ll be damned if a valuable shotgun shell was going anywhere other than an Orphan’s skull…

Story Strengths and Weaknesses

Take it easy. The game is dark but not THAT dark. Orphans are mutated enemies that serve as Cronos’ cannon fodder. They are monstrous creatures, but they weren’t always so. Originally humans, Orphans are casualties of a catastrophic outbreak known as “The Change.” As The Traveler, your mission is to go back in time and perform a series of “extractions” on key individuals that The Collective, aka the organization who gives you that fly suit and badass weaponry, deems worthy of saving. Basically, you’re hopping in the DeLorean to grab important peeps before they meet their untimely end. To say anything more would risk spoiling a surprisingly complex and intriguing story.

Much of the lore is found through collectible hunting. Notes, recordings, and “travelogs” reveal a rich backstory of how all this chaos came to be. The mystery shrouding the main character unfolds gradually and probably a bit too gradually. The slow roll of what’s going on behind the (Iron) curtain causes the narrative to lose some momentum. It can also be a bit convoluted. What’s more, if you’re not reading every note and listening to every recording, then you’re only getting a portion of the bigger picture.

Combat and Music

The combat is undoubtedly a highlight. I read a lot from people complaining about the difficulty. There is only one option available from the outset and I’ve gotta say, while occasionally challenging, it’s nothing crazy. There were a few sections that I struggled with a bit, but not for more than half an hour. The game feels fair and rewards players for going slow and steady. The shooting is responsive and the guns pack a hell of a wallop. It elevates the graphics, which are very good, not great. Creeping slowly through dark corridors, checking corners as you advance gets the pulse pounding and draws attention to another strong point.

The music is exceptional. It’s catchy, haunting, and filled with tunes that are location specific. For example, every time you reach a safe room, the same jingle plays. This gives Cronos a cinematic feel that is aligned with the deeply atmospheric style of play.

Enemies and Gunplay

The enemy variety is somewhat limited, but never to the point of growing repetitive. Sure, it would be nice to not fight three different versions of the same boss. However, each one of those encounters is memorable. The arsenal you acquire aids in that department. Handguns, shotguns, carbines, and a unique spin on a grenade launcher will help you lay waste to those pesky Orphans and have a lot of fun doing so. The tools of destruction at your disposal are a blast to handle.

A charging mechanic adds another dimension to the gunplay. Holding down the trigger of most weapons allows you to power up the projectile. That extra punch becomes increasingly crucial as you progress.

Horror

The horror is extremely effective. What’s more, the unnerving experience can be enhanced by turning off all the lights and putting in headphones. The heightened audio adds another layer of immersion and made the chill running down my spine that much colder. There are numerous jump scares and they work very well. But the real terror comes from the moments when Cronos leans into the bleak backdrop and embraces the seemingly futile nature of our hero’s quest. This one will stick with you if you let it.

More to Come

At the time of this review, I completed both available endings (the game is kind enough to allow you to reload the save before the final encounter) and obtained 38 of 47 possible achievements. There is a third Cronos: The New Dawn ending that can only be reached after replaying the entire campaign on New Game Plus, which allows you to carry over your upgrades and inventory. A few of the achievements I’m missing are because I’m short a collectible or two in a few categories. The others require another playthrough on the newly unlocked Hard mode. You best believe your boy is gearing up for another run the minute I stop typing. I will obtain all of the remaining achievements and I’ll get that third ending. “Such is our calling…”

PG Score: 8.25/10

P.S.

I have officially completed Cronos: The New Dawn on New Game Plus on Hard mode. I tore through it in under 12 hours without dying once. The more challenging difficulty beefs up enemy health, increases damage against the player, and removes autosaves (you can still utilize manual save points in the safe rooms). On paper, this sounds like it would make things more treacherous. But it actually ended up being the opposite. Since my character and guns were fully upgraded, I went full Terminator on those mutated fools. No mercy, no prisoners, no problem. I unlocked 100% of the achievements and witnessed the third ending, which is my favorite version. I really enjoyed my second playthrough.