The lovingly-recreated style of fixed-camera horror that Dawn of Fear uses can’t redeem its many game-breaking bugs, clunky writing, and stilted presentation. It’s clear that the developers have a passion for the genre, but Dawn of Fear is simply too broken to enjoy.
Dawn of Fear
Developer: Brok3nsite
Price: $20
Platform: PS4 (reviewed)
MonsterVine was supplied with a PS4 code for review.
One of the best horror games ever made is the Resident Evil remake that was originally released on the Gamecube. Despite it being based on one of the most hammy games in the world, REmake uses fixed-camera angles, limited resources, and an excellent atmosphere to craft a game that is still scary to this day. This classic style of horror game is essentially extinct at this point, so when I saw images from Dawn of Fear, I got excited. Could this be a fun and spooky throwback to the genre that I find so fun? I had hoped so, but I was unfortunately wrong.
The story of Dawn of Fear is presented mainly through text on either a blank screen or through brief stints of clunky dialogue. Worth noting is that developer Brok3nsite is based in Spain, so I can completely understand some minor translation errors and typos. But Dawn of Fear is full of incredibly awkward phrasing and major misspellings that make it somewhat hard to tell what’s happening.
Dawn of Fear’s gameplay is, frankly, completely broken. While it attempts to emulate the exploration-based narrative and shooting mechanics of games like Resident Evil, movement and aiming feels jumpy and obtuse. I do like how limited ammo, healing items, and save points are, as it adds a feeling of desperation to the game that does feel properly adapted from horror games of old.
“Coupled with the poor performance of the game with its stilted framerate and slow transitions, and the visuals feel more like a result of inexperience rather than a fully intentional homage.“
Dawn of Fear crashed on multiple occasions for me and encountered more than a few game-breaking bugs. One time, an electricity-based puzzle worked for me, but the item I was supposed to get as a result of solving the puzzle simply never appeared. So I reloaded an earlier save, only to find that this time, the electricity puzzle didn’t work. I solved it over and over, the same way I had done so earlier, and it never triggered. So I closed and reopened the game, and reloaded again. I found several rooms to be unloaded and pitch-black, and upon reaching the puzzle, I found that it once again didn’t work. Keep in mind that these are only the major issues, as I encountered countless minor bugs like getting temporarily stuck on doors or having the screen go blank.
Visually, I’m at odds with how I feel about Dawn of Fear. The simplistic models and ridiculously over-the-top head explosions that zombies have feel right in-line with games like Resident Evil 2, Silent Hill, and Dino Crisis. At the same time, they feel crude. Coupled with the poor performance of the game with its stilted framerate and slow transitions, and the visuals feel more like a result of inexperience rather than a fully intentional homage.
The Final Word
While I can appreciate what Dawn of Fear is trying to achieve, the amount of technical problems that plague the game makes it an unfortunate mess. While it occasionally manages to project the tone of classic horror games, it’s simply a broken game.
MonsterVine Review Score: 1.5 out of 5 – Terrible
