Back to the Dawn
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Back to the Dawn | Gameplay Overview Trailer
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Critic Reviews for Back to the Dawn
Back to the Dawn is a fascinating game at first glance, due to its uncanny mix of prison, animals, and laid back music. But as you dive into its systems and figure out what your goals are, you run into a sort of identity issue.
Back to the Dawn is a management RPG set in a prison populated by anthropomorphic animals, with strong survival elements. We have twenty-one days to organize an escape, keeping an eye on time, resources, social relationships, and skills. Every action consumes precious minutes and can influence future events. The turn-based combat system follows the typical JRPG gameplay. Deep,branching, and challenging, it surprises with its wealth of options and narrative diversity, despite its unimpressive soundtrack. A brilliant and strategic game, to be restarted several times to see as many endings as possible.
Review in Italian | Read full review
For a game set in a jail, Back to the Dawn offers an impressive amount of freedom. Coupled with a conspiracy-minded story, and more side-quests you can shake a shiv at, you'll be hooked.
Overall, I found Back to the Dawn to be an incredibly fun and well-crafted game, especially for its budget cost. The excellent visuals and compelling gameplay systems make it one of the best prison escape games I've ever played, and I quickly wanted to hop back in and try a different run even after a successful prison escape. It's just a well-made game from start to finish, and I wanted to go back for more. If you're even slightly interested in the concept, Back to the Dawn is well worth playing and a great example of how indie RPGs can shine.
A productive early access period, a developer who listens to the players and knows what it wants to do, and a bunch of good ideas coming together have resulted in a successful outcome.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Back to the Dawn is one of the most unique indie RPGs I’ve played in recent memory—gritty, tense, mechanically rewarding, and full of well-developed characters who surprise you with their humanity, despite being cartoon animals. Its depiction of prison life is thoughtful and serious without relying on shock value, and the branching narrative gives your decisions real weight.
