Cronos: The New Dawn Reviews
Cronos: The New Dawn proves that survival horror can still evolve without losing its essence. Bloober Team delivers a bold, mature, and unsettling experience that demands patience and emotional resilience. It stands out in a gaming landscape often dulled by safe formulas. If you're looking for a disturbing, thought-provoking title that leaves you feeling vulnerable in the best way, Cronos deserves a spot in your digital library. It's not perfect, but it's honest—and that’s rare in today’s gaming world.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The game is inspired by both Dark Souls and Resident Evil 4. It doesn’t hit the highs of those games, primarily because of drab environments and sometimes boring gameplay. The Switch 2 version doesn’t do much to distinguish itself from a Switch 1 game, but some of the effects do look next-gen.
What Cronos does, it does very well, and taking the recency bias of the Silent Hill 2 Remake out of the equation, I can’t recall a new survival-horror game I’ve enjoyed this much and found this immersive in a while.
Despite a few glimmers of brilliance, Cronos: The New Dawn ends up so aggressively mediocre on so many levels that it’s hard not to feel disappointed by what could have been.
Despite its flaws, Cronos manages to deliver an atmospheric and at times tense adventure. However, with several mechanics poorly implemented and issues that Bloober left unpolished before release, the result is an average horror experience that can keep you engaged - at least until its rough edges begin to wear you down.
Review in Unknown | Read full review
Cronos: The New Dawn comes highly recommended because Bloober Team has not only found its identity in the horror genre, but also because rarely will a game draw you in like this one does. It will immerse you in an uncomfortable, dark, and brutal journey where every bullet and every decision matters. A tense and immersive survival horror experience awaits you, a unique blend of anguish and fascination.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Cronos: The New Dawn nails the survival horror vibe with scarce resources, relentless enemies, and an oppressive setting. The audio design in Cronos is one of the game’s highlights, turning every step through ruined Poland into a nerve-wracking moment. Combat can get clunky, checkpoints are harsh, and the story doesn’t always flow well, but pulling through tough fights with just enough left is satisfying. If you’re into survival horror that rewards planning over nonstop action, Cronos is worth checking out.
Cronos: The New Dawn is an ambitious step by Bloober Team, combining horror, action, and survival in a devastated world. Mechanics such as enemy fusion and time manipulation are interesting, but technical flaws, repetitive combat, and an unsatisfactory ending limit its impact.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Cronos: The New Dawn is the work that marks Bloober Team's true evolutionary leap. Despite obvious inspirations from pioneering titles in the genre, the Polish company's new IP manages to engage and offer original mechanics, including the ingenious union of enemies. Leaving aside a few animations that are not yet up to scratch and checkpoint management that could be improved, we feel compelled to reward the guys from Krakow and can't wait to see what they have in store for us in the future.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Cronos: The New Dawn is a very good survival horror game, but it was released too early. It's a game that should have been left to simmer a little longer before being served up to hungry gamers. The optimization definitely needs some work. In terms of gameplay, the game does not disappoint, although it does not bring much freshness to the genre. It can be described as a horror version of “all greatest hits,” taking the foundations of well-known and well-functioning mechanics and solutions, and then applying a characteristic filter steeped in Polishness.
Review in Polish | Read full review
It’s a smart, spectacular addition to the survival horror genre that deserves to blossom into a full-blown franchise.
Cronos marks Bloober Team’s most mature work yet, blending ambitious storytelling and meticulous world-building with a strong technical foundation, delivering a haunting and intense experience despite some uneven combat design
Review in Italian | Read full review
Cronos: The New Dawn is like the spiritual successor to the golden age of survival horror, a time when games weren't afraid to scare, frustrate, and punish players equally. Not everyone will enjoy Cronos: The New Dawn. It can be punishing, overwhelming, and emotionally distant at times. But for people who really want to be scared, it's a work of art in terms of design and tension.
Cronos: The New Dawn is a striking survival horror experience that excels in atmosphere, storytelling, and exploration, immersing players in a bleak yet captivating world. While combat pacing and resource frustration prevent it from reaching absolute greatness, its strengths far outweigh its flaws.
Cronos: The New Dawn is a gripping survival horror experience that takes Bloober Team to a new level. Cronos: The New Dawn is the best survival horror game of this year.
Review in German | Read full review
Bloober Team's Cronos: The New Dawn is a confident new IP that builds on the studio's horror strengths with a distinct visual style and a challenging combat system. However, the experience is held back by technical issues, a clunky inventory, and unpolished combat mechanics that hinder its otherwise ambitious design.
Nevertheless, the game's balance is successful, perhaps precisely because the game primarily focuses on one level. Because "Cronos" is always challenging at a consistently (high!) level and doesn't make any compromises. One thing is clear: If you like the genre, you have to get it!
Review in German | Read full review
Cronos: The New Dawn is an excellent survival horror game. The story is compelling, the world is impressive, and the Polish influences create a fresh look and feel. The combat is challenging and rewarding, and the claustrophobic levels and jump scares are excellently designed. Players who enjoy exploring will be richly rewarded here. Minor drawbacks, such as bugs and limited enemy variety, hardly detract from this. Turn up the music, grab your weapons, and prepare for a journey through a world that's both beautiful and terrifying. This is a horror game you'll happily play through twice.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
This is a game that won me over more for its narrative and atmosphere. If it were just for the gameplay, I might not have enjoyed the experience as much.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Cronos: The New Dawn leans on familiar gameplay but shines with its apocalyptic story, dystopian 1980s Krakow setting, and haunting synth soundtrack—held back only by clunky dodging and the lack of a proper map.
Review in Dutch | Read full review