Title:Â Dawn of Fear
Developer: Brok3nsite
Publisher: Brok3nsite
Genre: Third-Person Action Horror
Available On: PC, PlayStation 4
Official Site: https://brokensitehp.com/dawn-of-fear/
Release Date: February 3rd, 2020
Where to Buy: Steam, Playstation Store
Horror games are a dime a dozen. Many developers may try to break into the market with a title, only to have it falter on release. But when you follow the formula of classics like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, isn’t it more likely to pay off? One had us fighting increasingly monstrous zombies, the other had us traveling to hell and back. With a little of the former and the latter mixed together, from developer Brok3nsite comes Dawn of Fear.
I’m not one to go actively looking for horror titles, but I thought I’d give this one a try. While I applaud the game for giving the combination a try, there’s uncertainty as to whether or not it succeeded in all areas.
Dawn of Fear Gameplay
When I first jumped into the game, the inspiration for the title was obvious. While it certainly does draw inspiration from popular franchises, I am unsure as to whether it followed the ‘formula.’ The graphics themselves are average, considering the level of technology that currently exists. Graphics were easy to get past, though. All the controls are similar to what you’d find in either Resident Evil or Silent Hill. Hit the L2 and take a stance before firing with R2. You can even acquire a knife to slice at the undead in the house you explore. Simple enough, right?
I thought so too, and then I ended up having to fight some baddies. The gun was easy to use and reloading was not difficult. My problem was the speed with which the character reloaded. At times, I was dead before there was a new clip in the gun. Movement throughout my playthrough was extremely stiff, sometimes leaving my character stuck behind a door they just opened. Despite the intensity that comes from running away, being stuck on a door takes the wind out of the sails.
Another issue I took with it was the lack of a map. While the game wasn’t all that smooth, having a map might have made things a little less frustrating. Hours were spent walking in circles to find pieces to a puzzle that were strewn about various floors of the house. And unlike Resident Evil, which locked doors after certain events, Dawn of Fear simply let you go everywhere after unlocking things. No path was restricted, which made me feel like the other locked doors made no sense.
What I will say in favor of gameplay, though, is I appreciated the ‘candle’ save system. If you went to a location where there were no candles, you could not save there. One must make sure to get as far as possible before deciding to save their game.
Oh, The Glitches…
No matter how well a game is produced, there are bound to be glitches upon the first release. Dawn of Fear seemed to be no different. There were times where I either went up or down a flight of stairs. And halfway through that walk, entire floors would go black leaving me wondering where my character went. This was also not a one-off glitch. It happened repeatedly despite my numerous restarts.
At other times, even with the character standing still, the game would simply freeze. Something as mundane as opening a door a few times in a minute or two would cause it. The constant glaring glitches, for me, took away completely from the whole horror atmosphere.
A Decent Soundtrack in Dawn of Fear
While there were a couple of glitches some cannot ignore, the soundtrack was decent. It sounded like a fair amount of thought had gone into selecting the music for certain segments of the game. When you ran into undead creatures, the music you’d find in Resident Evil would begin playing. If you were in the middle of finding clues and breadcrumbs to achieve the next goal, Silent Hill style music would start playing.
The music was not bad, but I felt like that could also use improvement. I found myself listening to the same song when my character was just standing at a save point. The music isn’t bad, but it definitely could use variety.
Final Verdict: Dawn of Fear is a title by Brok3nsite that attempts to combine the mystery of Silent Hill and horror of Resident Evil. It’s not a bad game, but it could be much better. There is much more work to be done before it becomes a blockbuster hit. Do you think you can solve the mystery? If you’re looking to experience the mix of games for yourself, you can find the game now on Steam and the PlayStation Store.
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