Review: Cronos: The New Dawn (Nintendo Switch 2)
Cronos: The New Dawn is a self-described “brutal third-person survival horror” game. This could be the most apt description of an eShop listing I’ve ever seen. It’s a tough, dark, and horror-filled journey into the past that’s not for the faint of heart. Or for those without a ton of patience.
Cronos presents an interesting concept akin to the plot of 12 Monkeys. You play the role of a traveler from the future on a mission to decipher the past. You awaken in a chamber, receiving instructions on the mission ahead from a disembodied voice. It seems the previous explorer—known as a Traveler—has gone AWOL. Your first task is to follow the trail to your comrade’s last known whereabouts.
The past is, in fact, 1980s Poland. It’s also a dark, bleak, and quiet place. Something has gone very wrong in this world, with globules of organic matter splattered around the place like something from the Alien series. The things that spring forth from these gross structures are arguably worse than those scary sci-fi antagonists, though. They remind me of the creatures from early Resident Evil outings; elongated mutants bent on eating flesh. Like zombies, only somehow worse.
The cause of this terror-filled past? Well, that’s part of the mission. Along the way, you come across various pieces of evidence that help decipher what really happened. It’s clearly an outbreak of some sort, with stories leading to a terrible pandemic that makes COVID-19 look like a walk in the park.
Your nameless character wears a hefty suit. This clunky armour serves to protect you from whatever vile disease is out there. It won’t protect you from those awful creatures, though. I appreciate the feeling of weight the suit gives, with a metallic clunk echoing as you step through the ghostly environment. The developers have done a great job of making you feel like you’re trapped in this heavy outfit, emitting a feeling of claustrophobia that goes hand in hand with the feeling of isolation.
Graphically, Cronos looks bleak—in a good way. Everything is shrouded in darkness, giving an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness that compliments the narrative. I’m happy to report that this Switch 2 outing looks and performs very well. I’d even go so far as to say it’s quite stunning at times. It’s not without its bugs (I found myself stuck in the terrain on more than one occasion), but it’s well designed and certainly makes use of Nintendo’s more powerful console.
Remember the term I used initially to describe Cronos? Well, “brutal” actually doesn’t even begin to cover it. This is a difficult game, punishing players repeatedly as they progress slowly through this unfriendly world. This could put some players off; be prepared for a tough slog. This high difficulty is partly due to the strength of the grotesque enemies, who are extremely hard to kill. They can also morph with other entities, making them even more powerful.
On top of that is the survival part of the game. Despite having a weapon, your supplies are constantly low—you will run out of ammo. Part of the fun (and occasional frustration) is working with what you’ve got to make it through each section. Just be prepared to take your time with this one.
If you caught the numerous references mentioned throughout this review, you’d be right in assuming that Cronos takes its cues from various popular sources. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, coming across as more of an homage with its own take on the classic outbreak formula.
Overall, Cronos: The New Dawn is an atmospheric horror outing with an interesting premise that creates a bleak feeling of isolation. It borders on frustrating at times with its high difficulty, but that’s also part and parcel of the genre. It may not convert anyone not already invested in these tough outings, but survival-horror fans are in for a treat.
