Bloober Team may have begun its career as a humble mobile game developer that produced games that nobody will ever play. Still, they have reinvented themselves as one of the leading visionaries in the horror genre. It took a few tries; they had a little bit of a rocky start with the Layers of Fear games, but their signature style for psychological horror began to take shape with Observer.
The Medium is where Bloober Team solidified itself as a legitimate horror stylist. It was a modernized take on PlayStation 2-style survival horror games, featuring a split-screen, dual-world mechanic. The style and ambiance were so strong that they secured the position of remaking Silent Hill 2, and despite the naysayers, they unbelievably nailed it, paving the way for remaking the first Silent Hill.
After proving themselves at delivering one of the best remakes of all time, Bloober Team sets its sights on an original science fiction horror game, steeped in body-horror and psychological trauma. What was “The Change”? Who is the “Collective”? Why are we in 1980s Poland? Find out in our Cronos: The New Dawn review!
Cronos: The New Dawn
Developer: Bloober Team
Publisher: Bloober Team
Platforms: Windows PC, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 (reviewed)
Release Date: September 5, 2025
Price: $59.99
Cronos’ ominous introduction wastes no time in throwing players in the deep end and trusting them to tread water. There is a lot to take in, and you are left to figure it out by yourself by piecing together clues from scattered notes, symbolism, and the overall design of the world.
The few hours are given very little context, but players will be immersed in a bleak, post-apocalyptic world from an alternate history where an event known as “The Change” signaled an outbreak which humanity to the brink of extinction. Everywhere you look is a dead husk of a civilization long past, and relics of a familiar time that players will recognize.
Signs of a lockdown are seen in the decaying remnants of an alternate 1980s version of Poland, in a city occupied by fascistic Soviet communists. There is a lot to chew on, but even more enigmatic is the player character, a stoic and dutiful explorer known as “The Traveler”. She doesn’t have a lot to say, but every line she mumbles carries gravitas and says a lot about her.
The main story is to fulfill the Traveler’s main mission of continuing where her predecessors failed. By exploring the ruins of Nowa Świt for tears, she can travel back in time and reap the souls of individuals who are connected to the events of The Change.
The Traveler herself is a strange character who begins her quest almost like she were some kind of robot who blindly follows the cause of the Collective. Her arc breaks down this barrier as she discovers the truth behind the Change, herself, and the Collective.
The further she goes, the more past Travelers she encounters who failed. Their remains tell a story of how they failed their mission, and each one will have something that will help the current Traveler.
Cronos’ structure features the Traveler leaving her main hub area, which branches out to another decrepit zone, usually crawling with deformed abominations, environmental puzzles, locked doors, and maze-like labyrinths. These areas climax with the Traveler reaching a tear in time, where she goes to a past version of the area, where the story is further developed and revelations are made.
Sometimes, you are given dialogue choices or can direct the Traveler to perform certain actions. One of the major choices that comes up is containing tormented souls inside the Traveler’s suit, which has the benefit of some added ability perks like more damage when enemies are burning or bonus currency pick-ups for buying upgrades or items.
The only drawback to harvesting souls is that it leads to the Traveler’s suit becoming a haunted mess. She’ll gradually hallucinate and hear things that are designed to mess with the player. This is hardly a trade-off for horror maniacs, since who wouldn’t want to make their horror game scarier? You’ll hear things at the most random places, even at the upgrade screen in safe rooms.
The odd jump-scares and deliberately glitchy visuals are quaint, but the real fun is when the game throws fake enemies at you that don’t exist. It’s unbelievably thrilling as you descend into becoming a paranoid freak as the quest unfurls. It’s so effective that you won’t know the difference between what’s real and what isn’t sometimes.
The monsters can be best described as unstable, fleshy abominations with a zombie-like gait. They may resemble necromorphs from Dead Space, but there is no pretense of cutting limbs to hurt them. The creatures in Cronos level up as they consume the corpses of their dead, gaining armor, acid-spitting abilities, or just plain hitting a lot harder.
Some areas are completely overtaken by biomass and fleshy overgrowth that it looks like the Traveler is wading through a whale’s rectum. The pulpy veins and slimy, bloody gunk enveloping the ruins of a Brutalist commie labor ghetto prove to be one of the most palpable living nightmares I never knew would make my muscles clench and palms sweat.
The level design and layouts are some of the best seen in a survival horror game. Areas will wrap around each other, fan out to optional places where you can rescue cats or discover another fallen Traveler. More importantly, you’ll hope for more resources because ammo and healing items are very stingy, and enemies put up a good fight, and they come in packs.
The way the Traveler fights is standard for most third-person horror games, but with a few subtle wrinkles that make her distinct. She has a wimpy punch and stomp, and a deliberately limited arsenal, with every weapon having a charged attack. The main difference is her foes, who power up, and how battling them becomes a frantic chase to stop them from hitting the corpse buffet.
The Traveler’s ammo count and inventory space are limited, so every shot counts, and she will need to burn corpses like in the Resident Evil remake, cutting off the monster’s food supply. Sometimes there are time rips where she can bring back kerosene containers for an impromptu cookout, which thankfully doesn’t affect the Traveler’s temporal shell (suit).
There are moments where the Traveler is locked into an arena-like environment, and she’s forced to fight multiple creatures. Mercifully, these battles don’t happen often enough to ruin the experience, but they do occur enough that they may make your eyes roll.
Most forced battles or boss fights are telegraphed when you enter a suspiciously large area with breakable containers for resources. It’s easy to run out of items or ammo, and thankfully, Cronos seemingly knows when the Traveler is running dry. The game always leaves just enough for gamers to get by, keeping tension high and feeling like you’re getting by the skin of your teeth.
Upgrading is standard and relies on currency pick-ups for weapons and rare modules for the suit, grenades, and flame torch. The choices for upgrading always feel hard. Expect to hear the safe room music loop a few times when trying to settle on a decision, because weapons take up precious inventory space, and maybe the best option is to respec and put all of your upgrade points into a different gun.
No matter how much you progress, Cronos’ gameplay always feels like you are being backed up against the wall, ratcheting up tension. The ambiance and grisly imagery work with the stressful gameplay to create a masterfully effective horror experience.
Cronos: The New Dawn is an unbridled epic nightmare that keeps you guessing with an utterly bizarre story that hooks you in. The driving mystery and its payoff are worth it, and the gory spectacle is some of the gnarliest around.
Fans of Dead Space will be thrilled by the parallels, but Cronos has more to offer than superficial similarities. Fans of PS1 and PS2 era horror games will adore the level design and tasteful throwbacks. It’s old-school where it counts, yet modern enough to feel fresh. The classic survival horror gameplay will pull you in, but you’ll stick around for the intriguing story and characters.
Cronos: The New Dawn was reviewed on PlayStation 5 using a code provided by Bloober Team. Additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy is here. Cronos: The New Dawn is now available for Windows PC (via STEAM), Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
