Gray Dawn

 PC
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 43 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 43
  3. Negative: 7 out of 43

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  1. Kthan
    Jun 8, 2018
    9
    Very interesting theme, and the environments are amazing, lots of attention to detail. Some technical issues and voice acting could be better, but from what i read this is done by a very small team. Hopefully those issues will be addressed in future updates.

    Good work!
  2. WoodPiece
    Jun 8, 2018
    10
    I like how it keeps changing mood, you never know what to expect. I think it's a good game from this category.
  3. SfGheorghe
    Jun 8, 2018
    10
    A very interesting game with a unique premise. It is not often that a game developer approaches such themes as religion and spirituality. There's certainly a high-quality production on this game, considering the fact that the team is very small and they are indie. The voice acting may be a bit unpolished here an there, but otherwise, it was a good experience for me.
  4. KheoSen
    Jun 8, 2018
    9
    Interesting game that walks you through an intriguing story in a beautiful crafted environment. The subject itself is a bit controversial as religion is heavily used and sometimes can feel a little too much, but otherwise the blend between Catholicism and Orthodox is nicely integrated.

    Worth giving it a go as its not something that you see everyday in the current market. There are    Interesting game that walks you through an intriguing story in a beautiful crafted environment. The subject itself is a bit controversial as religion is heavily used and sometimes can feel a little too much, but otherwise the blend between Catholicism and Orthodox is nicely integrated.

    Worth giving it a go as its not something that you see everyday in the current market.

    There are some things which I did not enjoy that much, like the voice acting and some animations which seems very indie but its not something that bothered me that much.    … Expand
  5. CthulhuRises
    Jun 9, 2018
    10
    Walking around through Gray Dawn's lush, baroque scenery and marveling at the impressive set pieces, it's hard to believe this is the work of just three people. I've been following development on this for a while, and while I'm only a couple of hours in, father Abraham's journey's got me hooked.

    There are a few things that stand out in this game. The one that's going to hit you first,    Walking around through Gray Dawn's lush, baroque scenery and marveling at the impressive set pieces, it's hard to believe this is the work of just three people. I've been following development on this for a while, and while I'm only a couple of hours in, father Abraham's journey's got me hooked.

    There are a few things that stand out in this game. The one that's going to hit you first, and the most impressive, is how stunningly detailed all the environments are. The (single!) artist really has put a love of love and effort into crafting Gray Dawn's world, and it shows. This is Unreal Engine put to work properly.

    Moving on, the constantly phasing between a real-world location and surreal, dream-like places, to the point of both blending together and the player starting to inhabit this weird in-between place where crazy things start to seem common place, makes for a thick atmosphere that's sometimes eerie, sometimes heavenly serene, in a stark contrast that really works. The game's underlying themes of heavenly and satanic influences are beautifully suggested by this constant balancing,

    Finally, I love that aesthetically it's one of the freshest takes on first person thrillers, in that it heavily utilizes Romanian motifs, and especially Orthodox Christian imagery. This is not there for the sake of visuals, it actually nicely ties into Gray Dawn's plot and themes. You probably haven't played something looking like this, and you should.

    I won't go into the plot because, hey, narrative game, but I will say that even though it's a psychological horror adventure, it's not your run-of-the-mill abandoned asylum malarkey. It's the kind of game that makes you stop and think about the underlying symbolism of the stunning set pieces it takes you through, and while I'm not 100% sure I am understanding everything, it's thoroughly enjoyable.

    And, as a final quick technical aside, it runs beautifully in full HD on the Epic setting on my 5 year old rig, so that's definitely good news.

    Pros: Looks beautiful, is deeper and smarter than your average 1st person horror adventure, it's got a unique Eastern European aesthetic, and thick atmosphere that really sucks you in.

    Cons: This is more of a matter of preference, but sometimes puzzles can be a bit on the esoteric / surreal side, even if mechanically they're not complicated. Then again, this ties into its surreal nature, so I can't really fault it for that.

    Conclusion: Hell y-- I mean, heavens yes, worth buying!    … Expand
  6. Artemis53
    Jun 8, 2018
    9
    Good psychological-adventure game, I enjoyed it. For me it was a plus the unique story and atmosphere. :)
  7. zombilau
    Jun 8, 2018
    10
    For the last years I've been exclusively playing League of Legends and have been trying to find a suitable game that fills my needs as a gamer. I've tried searching for something that capture the nostalgia I had as a child while combining modern aspects such as graphis or original ideas. Regarding the graphics, I can say it looks similar to skyirm, but it adds the romanian folk to it whichFor the last years I've been exclusively playing League of Legends and have been trying to find a suitable game that fills my needs as a gamer. I've tried searching for something that capture the nostalgia I had as a child while combining modern aspects such as graphis or original ideas. Regarding the graphics, I can say it looks similar to skyirm, but it adds the romanian folk to it which adds a new original vibe to it.

    Whenever I'm recommanded new games, I can tell from the start they're either a cash grab or people haven't put too much effort in them so it looks pretty obvious that they're poor quality, however with this game,from the start, from the trailers,from random footage of gameplay on youtube, I could tell that was lots of heart put into it. There are plenty of easter eggs, especially if you are from the east of europe that you might not even find from the first run.

    Initially I didn't think it would capture my imagination to this extent, but after countless laughters, some scares and in the end FUN, I can definitely say this game deserves a 10/10 and I would recommand anyone to buy it.    … Expand
  8. GrimTalin
    Jun 9, 2018
    9
    I loved the game! Superb visuals, unique premise, interesting story, memorable mood. Voices weren't the best, but still decent, puzzles are quite simple and the ending is not as impactful in delivery as it could have been, but overall this game is something truly special and definitely deserves to be played! Well done and can I have some more, please!
  9. Kalimaki
    Jun 23, 2018
    10
    An unexpected horror game, coming from an indie company just made of three guys (if my information is correct). The thing that caught my interest and hooked me in was the religious aspect of their project and 3 years ago when I saw their kickstarter failing i Thought that this will never see the light of day. However, here it is!
    Graphics: Good, very good.
    Gameplay: Simple but effective,    An unexpected horror game, coming from an indie company just made of three guys (if my information is correct). The thing that caught my interest and hooked me in was the religious aspect of their project and 3 years ago when I saw their kickstarter failing i Thought that this will never see the light of day. However, here it is!
    Graphics: Good, very good.
    Gameplay: Simple but effective, it is a walking simulator with puzzle solving elements that reminded me of The vanishing of Ethan carter.
    Sound: I guess that a most of the songs are by Adrian von Ziegler.    … Expand
  10. BlackCheshire
    Jun 13, 2018
    10
    Firstly, the art direction in this game is the most beautiful I've seen in many years. Far from the trend for horror games to be set in the pitch dark, Gray dawn is largely brightly lit and filled with colour and liveliness.

    The story is also equal parts heartbreaking and horrifying. Without going into spoiler territory- it will hurt you. Gameplay is simple but robust and aside from    Firstly, the art direction in this game is the most beautiful I've seen in many years. Far from the trend for horror games to be set in the pitch dark, Gray dawn is largely brightly lit and filled with colour and liveliness.

    The story is also equal parts heartbreaking and horrifying. Without going into spoiler territory- it will hurt you.

    Gameplay is simple but robust and aside from a few small technical issues that are easily fixed, stable.

    If you have any interest in theology, Romanian culture or a well structured horror experience, this is a must try!    … Expand
  11. aNNdreU
    Jun 20, 2018
    10
    The game is purely amazing, the level of details and the atmosphere is just divine. I wonder what would it happened if I could manage to get all the icons, would it influence the story somehow? I strongly believe that this game is by far the best of its genre and a masterpiece combining religious and satanic things into a whole. I have to congratulate the developers for having the patienceThe game is purely amazing, the level of details and the atmosphere is just divine. I wonder what would it happened if I could manage to get all the icons, would it influence the story somehow? I strongly believe that this game is by far the best of its genre and a masterpiece combining religious and satanic things into a whole. I have to congratulate the developers for having the patience and also the stubborness to create such a game.

    Doamne ajută! Binecuvântat fie Numele Domnului!    … Expand
  12. albastru97
    Jun 10, 2018
    10
    The game displays a fascinating atmosphere rich in Eastern European mysticism with an intriguing plot that surprises with every turn of events.
  13. AstiX
    Dec 9, 2018
    7
    It's an interesting little game with a pretty unique take on storytelling and visual presentation. I was impressed with how weird and unusual its horror elements were. Its main theme is something I've never seen in a game before.

    The story had me hooked with it's mystery, but it turned out fairly predictable as it played out. There's a lot of ominous religious text and dialogue thrown    It's an interesting little game with a pretty unique take on storytelling and visual presentation. I was impressed with how weird and unusual its horror elements were. Its main theme is something I've never seen in a game before.

    The story had me hooked with it's mystery, but it turned out fairly predictable as it played out. There's a lot of ominous religious text and dialogue thrown in that most of the time serves no other purpose than to make the story feel more mysterious and complicated, while having no hidden meaning whatsoever.

    The voice acting is pretty average which takes away from what could potentially be a much more amazing experience.

    I liked the music and the way it captures the local culture from the place and period the game is set in. At times it was very well used and chill inducing.

    The sound design however, feels very poorly done and I found it to be the worst aspect of the game. Lots of areas feel like they have sounds missing as many moving objects make no sound. When walking you can clearly hear a sound file being played for each footstep and the sound file being immediately stopped mid playing when you stop moving which sounds ridiculous. When passing the threshold from one room to another all the sounds from the previous room are immediately cutoff like you just teleported to a different location. This really breaks the flow of the atmosphere and immersion.

    Graphics look nice, but are are smudged and blurred with terrible anti-aliasing with no graphical options available to turn it off or tweak it. Also drawing distance is extremely near, with grass and shadows popping 2 metres in front of you when outside.    … Expand
  14. Bastettosa
    Jun 22, 2018
    10
    Finished now. Well...what an experience! Gray Dawn in the typical game that sweat courage, abnegation and creativity of its creators. So many details and references, I'm absolutely impressed. Storytelling is perfect and I love how the narrration goes on and all the dreamlike setup of the settings. I've been waiting this game since it was announced, but it was worth it!
  15. o1nk
    May 30, 2023
    8
    Отличный проект, который под конец не скатывается в непонятно что.
    Прошел на одном дыхании и получил только положительные эмоции.
    Приятная графика, музыка, звуки, сюжет.
    Однозначно стоит того чтобы ознакомиться.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Adventure Gamers
    Dec 19, 2018
    70
    ‘Tis the season to be seriously creeped out and yet equally enthralled by the religious themes and beautiful, imaginative world in Gray Dawn.
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  2. CD-Action
    Oct 25, 2018
    70
    A short and simple walking simulator that’s worth your time not only because of unique, surreal visions it presents, great visuals and phenomenal music, but also because it tackles a difficult and rarely brought up subject of religion. [09/2018, p.58]
  3. Softpedia
    Jul 30, 2018
    70
    Supported by an enticing story and shocking, gory scenes, Gray Dawn ticks all the right boxes to be categorized as a true psychological thriller. The feeling of anxiety and dread is masterfully instilled throughout the game without making use of any elements of the horror genre. The only downside to the formula adopted by Interactive Stone is that they have clearly exaggerated with the religious iconography. Apart from that, and a few design issues, Gray Dawn is a short but deep immersion into the human subconscious, an exposition of the endless battle between good and evil.
    Read full review
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