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- Interactive Stone
- Interactive Stone
- Interactive Stone
- Interactive Stone
Gray Dawn
Released On: Jun 7, 2018
71
7.5
Where to Buy
Where to Buy
All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
71
20% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
80% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
71
20% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
80% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The real strength of Gray Dawn lies far from its decent controls, its ability to run economically on a PC whilst looking amazing, and its employment of psychological horror tropes to get your heart rate up. The proof is all in the Christianity-flavoured pudding. I have never played any other game quite like this which uses all the trappings of religion in a way that subverts our everyday conceptions of it.
‘Tis the season to be seriously creeped out and yet equally enthralled by the religious themes and beautiful, imaginative world in Gray Dawn.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 45 User Ratings
7.5
67% Positive
30 Ratings
30 Ratings
18% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
16% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 45 User Ratings
7.5
67% Positive
30 Ratings
30 Ratings
18% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
16% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
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.
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PC
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!
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PC
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]
Grey Dawn tells the compelling story of a young priest devoured by his distorted inner world. It uses religious imaginary and blasphemy to convey the struggle he's facing, adding a backstory of an alleged murder. Too bad it is too easy and offers bizarre gameplay solutions.
Gray Dawn has a broader appeal than might be expected, precisely because it isn’t your standard horror title. It creates an amazing atmosphere and gripping suspense without using (too many) clichés, and the slow, well-paced progression creates a unique feel with great appeal.
Truth be told, I had a great time with Gray Dawn. Laughing at the absurdity with my friend made it a really fun experience. It’s an awful horror game. That needs to be understood. There’s no horror classic to be found here, and there are many games to scratch that itch for less than $20. That said, if you’re the type to grab a couple of friends and head to the cinema to see a movie that’s so bad it’s good, then I would absolutely recommend Gray Dawn.
Gray Dawn is true to its description of being a psychological thriller with religious elements, but it can’t seem to focus in on which religious elements it wants to portray.
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 patience and also the stubborness to create such a game.
Doamne ajută! Binecuvântat fie Numele Domnului!
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PC
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!
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PC
The game displays a fascinating atmosphere rich in Eastern European mysticism with an intriguing plot that surprises with every turn of events.
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PC
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 **** 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!
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PC
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.
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PC
Summary Gray Dawn is a psychological thriller infused with religious elements seen through beautiful and terrifying worlds. You play as Father Abraham, a priest trying to find the missing altar boy.
Platforms:
- PC
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox One
Initial Release Date: Jun 7, 2018
Developer:
- Interactive Stone
Publisher: Interactive Stone
Genres:
