Bloober Team first shared their announcement of a new IP, Cronos: The New Dawn, in October 2024. Cronos: The New Dawn is set to be the first original survival horror game from Bloober Team. So far, the studio has primarily focused on straight forward horror experiences, with the remake of Silent Hill 2 being their first foray into the survival horror genre.
This new gameplay video showcases what is called "The Merge," which is "an innovative new mechanic that changes the way players confront enemies, turning every encounter into a mind-bending nightmare and struggle for survival." The game is set across two different time periods: A post-apocalyptic future and a 1980s-era Poland.
Players will explore the "decaying district of New Dawn, inspired by real-life Nowa Huta." You are a Traveler, "an agent of the mysterious Collective, emerging from a dystopian future to dive back into time and extra key people before they perish in the apocalypse." You will have to deal with a group of enemies known as the Orphans. They are "twisted, body-horror monstrosities born from humanity's darkest nightmares."
As it currently stands, Bloober hopes to get Cronos: The New Dawn out later this year for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam.
Kill Them. Burn Them. Don’t Let Them Merge.
In this latest reveal, the tagline “Don’t Let Them Merge” points to one of the game’s core mechanics: downed enemies don’t stay dead for long! If you don’t burn their bodies, these fallen monsters can be absorbed by existing enemies. Through a grotesque process known as Merging, enemies evolve into faster, stronger, more resilient, and far more horrifying abominations, gaining additional abilities in battle.
Jacek Zięba, Co-Director and Producer at Bloober Team, warns: “Imagine this: a distorted mix of sci-fi, time travel, retro-futuristic dread, and body horror—all set against the gritty backdrop of 80s Poland. What a ride, right? And whatever you do… don’t let them merge.”
Wojciech Piejko, Co-Director and Designer at Bloober Team, adds: “How do you fight them? Fire! Burn the fallen before they merge with living creatures. The merge changes the game, adding a whole new layer of strategy to combat. Push your survival instincts to the max.”
A World Warped by Time and Terror
Alongside the newly revealed combat system, Cronos: The New Dawn shows many upcoming and exciting features. Players will get a sneak peek of the game’s ferocious weapons and terrifying new enemies, all set against the backdrop of Brutalist architecture falling apart, twisted by the anomalies that warp reality itself. There are also glimpses of enigmatic new characters, all with their own agendas and hidden secrets. Cronos: The New Dawn promises a story packed with cryptic secrets and a creeping sense of dread that doesn’t let up.
Adding to the tension is the game’s soundtrack, created by award-winning composer Arkadiusz Reikowski. The result of a collaboration between Arkadiusz and the Polish-Ukranian indie folk band Zazula, this track in particular features haunting traditional vocals, creating an ethereal soundscape that blends synth horror with surreal, avant-garde textures. The result is a score as eerie and immersive as the world you’ll explore.
In this latest reveal, the tagline “Don’t Let Them Merge” points to one of the game’s core mechanics: downed enemies don’t stay dead for long! If you don’t burn their bodies, these fallen monsters can be absorbed by existing enemies. Through a grotesque process known as Merging, enemies evolve into faster, stronger, more resilient, and far more horrifying abominations, gaining additional abilities in battle.
Jacek Zięba, Co-Director and Producer at Bloober Team, warns: “Imagine this: a distorted mix of sci-fi, time travel, retro-futuristic dread, and body horror—all set against the gritty backdrop of 80s Poland. What a ride, right? And whatever you do… don’t let them merge.”
Wojciech Piejko, Co-Director and Designer at Bloober Team, adds: “How do you fight them? Fire! Burn the fallen before they merge with living creatures. The merge changes the game, adding a whole new layer of strategy to combat. Push your survival instincts to the max.”
A World Warped by Time and Terror
Alongside the newly revealed combat system, Cronos: The New Dawn shows many upcoming and exciting features. Players will get a sneak peek of the game’s ferocious weapons and terrifying new enemies, all set against the backdrop of Brutalist architecture falling apart, twisted by the anomalies that warp reality itself. There are also glimpses of enigmatic new characters, all with their own agendas and hidden secrets. Cronos: The New Dawn promises a story packed with cryptic secrets and a creeping sense of dread that doesn’t let up.
Adding to the tension is the game’s soundtrack, created by award-winning composer Arkadiusz Reikowski. The result of a collaboration between Arkadiusz and the Polish-Ukranian indie folk band Zazula, this track in particular features haunting traditional vocals, creating an ethereal soundscape that blends synth horror with surreal, avant-garde textures. The result is a score as eerie and immersive as the world you’ll explore.
