Playing on a 9070 XT requires me to disable raytracing (pretty much mandatory) and lower my settings or enable upscaling. I don't expect to do either with any game, nor do I feel like I should. I want to like this game and I liked the 2 hours I played so far, but it's unacceptable to release a game in this state. Refunded for now, will buy once (if) fixed.
That's my only gripe. No map. With that out of the way, let's move on to my praise and love for this game. As an American, I can’t fully grasp what it must have been like for people my age to be born and raised under a communist regime, only to witness its collapse, the rise of free enterprise, and the relentless persecution of the Church during that era all while, millions of Polish Catholics remained steadfast in the face of state-sponsored atheism and omnipresent propaganda. What truly resonates with me is how Cronos: The New Dawn weaves all of that into it's plot while proudly embracing its Polish identity.
The game thoughtfully critiques mindless collectivism while simultaniously reflects on the selfishness of individualism. It acknowledges Poland’s deep Catholic roots without shying away from a constructive examination of the Church’s past missteps. The narrative vividly depicts a violent, all-powerful state losing its grip as society unravels, weaving in real-world history—like the eerie Soviet drilling of the “Well to Hell” at the Kola Superdeep Borehole.
But Cronos goes further, blending science fiction and horror through time travel, enigmatic advanced (human?) visitors from a possible future, a viral apocalypse, and mind-bending concepts like the grandfather paradox and fate. This imaginative fusion delivers a survival horror experience that feels tailor-made, rich in both story and atmosphere.
Simply put: this game is a must-play.
I am amazed at how the pacing and atmosphere of this game have managed to keep me engaged for almost every second of my time with it so far. Its Residead Space in some post-disaster Sci-Fi USSR future-past starring an autismo robo lady. I don't know what it is that works about this game, but it works very well. Highly recommended!
Expectation were middle, and Cronos easily riched that. Game is slow and thick with climate
cream-like soup. Visually and sound-wise the game meets expectations as well. But I personally have problem with lvl. of difficulty and game mechanics. I see that Bloober wanted to make game like old RE with a touch of Dead Space, but this not this what people knowning BT have expected. They went too far, far too far!
Almost every aspect of the game mechanics looks like it has been made to make you suffer. I like when on the start game is on medium level, a then new, more challenging levels unlocked. Cronos is going on differnt direction. Same story with inventory. You do really must manage this well at all time, sometimes even wasteing some resources, to free space.
Crafting system slighty cheating you, not allowing to upgrade your inventory slotes or suit, even you have enough cores! Here I have to addmit, that cores are quite rare to find, so you suppsed to be rewarded if somehow, someway you found them in amount unexpected by the game . No. There is no rewards! And there is more of that, but this you must find by yourself, couse even i the light of all I sad game is still addictive and tempting you to go deeper and deeper.
I know there will be a lot of people appreciate Cronos for been tough and no mercifull, saying words of his own pray - Hard game for petient players. I'm not buying this! instead of been tough as tough can be, game should loosen the reins a bit, while still remaining a demanding and more positioned versatile, including promising but quite empthy story line. Cronos is definetlly a game in category "only for fans". the average player, even an experienced one, but not necessarily a fan of this kind of atmosphere, will probably give up on this game.
I honestly didn’t expect this game to be so good, especially since I was skeptical when it was first announced. The gameplay is engaging, and wise inventory management is a must. Combat sequences can be tough at times, especially if you go in unprepared. The graphics are impressive, and the sound design is phenomenal. If you’re looking for a game similar to the Resident Evil or Dead Space series, this one is definitely worth your attention.
On the downside, there are some technical issues, like occasional stutters and frame drops. The game is demanding to run, but that’s no surprise considering it’s built on Unreal Engine 5. Thankfully, these issues aren’t severe enough to ruin the experience.
In summary: I highly recommend giving Cronos: The New Dawn a try.