Cronos: The New Dawn is Bloober Team’s first original IP in the survival horror genre, marking a significant step forward for the Polish studios’ evolution as the masters of horror, known most recently for the acclaimed Silent Hill 2 remake.

Set in a grim world where Eastern European brutalism meets retro-futurist technology, Cronos: The New Dawn lets you experience a gripping story that straddles the line between past and future.

In the past, you will witness a world in the throes of The Change, a cataclysmic event that forever altered humanity. Meanwhile, in the ravaged wastelands of the future, every moment is a fight for survival against dangerous abominations that will test both your reflexes and your tactical thinking.

In the gameplay reveal trailer for Cronos: The New Dawn, a voice warned the Traveler to "Stay focused, stay cautious."

More than just a bit of lore, this was meant to communicate that in Cronos: The New Dawn, remaining vigilant is of the utmost importance.

That’s because, in addition to careful resource management, you also have to deal with enemies that can merge with each other during battle. This radically alters the dynamic of every encounter, with each Merge exponentially increasing its difficulty in real-time.

Bloober Team is releasing a short developer diary offering an in-depth look at how combat works in Cronos: The New Dawn, where every encounter is shaped by a brutal and evolving threat: The Merge. Enemies known as Orphans can absorb nearby corpses to transform mid-battle into deadlier forms, gaining new abilities and dramatically shifting the flow of combat in real time. This mechanic raises the stakes with every kill, making tactical decision-making and spatial awareness absolutely critical.

Escalating threats: How merging transforms your enemies

In Cronos, enemies known as Orphans can absorb dead bodies to evolve into even stronger and more resilient foes, complete with new attack patterns. 

This adds another layer of complexity to combat, because by killing Orphans you’re effectively providing fuel for other nearby enemies to evolve and become more powerful in the process. 

Having the Merge as a fully integrated gameplay system fundamentally shifts the balance of combat, especially in a game where ammo is scarce and crafting opportunities are limited.

Most enemies in Cronos are capable of merging with each other. Your goal is to stop them at all costs, or deal with the consequences.

Arena Control: Turning the odds in your favor

The best way to counteract the Merge is by preventing it from happening in the first place. Often, combat in Cronos requires navigating handcrafted arenas filled with multiple enemies.

Since merging requires dead bodies to absorb, spatial awareness is critical. Space out your kills, lure foes away from fallen bodies, and be ready to interrupt merging attempts mid-fight.

When it comes to your gear, you’ll have an entire arsenal at your disposal for every situation. Weapons like the Javelin, with its rapid-fire capacity, are perfect for crowd control. Others, like the Hammer, deal heavy damage at close range – ideal for finishing off tough enemies before they can merge.

Rapidly switching between weapons according to their range and effectiveness in each situation is key to gaining the upper hand in combat.

Enemy Roles: Tips and tricks to defeat them

When it comes to enemy design, we wanted the Orphans to challenge players in distinct ways by featuring different attack patterns and fulfilling specific roles in combat. To take them down efficiently, it’s crucial to observe their behavior and adapt your strategy to counter their moves.

One enemy type you’ll encounter often is the Doppelganger. Scattered throughout New Dawn, not all Doppelgangers look or act alike. Instead, they can be grouped into different categories based on their combat style.

Some are runners, rushing towards the player to inflict melee damage. Others have ranged attacks, forcing players to approach them instead. Then there are the bruisers, heavy-hitting, durable foes who can soak up damage and are best dealt with using close-range shotgun blasts. And, of course, they all can merge with each other, gaining new abilities and attack patterns with each evolution.

Additionally, there are special enemies that only appear in select locations, but we will be revealing more about them in future updates.

You are a Traveler acting as an agent for the enigmatic Collective, tasked with scouring the wastelands of the future in search of specific time rifts that will transport you back to 1980s-era Poland.

Your mission is to locate key people from the past who perished in the ensuing apocalypse. Using your all-powerful Harvester, you can extract their Essences and have them accompany you into the future.

In a desolate world filled with ever-present danger, your survival hinges on your ability to strategize and plan ahead. The enemies you’ll encounter are nightmarish creatures, born from the remnants of humanity – defeating them will require you to make full use of your arsenal. During battle, quick decisions can mean the difference between life and death.

Cronos: The New Dawn is coming to PC (Steam), PS5, and Xbox Series X|S in Fall 2025.