This Back to the Dawn review will focus on the PC version, more specifically, my experience playing on the Steam Deck. Back to The Dawn is a debut effort from Metal Head Games and is being published by Spiral Up, most known for publishing the Wandering Sword titles.
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Back To The Dawn Review for PC
- Title: Back To The Dawn
- Developer: Metal Head Games
- Publisher: Spiral Up Games
- Primary Genre: RPG, Story, Strategy
Gameplay
The idea is simple, you’re placed into a prison with a strict regimen of what to do at what times, and everything else is at your discretion. I was invited to explore every nook and cranny of the jail, learning the available gangs, learning any weak spots for an escape, learning gossip, and figuring out all of the mechanics.
There’s a hunger system and a skill tree which can impact what path to take and what actions are open. Things like getting a job for money, stooging to the main guard,or joining a gang are options on the table, each with its own weighted pros and cons.
The gameplay is pretty simple time and need management but the constant opportunity cost of what choice to make was thrilling. Trying to cover all my bases while going ahead with a mission or scrounging for the right crafting material was a big part of the juggling act.
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There’s also some easy mini-games that break things up. Working out comes with its own mini-game as does the jobs available. They’re usually pretty simple but I enjoyed how the game was broken up between flashbacks, prison days, mini-games, and investigating.
Visuals
The game has a pretty simple sprite style and tends to go with a more gloomy vibe but it does have some suprises to throw. I won’t spoil much of the in-jail action but some of the later setpieces are genuinely stunning for a title of this scale especially compared to the jail I got used to using every day.
The character designs are all pretty neat, each one feeling distinct even when there’s overlap on animals. The main guard being a big dog, the gang leader being this unmissable elephant, it’s all pretty well done.
Story
There’s a lot of plates to spin throughout the game. I was given a lot of different missions off rip but I quickly realised I’m not meant to solve all of them. The main story mission follows a simple progression of proving the first MC’s innocence but anything beyond that was free-roam. I had the chance of seeing how things went down if I cosied up to the guard or what an attempted escape would look like, I could join a gang and see how their missions played out either.
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Despite being set in a rigid and small jail, there’s an entire ecosystem within Back ot The Dawn that’s so fun to play around in. Learning each of the trades, possibly finding out the tricks to cheat the system, and eventually coming out on top or dealing with consequences provided a reasoning to every decision.
Steam Deck Performance
The game runs perfectly on the Deck. The controls map easily, the graphics aren’t intense so it runs without any visual lag or need to adjust settings. It also isn’t a killer drain on the battery which is a nice bonus.
Back To The Dawn Review – Last Word on Gaming Viewpoint
Despite being a prison, the game provides a detailed playground to play in. The jail has depth and life that goes far beneath the initial surface and rewards the player for digging and exploring. It isn’t perfect, the hunger system in particular felt like it got in the way more often than not and it was impossible to fill up, but what Back To The Dawn does well, it does really well. Easy recommend for players who love weighing up the Opportunity Cost and forging ahead with their decisions.
