One Cronos: The New Dawn Feature Expertly Merges Story and…

Cronos: The New Dawn is Bloober Team's latest third-person psychological survival horror title. Coming off its success in remaking one of the most beloved games in the genre last year, Silent Hill 2, the studio proved that it also still had ambitions to create its own unique worlds and characters. Cronos: The New Dawn sends fans to a vision of a ravaged future where humanity has been all but eradicated by a grotesque disease that forever altered its very nature, changing people into near-mindless abominations who seek to "merge" with other biomasses, be they living or dead.

Cronos: The New Dawn puts players in the role of The Traveler, a time-traveling agent of an inscrutable group called The Collective. The Traveler is tasked with going back to the past to retrieve specific people who have been designated as "Essences." These Essences may hold the answers to reversing or curing The Change that wracked humanity and left civilization in ruins to be haunted by the twisted creatures known as Orphans. Throughout the journey, The Traveler will meet certain Essences as part of the main mission and can come across others as well. And though this seems mostly story-related at first, the way these Essences are then integrated as a mechanic is one of Cronos' standout aspects.

Possible spoilers below.

Cronos: The New Dawn Incorporates Its 'Essences' Smartly into Both Plot and Gameplay

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Cronos: The New Dawn's Essences Are More Than Initially Meets the Eye

The first goal that The Traveler is given upon being awakened in Cronos: The New Dawn's apocalyptic future is to find a time portal to the past that will lead them to the first Essence, and harvest it. It's heavily implied that this process will result in the death of the people in question, and that their minds will somehow be preserved and interrogated by The Collective so that it can find a way to stop The Change. Overall, though, it's a fairly straightforward setup, at least in terms of video game quests, essentially equating to "find this target at this location and bring them to us." But once players acquire this Essence, it's revealed that they are far more than just plot devices.

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How Cronos: The New Dawn's Essences Add Even More Layers to its Top-Notch Survival Horror Design

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As soon as players have the first Essence in hand, they will discover that they also function as equippable upgrades, with each Essence granting a unique bonus. A few examples of the buffs that these Essences impart are:

Gathering additional energy (the in-game currency required to purchase upgrades and supplies)
Melee and stomp attacks dealing increased damage
Reducing the cost of resources needed for crafting items

Some of these can be incredibly helpful when combating Cronos: The New Dawn's enemies, depending on player preference and approach to encounters. However, another wrinkle is introduced after collecting three Essences and attempting to install another. The game will inform players that only three of them can be active at a time. What's more, if they choose to activate the new one, they must also delete one of the current ones, and it will be gone for good afterward. While a few Essences are technically optional, players who explore thoroughly in search of them (or stumble upon one) will have to make a tactical choice about which to keep or discard.

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On top of how this almost hidden mechanic affects gameplay, another excellent touch is that it ties back into the narrative as well. The Traveler will periodically experience intense flashbacks, hearing voices and seeing visions of the particular Essences' memories that they are carrying at any given point. Each one displays their own distinct personality and dialogue, and this adds to the intensity and tone as a whole. Cronos: The New Dawn is a great modern survival horror title in a lot of ways, and the manner in which it weaves the idea of Essences into the story and gameplay is intelligent and highly effective.

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