Bloober Team, known for their well-received Silent Hill 2 remake, is working on a fresh horror game called Cronos: The New Dawn. It’s a third-person survival-horror title set in space, offering a new combat loop that might change how players approach encounters.
Rather than following in the footsteps of their previous work exactly, this game aims to blend elements from classics like Dead Space and Resident Evil. What caught my eye is the way enemies can “merge” during fights, increasing the tension and forcing players to think carefully about each kill.
In Cronos: The New Dawn, enemies called “Orphans” come in different varieties. There’s the “Runner,” who aggressively rushes the player, and the “Ranger,” who attacks from afar. Then there are “Bruisers,” which are tougher and designed to drain your resources as you try to take them down.
The twist is that these enemies can combine in real time. Imagine a Runner merging with a Bruiser, you get a much more formidable foe that demands a different strategy. Players need to space out their kills to prevent enemies from merging around fallen bodies, adding a layer of tactical planning.
Resource management also plays a major role. You’ll have to decide whether to craft ammo for your Javelin, a rapid-fire, valuable weapon for crowd control—or health packs to keep yourself alive. It’s a tricky balance that survival-horror fans will likely appreciate.
The melee option, a Hammer, deals heavy damage at close range, similar to a shotgun blast. This variety in weapons means you can adapt your playstyle depending on the situation.
Bloober Team’s experience with horror games is evident here. Their confidence from the Silent Hill 2 remake seems to have influenced how they’re handling Cronos, eager for survival-horror without it feeling too much like an action game. That’s a fine line to walk, and I’m curious to see how well they pull it off.
Cronos: The New Dawn is planned for release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC this fall. I’m excited to see how this fresh combat loop will affect the survival-horror experience overall. Will players enjoy managing enemy merges and resource decisions under pressure? Time will tell.
