Gray Dawn relies heavily on religious themes and tales, using these to under pin a tale of loss, death, and accountability. As a non-religious person I’m sure I missed some of the deeper meanings or references, but that’s not to say I couldn’t follow along with the story. It’s dark, depressing, and quite grim at times, but for those looking for a short thriller Gray Dawn is a decent enough title to check out, though it’s not one that will stand out in a crowded genre.
We play as a Priest as he battles to clear his name after being accused of murdering a child from his parish. It starts off dark, and only goes darker as we progress, presented as we are with various graphic imagery, including multiple accounts of dead and mutilated children as well as the religious imagery. We hop between realities, and following instruction from one of the dead, have to find various items to escape, from bones to hearts, skulls, and more. By the time we wrapped up the roughly 5 hour game, we had seen some sights.
Gameplay consists of exploring the areas we’re in to find the handful of items, and while it’s a bit clunky at times we are at least given a helping hand in icons that pop up to let us know if we can interact with an item, or if we still need something to do so first. There are several puzzles throughout that, while not hard, do at least offer a bit more interactivity, requiring us to put certain items in before pulling a lever to create a potion for example. Outside of these elements, Gray Dawn has an air of walking sim to it, with us exploring and finding story beats. It’s all pretty straight forward but enjoyable enough without being too obtuse.
At one point we’re granted the power to change seasons, from snowy to bright sunshine, though all this really amounts to is another way to open a door or clear a pathway. After one or two levels it’s gone though, and we’re back to the regular gameplay.
There are eight icons to find throughout that will unlock the good ending, but while we’re told early on to find them all, it’s not made clear enough that they can be missed entirely, with us ending up with about four of them before we realise we couldn’t go back for the others. It’s short enough to play again should you be so inclined, but a little more clarity on the restrictions wouldn’t have gone amiss.
Conclusion
All in all, we ended our time with Gray Dawn having enjoyed its grim tale, but it’s also not something that will live long in our memory, or have us clamouring for a second play through. One for those looking to sample a new thriller, having exhausted other options already out there.
This game was reviewed based on Xbox S|X review code, using an Xbox S|X console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.
