Back to the Dawn was released on July 17th, 2025, with it joining Xbox’s Game Pass the next day. The game only got a trailer around a month ago, so the quick reveal and release were a shock.
That hasn’t stopped a fan base from growing, as the game has received over five thousand reviews, mostly good reviews. So what kind of game is it, and does it deserve a 92% good rating on the Steam store?
Back To The Dawn Take On Jail
Back To The Dawn seems to lean towards a group with its characters, with everyone being an animal. The furry community has already made its way to the game, which isn’t a surprise considering how characters were made.
With that being said, the art style still looks great, with the whole game being done in pixel art. This allows them to have more control over the proportions of the characters while still having an easier time.
The characters’ backstories and behavior are also significantly different from each other, with stats and items never copying another one. That and mixed with the fact that the animals are from everywhere, means that the developers had many options.
Moving on, the gameplay can be a bit slow, but overall, it plays amazingly, with it being single-player only. Having full control over when to stop and save is great, even if it’s at the cost of co-op.
If there was ever a game to compare Back to the Dawn with, I’d have to say The Escapists. Both involve prison, and either doing a mission or breaking out in some way, with puzzles to keep you busy.
The best part of the gameplay comes with the missions, with some being simple, but the difficulty quickly ramps up. They can be anywhere from picking flowers to beating up another prisoner, or maybe even reading a book fully.
The story is also great, with two playable characters with three pasts to choose from for both of them. They have different stats, and the pasts mean the game can be played for multiple runs, and get multiple endings.
First, the short fox who’s a reporter who gets drugs placed on him for putting the mayor in a bad light. He focuses on revealing the truth to the town, or escaping to his lover, or possibly both, if quick enough.
The next is an undercover cop, looking for a wolf named Fenrir, for details on a mission he can’t see. This character’s endings, I don’t know, as I haven’t gotten far with him yet, due to him being even harder.
