A Shawshank-Inspired Tale of Prison Life and Corruption
Anyone who grew up in the 1990s or early 2000s most likely saw, or is at the very least aware of, the film The Shawshank Redemption. In that film, a man is falsely accused of a crime which results in a decades long prison sentence. During that time he bonds with the other inmates and adjusts to his new reality, changing as a person while he does.
Back to the Dawn is very obviously and explicitly inspired by The Shawshank Redemption, with various nods to the film and other pop culture running throughout the game. The main story revolves around Thomas the Fox, a reporter who is falsely imprisoned after doing an exposé on mayoral corruption that has lead to heavy pollution throughout the city.
The gameplay revolves around managing limited resources in prison, collecting intel on what is going on, and exploring the different areas of the prison.
21 Days to Freedom
After being imprisoned, Thomas has two main priorities – appeal his sentence and expose the mayor’s corruption in time for the mayoral election that takes place 21 days after his incarceration. Back to the Dawn provides an incredible amount of player freedom in how to achieve those objectives. While the overarching goal remains the same, there are gangs to join, prisoners to befriend, guards to cozy up to, and secrets within the prison to uncover.
Managing Your Days
Each day is broken down into time blocks. The first is that of headcount, where each prisoner is tallied and new announcements are made. These announcements can include changes to the lunch menu, new work programs, and so on, which will affect how you make money and maintain a positive attitude during your stay in prison.
Following the headcount is the work period. From then until noon, Thomas is able to work various jobs, talk with different prisoners and guards to develop new relationships, and explore some sections of the prison. Working jobs gives good behavior points which can be exchanged for new work permits that allow Thomas access to new areas of the prison and more lucrative work.
After the work block is an hour long lunch, followed by a several-hour block of recreation time. During this time Thomas can again talk to the various prisoners to build up his relationship with them, but there is also a workout area where he can improve his strength, a library that has plenty of books that provide new skills, and even quests that Thomas can complete to improve his reputation in the prison.
Money, Morality, and Mayhem
Money and reputation are vital to succeeding, as everything in prison costs money and many prisoners won’t even acknowledge you unless your reputation is high enough. Not only that but other prisoners aren’t always agreeable and will shake Thomas down for his money.
This can be devastating because, again, everything costs money. Each action will cost energy, and energy can be regained by finding a seat and rest for a period of time. Time is limited though, and it is possible for the mayoral election to come and go with Thomas trapped behind bars and nothing to show for it.
Money allows Thomas to trade with prisoners for contraband items that will help achieve various goals, buy better food during lunch which gives better health benefits, and even pay for special privileges which enables access to new areas in the prison.
Snooping and Second Chances
The first major hurdle to overcome, beyond trying to figure out how to expose the mayor’s crimes, is hunger. The main stats that need to be maintained are hunger, mind, body, and energy. Eating enough food keeps Thomas at full health, also called “body”, and prevents heavy mental degradation of the “mind” stat. Energy, as mentioned, allows Thomas to do basically everything. This includes bonding with prisoners, searching through shelves, and performing different jobs in the prison.
There are other various stats to keep an eye on, like hygiene and digestion, which basically amounts to everything one would need to take care of in the bathroom. Showering keeps Thomas hygienic, so prisoners don’t turn away from him in disgust. Brushing his teeth improves charisma, and managing digestion prevents Thomas from having an embarrassing accident. These are easier to maintain and slightly less important, but they can still go a long way in keeping Thomas in high spirits.
While not maintaining these stats, Thomas will be busy snooping around for information on the prison and the mayor’s background. Thomas’ best friend, who also happens to be his lawyer, Reed, is helping file the appeal as well as investigate the mayor. Without going too much into spoiler territory, Reed manages to get Thomas vital information on different items and people within the prison that share various ties with the mayor. By following up on those leads, Thomas slowly works his way closer to uncovering the plot that lead to his false imprisonment.
But as mentioned earlier, it is possible for Thomas to fail his mission. In fact, my first playthrough ended rather poorly for our hero. However, there is a new game plus mode which carries over most skills and relationship stats to a second playthrough. Things like work permits need to be earned again, but knowing how the game works makes accomplishing tasks much easier and faster the second time around.
A World of Personality and Pixel Art
This was a huge boost to how I felt about Back to the Dawn. Originally I felt like relationships took a bit too long to form, especially when learning all the other mechanics, but those remain virtually unchanged in the new game plus. Other than that the main complaint I had during my playthrough wasn’t gameplay related but actually how text block progression works – it’s too easy to accidentally skip over dialogue selections when in conversation. When pushing A to speed up dialogue, it wasn’t uncommon to accidentally click over a dialogue option and miss some information.
However, that is easy to overlook when compared to the freedom that is given in the rest of the game. There are three different gangs, each working with their own goals and motivations, and you can choose to join one or remain completely neutral. The captain of the guard also is willing to give you tasks, and working with him is a completely viable playstyle. Each gang has pros and cons, and choosing to cozy up with one can give several benefits, but will also increase the hostility of the other gangs, while also limiting certain activities. Weighing these options to best fit your playstyle makes for a great and unique challenge.
Back to the Dawn is also filled to the brim with personality. The art direction is exceptionally well done, from the pixel art to the in-game animations and world design. The 47 prisoners all have their own personalities and back stories, which can be uncovered by bonding with them through conversation and favors. It’s also possible to bond with the various guards to a certain extent, and there are other workers to interact with which can come with various benefits as well.
There is even a second story focused on an entirely different character, and the character selection screen is teasing a third one. Thomas’ story on its own is worth your time, so anything additional to that is just a welcome treat.
A Deep and Rewarding Prison Sim with a Time Crunch
Back to the Dawn shows just how much indie games can shine. In a day when so many large games nickel and dime consumers for every scrap of content, one that is built out with so much content – and even more planned for free – is a huge breath of fresh air. The main caveat to Back to the Dawn for players will likely be the fact that everything is on a time limit. I personally love the layer that a time crunch adds to a game, but I understand it’s not for everyone.
But if that doesn’t deter you, and should the idea of a prison simulator with a heavy story focus sound appealing, then Back to the Dawn is a must play.
Important Links
Escape the Madhouse – Back to the Dawn Launches Now on Xbox, Game Pass and PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/escape-the-madhouse-back-to-the-dawn-launches-now-on-xbox-game-pass-and-pc/
Download Back to the Dawn (through Game Pass if you like) – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/back-to-the-dawn/9pkwjsj4nwc7
