Jesse Makkonen's Without a Dawn to rise on May 19th

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Horror-themed introspective visual novel with "pseudo-ASCII art" unveiled by the creator or Afterdream and Distraint

Fans of Jesse Makkonen probably think they know what to expect of games from the creator of Afterdream and the Distraint series: bleak psychological tales; muted, atmospheric graphics; and side-scrolling, puzzle-lite gameplay. Much of that will be true of the solo Finnish developer's next project, too, but the upcoming Without a Dawn will take a very different approach than we're used to. 

Plagued by the never-ending flood of thoughts running through her mind, a troubled young woman seeks refuge in a remote cabin. But the silence seems only to magnify her distress, as even with "no distractions in the profound ... isolation, the eerie sound of the cold wind weaving through the trees keeps her awake." What's worse is that in the "dark stillness of the night, the silence has begun to take on physical form." In her dreams she sees a man in a gas mask, and "unexplainable things" begin happening around her. Is she losing her mind, or is the man really "manifesting in the silence?" 

Without a Dawn is described as a "dark tale of introspection" that intertwines "psychological and philosophical elements to create a narrative that blurs the line between reality and fiction." So far so expected from Makkonen, who excels at creating games with oppressive atmospheres of existential horror. What's entirely unexpected is the switch here to choice-driven visual novel-styled gameplay with a "unique pseudo-ASCII art style." It's touted as being "hauntingly beautiful" and that's no marketing exaggeration, possessing a strikingly stark look that's eerily animated. The first screenshots and trailer feature a familiar sepia-toned aesthetic with letter and number fragments comprising the artwork, but the full game will feature options for players to change the palette, textures and frames to suit their preferences.

Designed for PC with console options planned to follow later on, Without a Dawn isn't too far off as it's due to launch on Steam on May 19th for Windows PC. 

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