The new survival game Undawn for PC and mobile comes from the mega-corporation Tencent from China and promises completely new innovations. However, the ingredients sound just like the basis of every game in the genre for many years.
What kind of game is this? Undawn takes place in a post-apocalypse after a zombie outbreak. You embody one of the last survivors who have joined the “Raven Squad”.
Your goal is to somehow get through while helping other survivors. You are somewhat like the “last bastion” of humanity. To do this, you collect supplies from the ruins of the past, find vehicles and weapons, and fight zombies and other people who are not as friendly as you.
Undawn is developed by Lightspeed & Quantum Studios, a studio of the Chinese corporation Tencent. They have previously created the mobile survival game Dawn Awakening, from which a considerable amount of content has apparently been adapted – including the appearance of the characters.
In fact, Undawn is reportedly even the “official name” of Dawn Awakening (via PC Gamer). Dawn Awakening only exists in China, and Undawn is supposed to be the global version. However, the new game has great ambitions.
According to Executive Producer Rick Li, the developers want to create with Undawn “a new kind of action game that mixes open-world freedom with RPG elements that would redefine the genre, regardless of the platform” (via gamespress.com). However, it is still not entirely clear what elements these might be, as everything looks pretty much as usual.
“Open-World Freedom with RPG Elements”
What makes Undawn the same as other games: On the official Undawn website, there are no detailed infos about the game yet. However, the new survival game is said, according to the press release, to have both PvP and PvE elements.
Additionally, you should be able to search for resources in order to craft better gear and weapons and build a shelter. Trade should also be possible – though all of this sounds quite similar to what was already present in DayZ, which had many such features.
Gameplay from Undawn directly is not yet available, but a new video recently appeared that shows what Dawn Awakening looks like. The mobile survival game also looks quite similar to already known games in the genre:
What is different? One of the major differences is the factions listed on the website. So far, four of them are known:
- Clowns
- Owl Gang
- Eagles
- Reivers (Cover Image)
What exactly the factions’ roles are or how players can interact with them remains uncertain. They might represent the mentioned RPG aspects, and players can join them to complete quests for them.
That feature would not be much different from, for instance, the factions in Fallout 76. So it remains to be seen how exactly Undawn wants to “redefine the genre”.
Undawn is set to be released for mobile and PC, with the developers wanting to include crossplay. However, this is still in development. The website has no information about a release date, only the reference: “coming soon”. If it really is the finished version of Dawn Awakening, a release in 2021 is still quite possible.
