The New Dawn dev “went nuts” when Bloober Team tackled Switch 2 port

If you’re pining for a goopy, slimy, dirty horror game, then Cronos: The New Dawn is likely what you’re looking for. I got hands-on with Bloober Team’s latest title at Gamescom, tackling all manner of gross enemies on the game’s Nintendo Switch 2 port. After shaking off the terrors I participated in, lead narrative designer Grzegorz Like sat down for a chat with me about making Cronos’ handheld version a reality.

While I’m loving the Nintendo Switch 2 so far, I do think its current roster of new Switch games is lacking some heft. Sure, you’ve got reliable contenders like Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World, but where are the third-party bangers? I feel like Cronos: The New Dawn can satiate that hunger, but bringing a game typically intended for the power of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S to other platforms isn’t an easy job.

“I went nuts,” says Like, when I ask him about hearing the news that Cronos: The New Dawn would be headed to the Nintendo Switch 2. Although games on Nintendo’s sparkly new handheld look great for the most part, Like’s concerns extend to maintaining an authentic atmosphere. “It’s not a gore fest, you know […] we want pretty horrors. We want them to be aesthetically pleasing and interesting.”

I played around 20 minutes of the game, and it isn’t an assault on the senses in the usual bloody ways. The New Dawn revels in making you feel in desperate need of a shower. Gloopy substances and flesh are where the haunts lie, thanks to the game’s unique merge system, a mechanic that sees enemies consume fallen foes to become stronger. Within mere moments, you can be fighting a boss-level enemy, making it crucial to dispose of corpses with fire.

For me, it’s the stuff of brilliance that David Cronenberg and John Carpenter made hallmarks of their work on the big screen. Ensuring the horror game‘s impeccable vibes still hit on a platform where the visual quality will drop below PS5, Xbox, and PC is a task that Like expresses worries about.

“When you get an opportunity to do something that degrades, that, you know, it’s just like ‘do I really want to do that?’ Because it’s just like stripping the game of the cream.” It also presents challenges in other areas, according to Like.

“I was worried about how the sound would work. Sound design is very important. But the guys in our sound department are just crazy. They do wonderful things. I was just afraid some of those would get lost. But then again, I play, and I was amazed at what that console can do. It’s just bonkers.”

Like tells me that Cronos’s eventual form wasn’t what came to mind. Game directors Jacek Zięba and Wojciech Piejko broke the pitch to Like, as he explains to me that “I’m not very good at challenging games, because the first thing I pictured was Dark Souls […] I have 1,000 hours of testing this game, you know. I never play in god modes or one-shot one-kill things, because it’s too fun. I think the real battle starts before the actual physical battle, you know? It starts in your mind.”

You can play Cronos: The New Dawn on September 2, 2025. Want more Gamescom scoops? Here’s what I think of the Xbox Ally, and whether Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is shaping up well.