Back to the Dawn News

Greetings Inmates!

As you prepare to embark on your perilous journey to freedom, we'd like to introduce you to the key characters that populate the world of Back to the Dawn.

[h2]Thomas the Journalist [/h2]

First up is Thomas, but he's not your average journalist. He’s a fearless truth-seeker driven by an unwavering sense of justice. His determination to expose the truth behind each story, even at the expense of his personal relationships, makes him a formidable investigative force. But it has also earned him a fair share of adversaries.

When Thomas's investigation into an illegal sewage dumping case uncovers the town mayor's involvement, he quickly gets framed for a crime he never committed and gets thrown into the Boulderton Prison. Now, Thomas must devise a plan to escape jail and clear his name by exposing the truth behind the conspiracy that has incarcerated him!

Choose from 3 Unique Profiles!

You will play as Thomas - the game’s main playable character. Choose from 3 backgrounds, each with their own unique traits. Be a charming broadcast journalist with a gift for the gab, a sneaky undercover journalist who is good at crafting, or a hardened war correspondent who has seen combat.

Choose carefully as each past occupation offers you different ways and skills to help you survive and hopefully escape the perils of prison life. Along the way, you will discover Thomas's resilience, resourcefulness, and hidden talents as you plot your escape and seek exoneration!

[h2]Reed the Devoted Lawyer[/h2]
Up next is Reed, an adept attorney with his own legal practice, who has been Thomas's faithful friend since high school. Discovering the news of Thomas's incarceration, Reed has dedicated himself to his friend's case, striving to expose the deceit that resulted in Thomas's unjust imprisonment.


As you progress in the game, you will grow to admire Reed's smarts and loyalty. Operating outside the prison walls, he employs his sharp investigative skills to create innovative methods to support Thomas with vital information and resources. Together, they form a formidable team in their quest for truth and Thomas’s liberation!

[h2]The Gang Leaders of Boulderton Prison[/h2]
Within the walls of Boulderton Prison, intricate power structures and tacit regulations dictate everyday existence. Three imposing gangs, each headed by a formidable leader, rule the prison pecking order. These bosses direct their devoted members and oversee exclusive resources and prospects within their domains. As you maneuver through the unfamiliar terrain of prison life, exercise extreme care when selecting your affiliations, as clashing with an ill-suited boss could spell catastrophe and put your entire escape strategy at risk!

[h3]Alex the Lion[/h3]

Alex, the cunning leader of the Sharp Tooth Gang, is a master tactician. His gang controls the basketball court and TV room, preying on the weak and exploiting every opportunity. Joining forces with Alex may provide access to precious assets, but one must consider the potential consequences of such an alliance.

[h3]Jumbo the Elephant[/h3]

Jumbo, the unyielding commander of the Big Foot Gang, is a ruthless enforcer surrounded by hardened felons. They run Boulderton Prison’s weight pit and its underground boxing matches, providing refuge for those drawn to displays of physical might. To enter Jumbo's inner circle, one must demonstrate their resilience and willingly accept a world of savagery.

[h3]Caesar the Ape[/h3]

Caesar, the enigmatic boss of the Black Claw Gang, is a shrewd strategist and kingpin of the prison's general building and loan sharking operations. His network of criminals has a hand in every underhanded transaction within Boulderton Prison. Gaining Caesar's confidence could lead to assistance with visitation rights and invaluable intel.

Each boss boasts their own distinct personality, motivations, and agendas. You must carefully navigate these complex relationships, weighing the potential benefits and risks of aligning with each gang leader!

We hope you enjoyed this introduction to the main cast of characters in Back to the Dawn. This is just a small sneak peek as there are a lot more characters with interesting and quirky backstories for you to befriend and forge alliances with at Boulderton Prison. We can't wait to share more about this thrilling adventure in the coming months, so get ready to plot your escape!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1735700/Back_to_the_Dawn/

Be sure to follow our social media accounts to stay up-to-date on all the latest news and announcements. And if you haven't already, add Back to the Dawn to your Steam wishlist to be the first to know when the game is released!

Back to the Dawn Twitter Back to the Dawn Discord Spiral Up Games Facebook Spiral Up Games Youtube

Greetings Inmates!

Over the past few months, we have received a ton of fantastic feedback and suggestions from our community. Today, we would like to share some of the development progress and updates we have made with Back to the Dawn!

[h2]Sizzling New Kitchen Minigames![/h2]

Experience a variety of minigames in the kitchen! Image credits: FlaglerLive

We have heard your desire for more minigames and activities during the day, and we've got you covered! We are introducing brand new kitchen activities! Like the laundry room, the kitchen will be an additional work option for you to experience prison jobs during the day.

There are a wide variety of minigames in the kitchen to experience, such as washing dishes, peeling potatoes and pickling cucumbers that can be played via dice rolls! If you have enough strength stats, you can even try your hand at transporting ingredients.

Prepare meals for your fellow inmates!

In addition, we are currently developing cooking mini games for the kitchen, where you can cook over a dozen types of food! Our goal is to capture the feeling of excitement as you prepare various dishes during a prison mealtime to feed your fellow inmates. To achieve this, we are currently designing various types of mini-games from the ground up to let you immerse yourselves into roleplaying as a prison cook!

However, if you thought you would get a free meal from working in the kitchen, think again! Prisoners must be careful not to get caught stealing or cheating by the watchful chef, or face the consequences. If you are willing to take the risk, there are secret opportunities for you to sneak into the kitchen cellar to steal food, or who knows, you might even discover a new escape path in the kitchen.🤫

[h2]Achievements Galore![/h2]

Achievements unlocked!

We have heard your feedback and we're excited to share that we are currently working to include achievements in the game!

As achievement hunters ourselves, we understand how much replayability achievements can add to a game. And with multiple endings in Back to the Dawn, we want to add loads of fun easter eggs for you to discover through our achievements!

If you have any creative ideas for achievements, feel free to share them in the comments below!

We hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into the development progress of Back to the Dawn! We can't wait to share more about the game in the coming months. Get ready to plot your escape out of prison and navigate your way to freedom!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1735700/Back_to_the_Dawn/

Be sure to follow our social media accounts to stay up-to-date on all the latest news and announcements. And if you haven't already, add Back to the Dawn to your Steam wishlist to be the first to know when the game is released!

Back to the Dawn Twitter Back to the Dawn Discord Spiral Up Games Facebook Spiral Up Games Youtube

Hello Inmates!



We are thrilled to announce that Back to the Dawn will be showcased during the Eastern Game Fest, happening from April 12 - 19! Curious about what Back to the Dawn has in store? We got you! We will be live streaming the demo, so mark your calendars and join us for a wild ride!

To prepare for the next phase of development, we will be removing the Back to the Dawn demo from Steam after the Eastern Game Fest. So if you haven't already, be sure to download the demo and experience our animal prison break RPG!

As we gear up for this exciting event, we have a few surprises in store for our fans! Be sure to follow our social media accounts to stay up-to-date on all the latest news and announcements. And if you haven't already, add Back to the Dawn to your Steam wishlist to be the first to know when the game is released!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1735700/Back_to_the_Dawn/

We hope you're as excited about Back to the Dawn as we are, and we can't wait to share more about the game in the coming months, as you prepare to plan your escape from the maximum security animal prison and chart a course to freedom!

Back to the Dawn Twitter Back to the Dawn Discord Spiral Up Games Facebook Spiral Up Games Youtube

Greetings Inmates!

In this post, we would like to share with you how Back to the Dawn - an exciting RPG set in a maximum-security prison populated by animals of every shape and size - came about.

As long time gamers ourselves, we’ve always enjoyed games that will lead you on different paths based on how you play the game. When we hope onto the journey of game development, we wanted to create a game that is aligned with our interest and something we would be excited to play, and that's exactly what we've done with Back to the Dawn.

Back to the Dawn is set in a maximum-security prison environment

We loved the idea of creating a game with a small environment where players could explore and interact with different characters in a variety of ways. We also wanted to make this environment feel dangerous and unpredictable, where players would need to use their wits to survive. That’s when the idea of a maximum-security prison environment came to us.

We were inspired by prison themed shows like Prison Break (left), Prison On Fire (right)

Our interest in prison culture and gang triads goes back to our growing years. We've watched many TV shows and movies, read numerous books about prison stories and have always been fascinated by the dynamics of these groups and how they operate. We are heavily inspired by classic prison themed shows like Prison Break and Chow Yun-Fatt’s Prison on Fire which explore the harsh realities of life behind bars and the complex synergies that form between inmates. This fascination inspired us to create Back to the Dawn and to offer players a unique perspective on prison life.



The story of Back to the Dawn is about Thomas, a reporter who was framed and incarcerated by higher powers. You must navigate the harsh reality of prison life, where survival and escape become top priorities. Gather evidence to clear your name and expose the corruption that led to your imprisonment. We wanted to create a compelling story that would immerse players in an experience of what it feels like to be wrongly incarcerated and how that can impact a person's life.



From the moment you step into the game, you'll be thrust into a world of constant surveillance, wary alliances, and intense rivalries. You'll navigate a variety of areas within the prison, each with its own activities to engage in. By forming relationships with other inmates and working in areas like the kitchen, laundry room, or rooftop, you can gain access to private areas of the prison and earn privileges. Whether you're looking to explore every nook and cranny of the prison, form lasting relationships with your fellow inmates, or simply survive to see another day, there's always something new and exciting to discover.



Back to the Dawn is a game that offers players a lot of flexibility and choice. We wanted to offer players a variety of choices and paths to take, so that no two playthroughs would be the same. Every decision you make and every action you take will have consequences that will impact the rest of the game.

Meet the boss of Sharp Tooth Gang (left), Black Claw Gang (center) & Big Foot Gang (right)

For example, there are different gangs in the game, each with their own motivations and agendas. You can choose to join the ones that resonate best with your ideals. Depending on who you join, you will gain different allies or enemies and open up new opportunities or danger for yourself. The multiple endings that are available in the game reflect the variety of paths that players can take, and we hope that players will enjoy exploring all the possibilities that Back to the Dawn has to offer.

While it's every man for himself in prison, it's still possible to find true friendship and allies where you could build relationships with different inmates and learn about their unique stories. Each inmate has their own back story and reason for being incarcerated, and you will have the opportunity to learn about those stories as they play.

What choices will you make in prison?

Our goal is to provide players with a deeply immersive experience of day-to-day prison life. While we want players to have a great time playing Back to the Dawn, we also want them to think about the choices they make in the game. We believe that games can be a powerful medium for exploring different perspectives and ideas. Whether you choose to uphold justice, take revenge, or be plain selfish, we want you to feel like you've had a meaningful and thought-provoking experience.

We hope you're as excited about Back to the Dawn as we are, and we can't wait to share more about the game in the coming months. Be sure to wishlist the game to be notified of any new updates, and get ready to plot your escape out of prison and navigate your way to freedom!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1735700/Back_to_the_Dawn/

Back to the Dawn Twitter Back to the Dawn Discord Spiral Up Games Facebook Spiral Up Games Youtube

Hey Inmates!

In this post, we want to talk about something scarily uncomfortable - what if you were thrown into jail for something you did not do?

Image Credits: UIC

Being wrongly incarcerated is a nightmare that no one should ever face. Unfortunately, it happens more often than we would like to think. People are accused of crimes they didn't commit and then put in jail, their lives ruined by a mistake made by the justice system.

Richard Phillips was 25 years old when he was imprisoned for a fatal shooting in Detroit in 1971—a case prosecutors now say was "based entirely" on false testimony from one witness. He was sentenced to life without parole, released in 2017 and exonerated in 2018 after the University of Michigan's innocence project took up his case, declaring him the longest-serving innocent man in the United States.



Every year, thousands of innocent people suffer from wrongful imprisonment, with some even spending decades behind bars for crimes they did not commit.



Our protagonist - Thomas, a reporter - was embroiled in a situation where he was asked to look another way for knowing too much about a political scandal. However, he insisted on upholding his journalistic ethics and the ‘powers above’ threw him in jail for a crime he did not commit so that he would lose his credibility and be silenced for good.

Our game is centered around his life in prison and his escape.

Escaping from prison is an incredibly difficult and risky endeavor. But, it is possible. The key to successfully breaking out of jail lies in making the right friends and finding loopholes in the system that can be exploited or manipulated.

Image Credits: Tenor

It is essential to understand the guards and their routines, as well as look for any potential weaknesses in the prison. Once identified, these weaknesses can be used to an individual’s advantage by forming alliances with others who are looking for a way out. With careful planning and execution, it is possible to stage a prison break!

Would you let Thomas die a slow death in prison or help him break out in style to save the world from an impending disaster?

Wishlist the game and let’s find out when it’s released!

Back to the Dawn Twitter Back to the Dawn Discord Spiral Up Games Facebook Spiral Up Games Youtube