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Back to the Dawn News

A Thank You Message From Us!

Greetings Inmates!

I hope you are all doing well. 2023 was a landmark year for us, as we finally launched Back to the Dawn after three years of development. We are absolutely humbled by the enthusiasm you’ve all shown. Watching you delve into the prison world we’ve created, forming alliances and rivalries with different inmates and sharing survival tips reminds us of the joy we felt during development and the immersive experience we aimed to create with the game. Your feedback has been the beacon of hope in our development journey - from the encouraging words, insightful critiques, to the thrilling tales of your in-game escapades.

Many of you have been curious about the backstory of the gameplay choices and artistic direction, and we’d like to take this time to share more about how Back to the Dawn came about to be what you see today.


From the start, our dream was to create a game that offered a high degree of freedom and focused on storytelling within a diorama-like environment. Inspired by an appreciation for hard-boiled cinema and television, particularly narratives centered around prison escapes like "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Prison Break”, it led us to center the game around deep narrative storytelling within this theme.



This direction led us to embrace pixelated anthropomorphic animals for its distinct aesthetic, as we believe that it would make each character more distinctive and memorable through their own unique traits and personalities.



Looking at gameplay mechanics, there were many ideas that were floating around, but eventually we opted for a dice-based mechanic, inspired by the innovative gameplay in “Disco Elysium”. We felt that the simplicity of a dice system introduced an element of chance that complements the game's scalability and storytelling, laying the foundational structure for Back to the Dawn.

Many of you have pondered why we opted for an Early Access release when Thomas the Fox's story is fully fleshed out. Being a small studio comprising 7 of us, we initially planned to include 2 characters to choose from: Thomas the Fox and Bob the Black Panther. However, the full storyline development of Thomas took more time than expected, as we focused on creating detailed character backstories and dialogues that matched their personalities, and ensuring players would experience different reactions based on the characters' preferences.



This attention to detail was crucial for us in creating a rich, immersive experience for everyone. That was why we made the decision to launch in Early Access first. This way, you get to experience Thomas's full storyline now, with a promise to introduce Bob's storyline as a free update during our official release, ensuring both characters' tales are told with the care and attention they deserve.

We hope you've enjoyed learning more about the creative process behind Back to the Dawn. If you have additional feedback or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to share them with us either through the Steam Community discussions or our Discord! Your support is what fuels our dedication, and this journey is as much yours as it is ours.

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

If you enjoy the game, we would really appreciate it if you could leave us a review on Steam. Your positive feedback is a tremendous encouragement and motivates us to continually improve. Spreading the word by sharing it on your socials or recommending it to a friend who might enjoy it would mean a lot to us as well :) Thank you for your support and love!

If you haven't already, be sure to follow our Steam and Twitter pages for upcoming updates. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for embarking on this epic adventure with us, and we are looking forward to more exciting chapters ahead!

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Minor Bug Fix and Updates!

Greetings Inmates,

Hope you’ve all been having a fun time in Boulderton Prison! We wanted to share a quick update that is now live in both the main and Opentest branches.

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]
  • Fixed an issue where the prison lobby's first floor map was not displayed correctly.

[h2]Content Updates
[/h2]
  • Updated some in-game sound effects.

That’s all for today! And don’t forget, Back To The Dawn is now ON SALE from 6-15 February. With an exclusive 12% discount, now’s the perfect time to dive in and explore every nook and cranny of this gripping prison survival game!

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

New Updates + Spring Festival Sale!

Greetings, Inmates!

With Spring Festival just around the corner, we’d like to spread some festive cheer with everyone (pss and of cos some new content)!

Exclusive 12% Spring Festival Discount!


From 6-15 February, we're offering an exclusive 12% discount on Back to the Dawn. Now’s the perfect time to dive in and explore every nook and cranny of this gripping prison survival game!

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

In addition, we've just released a new update, and here's a sneak peek of what's included!

[h2]New Content[/h2]
  • Added a new escape route. Pfft you thought I would spoil it for you? No way! 😜
  • Added a new achievement "Strength": The power of my fists is only superficial. My strength comes from within... I'm not fighting alone.

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]
  • Fixed some known bugs and made some language adjustments.

But that's not all! Our publisher, Spiral Up Games, is celebrating the festival with multiple discounts across other amazing games in their portfolio as well. Don't miss this chance to expand your gaming library with some great indie titles!



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1983970/Affogato


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1876890/Wandering_Sword

Loved your time plotting escapes and surviving the unpredictable? Stay in the loop by following us on our social media platforms for more content, updates, and community events.

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Finally, we wish everyone a joyful Spring Festival filled with prosperity, happiness, and numerous exciting adventures at Boulderton Prison!

New Bug Fix Updates!

Greetings inmates!

Hope you have all been enjoying the latest additions in v1.3.80! We wanted to share a quick bug fix today that has been pushed to both the main branch and the Opentest branch.

[h2]Bug Fixes
[/h2]
  • Fixed an issue where manually saving in the Broadcast Building and then finishing the game would did not trigger the correct completion status.

That’s all for today’s update, we have more content updates coming soon so make sure to follow us on Steam to stay updated! 🙂

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

Once again, we really appreciate all your support so do share the game with your friends if you can! And as always, we love to hear your thoughts and suggestions so please share them with us on the discussion boards. Happy gaming inmates!

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New Version Released!

Hello fellow inmates!

We are excited to announce the latest update to the game, version 1.3.80 has now been released to the main branch! This update incorporates all the features and enhancements from our recent opentest branch, now finely tuned and polished for an even better gaming experience.

For those of you new to the game, this update will help you to embark on your first steps within the walls of Boulderton Prison. We've added a host of beginner-friendly tips such as expanded NPC interactions to ease new players into the game, and fine-tuned various items for a more balanced and seamless gameplay. In addition, we’ve also added tabs for NPCs other than prisoners in the relationship interface.

For a complete overview of all the changes and new features, take a look at our detailed breakdown on our previous announcement.

That’s all for today’s update! If you're enjoying the game, be sure to follow us on our social media platforms for more content. We’ve recently added a Tiktok page as well 🙂

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

Thank you once again for the amazing support you’ve shown us, and we hope you’ll enjoy this latest update. Your feedback and suggestions are important to us, so don't hesitate to share them with us in the discussion boards!

Back to the Dawn Twitter Back To The Dawn Tiktok Back to the Dawn Discord Spiral Up Games Facebook Spiral Up Games Youtube