Back to the Dawn News

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

Hello Inmates,

Happy 2023! It's been a rough 2022 with Covid, inflation and political instability in some parts of the world. But as all things go, the situation cannot stay bad forever. So let's stay resilient and look forward to better times ahead! We wish you success in everything you do for the new year. We also look forward to you meeting the full cast of Back of the Dawn soon as we work toward releasing our game over the next few months. Lastly, please keep your questions and feedback coming. Your support is our motivation!

Let's get going with our Q&A!



Q - Back to the Dawn looks like the sort of game that is hard to play for me as I suck at puzzle solving!

A - Come on now, these are not Einstein equations we are talking about lol! OK, on a serious note, we can understand that some players prefer a gaming experience without the 'stresses' of puzzle solving. But to be clear, Back to the Dawn is really more of an RPG game and the focus is on navigating your relationships around a prison. But puzzle and problem solving help contribute to the story-telling and improve the overall gaming experience, so we decided from the start that we would have those components. As such, it is unlikely that we would consider a version of BTTD without puzzles, at least for now.

Having said that, we will test the game rigorously to ensure that the puzzles are not too complex and they uplift the game so that you can have a great experience playing it. You can trust us on that! :)



Q - Can you add on sound effects of animal grunts and growls when the characters are conversing, to give the impression of how real animals may actually interact.

A - OK, that's an odd request, but a great one! As a matter of fact, we have been experimenting with this but not gotten good results. We are going to continue trying and hopefully we will get it eventually!



Q - Can you give Thomas the ability to barter and negotiate prices when trading items?

A - This feature was originally in our plan, but not compatible with our current state of the trading system. It is something we would still consider incorporating in the future if possible.

Q - Can you give Thomas an electric drill and make one of the escape methods an escape by drilling his way out of prison?

A - That is an awesome idea! Thanks for suggesting it! We would keep this idea in mind and seriously consider it after first finishing our initial planned content.



Q - I'm a bug lover! Can you add more bugs to the plants in the prison yard?

A - OK, to be honest, we added a lot of bugs to the yard initially, but they were unfortunately terminated by a pest control company :P. On a serious note, we don't want to just add more bug variety to the game for the sake of doing it. We want to consider their functions and how they can contribute to the game. This takes time to plan out properly and at the moment, we are more focused on making the core gameplay great. So here's us saying that we would certainly consider adding more bugs in the future, but it's not a guarantee.



Q - Going to the hospital for a checkup is confusing! Can you make it simpler?

A - We've made tweaks to improve this in the demo. It should be better now!

And that's all for Issue #2 of Back to the Dawn's Q&A! If you have other burning questions of your own, please feel free to ask them in the comments section below, and do follow us on our socials!

Twitter Discord Facebook

Hello Inmates!

As we work hard to get Back to the Dawn ready for launch, we will be increasing our frequency of posts on Steam so that you know what we are up to.

We will also be starting a regular Q&A issue where we will be answering some questions we receive from you!

So here goes!

Q - Will Back to the Dawn support other operating systems?

A - Our priority is to make sure the game runs perfectly on PC, and then look at the Mac OS (but we can't guarantee it at the moment).

Q - Will there be an endless mode for the game?

A - Looks like some of you really dig the idea of staying in prison lol. On a serious note, while we would love to make it happen, it's not going to be easy as the events happening in the prison are individually designed and hard programmed at the moment. To cater to an endless mode, the events have to be procedurally generated and we would have to redesign the game flow logic and engine. At the moment, this would be a herculean task and disrupt our plans, so we would prefer to keep the option open for the future.



Q - Can I use Thomas to get involved in more brawls in the actual game? I didn't get enough of him in the demo!

A - Absolutely! In the official game release, you are going to get as much action as you like getting into scuffles with inmates!



Q - This is a bit of an odd request. Can you create different sounds for Thomas when he walks across different floors?

A - At the moment, we have different sounds for when Thomas walks on wet floor and cemented floor. We will try to add in more sounds in the future, but making the gameplay experience unique is our priority!



Q - Can you make a 'low health' Thomas look less healthy?

A - Aha! Great minds think alike! We are thinking of making it such that the main character's health will be reflected by his head portrait, much like the early versions of Doom. We probably won't make it such that Thomas will look bloodied, but he most definitely would look quite haggard when he's unhealthy.

Curious what it will be like..? Here are some work-in-progress iterations that we are working on, just for your eyes!



Q - Pretty sure I've seen enough of the intro scene in the demo. Can you let me skip it please?

A - Your wish is our command. The function to skip the intro scene has been updated in the demo. You can now jump straight into the prison action!



That's all for Issue #1 of Back to the Dawn's Q&A! If you have other burning questions of your own, please feel free to ask them in the comments section below, and do follow us on our socials!

Twitter Discord Facebook