Without a Dawn – An Unsettling Exploration of the Psyche

“It has been said of dreams that they are a ‘controlled psychosis,’ or, put another way, a psychosis is a dream breaking through during waking hours.” – Philip K. Dick

Overview

Without a Dawn is a new game from solo developer Jesse Makkonen, creator of Distraint 1 & 2, Heal, and Afterdream. It is a uniquely stylised visual novel and a potent exploration of a young woman’s psyche that manifests in an engrossing and unsettling experience.

Narrative

Without a Dawn begins with the female protagonist lying in bed, worried, unable to sleep, and unsure if she should get up to check if there is somebody outside the window. A faceless voice talks to her, encouraging her but also reinforcing her anxiety and paranoia, especially as she experiences broken sleep and starts to have a series of unsettling dreams that eventually seep into reality, blurring her understanding of what is real.

The narrative delves into the human psyche, with some fairly dark subject matter. It touches on themes of depression, anxiety, psychosis, schizophrenia, insomnia, and OCD and does so with a decent amount of insight, which makes for some disturbing storytelling. The horror elements of the game are largely psychological and highly thought-provoking. Players can expect the odd jump scare, included minimally in an effective way that feels neither cheap nor overdone.

The events in Without a Dawn, as well as the protagonist’s mental state and thoughts, and the narration all become increasingly intense, erratic, surreal, and confused, causing the game to progress like a crescendo of drama and unnerving aesthetics. The effect is mentally claustrophobic, almost suffocating, and makes it easy to relate to the main character and her struggles.

Gameplay

Without a Dawn utilises mouse-only controls, specifically the scroll wheel and left button, there is no on-screen cursor. The player can progress through the story, making dialogue decisions, and solving a couple of light puzzles. Reaching the end of the game will take around an hour, but despite the short playtime, the experience feels complete, well-structured, and satisfying. As a visual novel, the mechanics are fairly minimal, but the narrative is incredibly engaging and shoe-horning extra interactions simply for the sake of ‘game play’ would detract from how powerful the story is and how deeply the player can connect to the protagonist. The balance is perfect and makes for a very engaging and often disturbing experience.

Styling

Without a Dawn uses unique and original pseudo-ASCII art visuals in a limited colour palette with only three shades. There are some options for customisations such as alternative colour palettes, frames, and textures. The art style works very well with the narrative, and the amount of detail and emotion that can be portrayed with such limitations is impressive. Due to the nature of the game, there is some repetition of images, but the image is always relevant to what is happening in the narrative, and it feels intentional rather than as though something is lacking.

The soundtrack is varied and ranges from echoey, ethereal soundscapes to slightly more melodic or dramatic tracks. The music seems designed to build tension and unease, and does so very well. The sound effects are incredibly immersive and really connect the player, almost on a physical level, with the experience. This is due in part to sounds such as a racing heart beating, erratic breathing and the noise of blood pumping within one’s own body. Other environmental sound effects include weather, such as rain, wind, and thunder, as well as things such as birds chirping. This all works in tandem to create believable and intriguing environments.

Summary

Without a Dawn is a phenomenal example of a visual novel; it does all the key things right, whilst maintaining originality and some unique elements. The narrative dives deeply into the protagonist’s mental health with a strong sense of understanding, and the horror aspects are a perfect blend of psychological and situational. The aesthetics, both audio and visual, are immersive and emotive, emphasising the emotive nature of the experience. I challenge anyone to play this game and not feel tangibly affected by doing so. It is thought-provoking and has the power to instil a nervous energy in those who engage with the experience. This is the best visual novel I have played in a long time; I thoroughly enjoyed Without a Dawn and highly recommend it.

Giveaway

Courtesy of the game’s developer, Jesse Makkonen, we have a Steam key for Without a Dawn to give away! For more details and your chance to win (or just to chat about indie games), simply join our friendly Discord server and check out the announcements!

Looking for more visual novels? You may enjoy these reviews:
Three Visual Novels from Nikita Kaf! – The Wreck – Relive the Past and Alter the Present in this Emotional Visual Novel – Pumpkin Eater: A Disturbing Tale of Death and Decay!

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