Cronos: The New Dawn Would Be Wise to Borrow Dead Space's…

Fresh off of its successful reimagining of one of the most beloved survival horror games of all time, Bloober Team is already prepping its next major release with Cronos: The New Dawn. While Cronos: The New Dawn is another survival horror title, it's shaping up to be quite different from what Bloober Team delivered in its Silent Hill 2 remake, trading psychological horror for time-bending sci-fi horror with more than a passing resemblance to EA's Dead Space series. The Dead Space similarities are apparent in Cronos' design, atmosphere, and gameplay, and it should take things one step further by borrowing the iconic UI elements from the 2008 classic.

Cronos The New Dawn Dead Space comparison

Cronos: The New Dawn Sounds More Like Dead Space By the Day

At first glance, Cronos: The New Dawn looks an awful lot like Dead Space, and those comparisons probably won't slow down any time soon.

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By Nick Rodriguez

How Dead Space's UI and HUD Elements Are a Natural Fit for Cronos: The New Dawn

At the time of the original Dead Space's release in 2008, the pinnacle of the survival horror genre was represented by Capcom's 2005 masterpiece, Resident Evil 4. But while Resident Evil 4's over-the-shoulder camera angle would go on to inspire countless other games (both within and outside the survival horror genre), the title's more action-oriented elements lent themselves to the game having an almost arcade-style presentation. Dead Space took a lot of inspiration from Resident Evil 4 in terms of its movement, combat, and progression mechanics, but its dark, tense atmosphere called for something more horror-leaning in its presentation to prevent any break in immersion.

As a result, EA Redwood Shores developed one of the best elements of the Dead Space series with the HUD elements and UI being integrated in real-time into the player's character model. Health and oxygen were displayed on Isaac's suit instead of on-screen bars or gauges, and each weapon had its own holographic ammo counter for players to read how many rounds they had left. From what's been shown of Cronos: The New Dawn's setting and atmosphere, the title is leaning hard into the horror elements of its sci-fi horror, and it should also use a fittingly immersive system for its HUD elements and UI based on its clear Dead Space inspirations.

Bloober Team Has Already Shown It Understands Minimalist UI/HUD

Notably, minimal HUD and UI elements are something Bloober Team already has experience with, with 2024's Silent Hill 2 remake honoring the spirit of the original and keeping any on-screen information to a minimum. This was something that the original Silent Hill 2 also did successfully to maintain immersion and prevent the experience from reminding players they were playing a game, and Bloober Team nailed the presentation of the original game in its remake by replicating that design choice. Key members of Bloober Team have already spoken about how the experience of Silent Hill 2 has taught it lessons that will improve future games, and there's every chance Cronos will attempt similarly immersive approaches to its on-screen elements.

After some games that garnered mixed reception from fans, Bloober Team has effectively turned a corner thanks to the Silent Hill 2 remake, and expectations are now understandably high for what appears to be the studio's take on Dead Space with Cronos. Dead Space's approach to HUD and UI elements was a subtle, but hugely important, factor toward that game's enduring legacy as one of the great survival horror titles, and Cronos only stands to earn similar praise by following that lead specifically.