Cronos: The New Dawn Would Be Wise to Borrow Dead Space’s Best Trick

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As a long-time survivor of countless nights spent huddled behind makeshift barricades in dimly lit rooms, my heart skipped a beat when I heard that Bloober Team was working on a new survival horror game that takes inspiration from the iconic Dead Space series. Having played and been thoroughly terrified by both the original Dead Space and its remake, I can’t help but feel a sense of anticipation for Cronos: The New Dawn.

My years of experience in the darkest corners of the gaming world have taught me to appreciate the subtlest details that can make or break a horror game’s atmosphere, and one such detail is the design of the HUD and UI elements. Dead Space’s organic approach to these elements was a masterstroke that deepened the immersion of its harrowing sci-fi horror experience, and it has since gone down in history as one of the defining features of the game’s design.

If Cronos is aiming to be Bloober Team’s homage to Dead Space, I can only hope that they take a page from EA’s book and incorporate similarly immersive HUD and UI elements into their game. A minimalist approach to on-screen information would go a long way in maintaining the horror atmosphere that Cronos seems to be going for.

And who knows, maybe they could even add a little humor to the experience by having the player’s character check their health or ammo with a simple “I feel fine” or “I think I’m good on ammo.” Just imagine it – Isaac Clarke’s voice actor intoning that line as you frantically try to escape a swarm of terrifying creatures! Now that would be a fitting tribute to Dead Space.

Following the triumphant revamp of one of the most cherished survival horror games ever made, Bloober Team is now gearing up for their next big launch titled “Cronos: The New Dawn“. Unlike their work on the remake of Silent Hill 2, where psychological terror was the focus, Cronos: The New Dawn leans towards time-warping sci-fi horror with an aesthetic and gameplay style that hints at a strong influence from Electronic Arts’ Dead Space series. This influence is evident in the design, atmosphere, and mechanics of Cronos, and it aims to build upon this foundation by incorporating distinctive user interface elements reminiscent of the 2008 original.

Instead of following the common trend in survival horror games of the era, Dead Space opted for a more life-like integration of its heads-up display (HUD) and user interface (UI) components into the character model rather than using separate on-screen elements. This design choice intensified the immersion within an already highly cinematic and chilling sci-fi horror experience, and it has since become a hallmark of Dead Space’s distinctive design. If Cronos aspires to be Bloober Team’s tribute to the Dead Space series, it should emulate this approach to HUD and UI elements to remain true to its inspiration.

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

When Dead Space was first launched in 2008, Resident Evil 4 by Capcom, released in 2005, had set the peak standard for survival horror games. While Resident Evil 4’s over-the-shoulder camera view influenced numerous other games, its arcade-style presentation was a result of its action-oriented elements. Dead Space drew inspiration from Resident Evil 4 in terms of movement, combat, and progression mechanics, but to maintain immersion, it opted for a horror-focused presentation instead of the action-packed style.

Due to their efforts, EA Redwood Shores created one of the standout features in the Dead Space series by seamlessly incorporating HUD elements and user interface directly onto the player’s character model in real-time. Instead of traditional on-screen health bars or gauges, Isaac’s suit displayed his health status, while each weapon had a holographic ammo counter to show the remaining number of rounds. Given the horror-focused setting and atmosphere suggested for Cronos: The New Dawn, it would be fitting for its HUD and UI design to follow a similarly immersive approach, taking inspiration from Dead Space’s proven success in this area.

Bloober Team Has Already Shown It Understands Minimalist UI/HUD

Significantly, Bloober Team has a history of using a limited number of HUD and UI elements, as demonstrated in their remake of 2024’s Silent Hill 2. This approach mirrored the original game by minimizing on-screen information to enhance immersion and avoid reminding players they were playing a game. The remake of Silent Hill 2 by Bloober Team was successful in recapturing the essence of the original game, emulating its design choice to limit on-screen elements. Key members of Bloober Team have shared that their experience with Silent Hill 2 has provided valuable lessons for future projects, and it’s likely that these insights will be applied in the development of Cronos, potentially resulting in similarly immersive design choices for user interface elements.

Following a series of games that drew varying responses from fans, Bloober Team has managed to make a significant shift in direction, largely due to their successful remake of Silent Hill 2. As a result, anticipation for their upcoming project, Cronos, which seems to be their interpretation of the Dead Space universe, is naturally high. One of the key factors that made Dead Space a lasting classic in survival horror games was its innovative approach to heads-up display (HUD) and user interface (UI) elements. If Cronos follows this lead, it could potentially receive similar acclaim.

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2025-01-02 00:34