Dawn of the Monsters Review

PlayStation 5

PlayStation 4

Xbox Series X/S

Xbox One

Nintendo Switch

PC

Stadia

Reviewed On: Nintendo Switch

As a kid, my dad and I would undergo a weekly routine. Every Friday, we would visit our local Hollywood Video, where I’d have my pick of a movie and video game to rent. While there was diversity amongst the games I’d choose, I can’t say the same for my taste in cinema.

If I wasn’t leaving with a Kung Fu flick, I usually left with a Kaiju film. Literally translating to “strange beast”, Kaiju is a genre of movies centered around titanic behemoths such as Godzilla. Through the gateway of VHS, I’d spend many late nights watching the famous king of the monsters.

Naturally, my love of kaiju caused me to gravitate toward Dawn of the Monsters. Created by 13AM games, Dawn of the Monsters is a beat ’em-up looking to capture the magic of classic kaiju films. Where many have failed, 13AM games triumphed, easily delivering the best kaiju video game I’ve played in years.

Initially, I wasn’t a big fan of the game’s art style. However, it quickly grew on me after witnessing the game in motion. The presentation reminds me of a lot of cartoons that aired during the late 90s. Outside of gameplay, the animation remains mostly static, capturing the look of a well-illustrated comic book.

Taking place in the year 2060, Dawn of the Monsters is set in the middle of the third Nephilim wave. The Nephilim are colossal and ancient beings comprised of a substance known as seol energy. To deal with the threat, the Earth enlists help from Team Sunrise, a special unit within the Defense Alliance Worldwide Network (DAWN). Up to two players can choose from a selection of four heroes.

The first is Aegis Prime, an Ultraman-like hero that can increase his size by harnessing seol energy. Next, there’s Jamila Senai, pilot of the mecha named Tempest Galahad. Last, but certainly not least are Megadon: The living volcano, and Ganira: The terror of the seas, two Nephilim fighting alongside humanity.

On the surface, the narrative may appear as simple as saving the planet, but it actually runs much deeper. At its center, Dawn of the Monsters is about the complexities of war. Starting out tame in the beginning, the message progressively gets darker in tone. Some view the war as an opportunity for financial benefit, while others participate in order to protect society, sometimes by any means necessary. Even some of the good guys do some questionable things for the sake of the mission, putting the team at odds during the adventure.

Gameplay-wise, this title is more diverse than most beat ’em ups, mainly due to how differently the characters play from one another. A master of martial arts, Ageis Prime combines agility and technique to his advantage. Tempest Galahad specializes in picking off foes from a distance with ranged weaponry and traps. Megadon is arguably the most well-rounded. While speed isn’t on his side, he makes up for it with his offensive capabilities. Those who favor defense will probably gravitate toward Ganira. Thanks to her tough exterior, she can easily endure most onslaughts and even has the ability to summon a minion to aid her.

Each character’s moveset is enhanced by the game’s complex, but rewarding combat system. Going beyond the standard three-button combo, the game uses combinations of light and heavy attacks. The ability to perform a technique known as a “Hold” particularly stands out. By holding down the heavy button, each hero can unleash a devastating variant of their heavy attacks. Most holds will dribble enemies off the ground or send them slamming into the edge of the screen opening up opportunities for combos.

The combo system overall has a ton of depth to the point where Dawn of the Monsters feels more akin to a fighter at times. Not only do holds lengthen combos, but so does movement. Tapping the dash button causes each character to dash forward, which not only serves as an evasive maneuver but can also be canceled out of certain attacks. Canceling allows you to perform combos that normally would be impossible.

Taking another element from fighting games, this title also focuses on meter building. Filling meter is necessary for performing rage and cataclysm attacks. Rage attacks specialize in each champion’s play style, usually damaging enemies or granting temporary status buffs. Cataclysm attacks essentially serve as super moves, dealing massive damage to every hostile on the screen. Like dashes, special and cataclysm attacks can be canceled into and usually end combo strings.

Outside of combos, there are options to make the heroes even stronger. After each mission, you’ll receive a grade, money, and two augments to choose from. Augments affect character attributes such as attack, defense, speed, and critical damage. They also grant special perks, which are activated by executing certain actions. For example, the “Fuming Mad” augment causes the rage meter to build for ten seconds after using rage attack three.

Performing well on missions will net you better augments. The higher the augments tier, the more it boosts your stats. If you’re unsatisfied with any augment, you have the option to “re-roll”, which will randomly generate new attributes while keeping an augments perk. This can be done by spending money in the Research and Development department, which serves as the game’s store.

Here, players can purchase health, rage, and cataclysm upgrades, as well as alternate skins for each champion. These skins are more than just random color swaps. Each one pays homage to legendary tokusatsu, anime, and other famous media. In addition to slaying beasts and customizing the heroes, players also can access the in-game archive. The archive serves as a library where players can access documents that dive deeper into the game’s vast universe including detailed information about the Nephilim, character profiles, and other files from DAWN’s database.

I’ve played quite a bit of Kaiju-themed games, from King of the Monsters to Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee and I can easily say that none of them reach the heights of Dawn of the Monsters. While those titles suffered from barebone narratives and clunky combat, this game features a well-written story and excellent gameplay. There isn’t much criticism I can levy aside from the fact that it lacks online co-op. 13AM games clearly put a lot of love into this game and its potential as a new IP is boundless. With its strong replayability factor and new DLC on the horizon, the future looks bright for Dawn of the Monsters.