New award-nominated prison RPG racks up thousands of player reviews on Steam, launches with 15% discount

Back to the Dawn is a prison-escape RPG developed by Metal Head Games and published by Spiral Up Games, now available for PC and consoles. The game sets players inside a high-security prison populated by anthropomorphic animals, with a major focus on survival, social dynamics, and narrative-driven role-playing. Players can currently choose between two protagonists - Thomas, a journalist framed for a crime, and Bob, an undercover agent - each with their own storylines that stretch over 20 hours and offer multiple endings.

The initial early access release took place on November 3, 2023, with the full 1.0 launch following on July 18, 2025. Early access mainly focused on refining core mechanics, introducing feedback-led updates, and implementing additional story content. Community involvement during this period was a major influence towards the addition of new questlines, side objectives, and polish, according to dev blogs and update notes. The period also included a content update that added a second main character.

Critically, Back to the Dawn has been cited for its complex RPG mechanics - mixing traditional questing, mini-games, stat management, and social simulation. Player choices affect alliances and rivalries among prison factions in the long run, which in turn impacts escape options and story outcomes. Reviewers have highlighted both the attention to detail (including minor interactions and environmental changes) and the unexpected difficulty spikes late in the main campaign. While praise for narrative and mechanical depth is quite consistent across several outlets, some criticism has been leveled at punishing gameplay moments, especially as the story progresses.

Back to the Dawn has gotten a fair amount of recognition as well, including nominations at the Independent Games Festival and several indie award lists. On Steam, the game saw a surge of "Very Positive" reviews following its 1.0 update. The launch day also marked Back to the Dawn’s launch on Xbox Game Pass, as covered here. Steam Deck (curr. $785 on Amazon) players will glad to know that the game is verified for the handheld as well. 

Thanks to over 100 handcrafted quests, branching storylines based on player decisions, and a combination of prison-life simulation with investigative gameplay, Back to the Dawn is proving to be a solid entry in the indie RPG space. Check out the game trailer below, and the Steam store page here. You can pick it up now for $16.99, which includes a 15% launch discount.