Shwmae friends! Thank you so much for the lovely feedback on the Next Fest demo, I hope that you are looking forward to the full release! I am extremely grateful for you support and reviews - this is my first game and it is entirely solo-developed and self funded - and to have people play the game, enjoy the story and embrace the Welsh myths and references has been very humbling. This small update should address some of the more common concerns that were brought up.
- Added a Linux package for the demo. I am unfortunately unable to test this myself, so let me know if it all works correctly! Hopefully it will solve some of the issues that came up before.
- Added a new optional scene for Ch2 puzzle that will allow Bleddyn to complete it so the player can continue with the story.
- NPCs now have interaction icons.
- WASD now work in battle and menus.
- Added input prompts to the party menu tabs.
- The log puzzles can now be interacted with by mouse click.
- Fixed a bug where the Maiden's Hair skit could be seen before returning to home in chapter 2.
- The Ability Tree ability buttons now need to be clicked, instead of just moused over (should make it easier to use with mouse).
- The party overview UI (shown after standing still for a few seconds) will no longer show during the flashback at chapter 2.
- Fixed some off pixels in Carys' animated portraits.
- Fixed an off pixel in the frontend startup animation.
[ 2025-03-09 17:14:57 CET ] [ Original post ]
Steam Next Fest is here, and so is the major demo update. Here is a brief rundown of the updates:
Battle Updates
Experience a new perspective in battle! Carys and Bleddyn as well as all enemies, backgrounds, and animations have been updated. This was more in line with my original intentions for the game, and I hope that you enjoy the battles more so with how they look and feel!
In addition to looks, some mechanics have also changed.
Carys now has access to Incantations. This allows her to combine two of her spells into a new ability, expanding her versatility greatly. This includes the abilities she can gain via equipment, so experiment to find your favourite combination!
Bleddyn can consume all of his Mana to Empower his next ability. This increases the damage or effects (such as making it go from single to multi target), and the more mana consumed, the stronger the result.
While the first chapters only feature 2 of the 3 permanent party members, you can still find some guest characters who join for a battle or two!
All of the UI has been updated. This includes updates to item icons and most ability icons. Hopefully you will agree it is not only a more stylish update but also nicer to use! The game is fully compatible with controllers (my preferred way to play games), or keyboard. I need to add an input prompt, but you can change tabs by using RB/LB or Q/E, so you don't need to use the mouse.
Portraits for Carys, Bleddyn and Idwal have all been updated. As have almost all the lines of dialogue from the previous demo - Bleddyn is not quite so Australian anymore (there are still a few 'mates' left in there though)!
I have already received some fantastic feedback from this demo, I'll do my best to add what I can to the full game. Creating Toward Dawn has been a labour of love for the past year and I am grateful to everyone who plays this solo-developed game!
Hwyl fawr!
[ 2025-02-25 17:34:30 CET ] [ Original post ]
Thank you for your interest in Toward Dawn! In the lead up to the Next Fest demo, here is a trailer for Bleddyn, our favourite Welsh Wolf! [previewyoutube=1FYOCNgKfv4;full][/previewyoutube] I hope you enjoy his new voice, as well as the updated graphics and battle system in the demo! - Devi Serene
[ 2025-02-13 16:28:40 CET ] [ Original post ]
🕹️ Partial Controller Support
🎮 Full Controller Support
Features:
- A story inspired by Welsh Mythology.
- A demo containing the first 3 chapters - around 3 hours of gameplay!
- An alternative take on Turn-Based RPG combat - break your enemy's poise to leave them open to attack! Complete objectives on your abilities to earn Mana, which you can use for a powerful attack or a Combo Ability!
- 108 Options in the skill tree, along with equipment abilities to give you variety in builds and combat.
- 3 Difficulty modes - Story, Classic and Hard.
- A variety of minigames!
- Pet the wolf!
A New Retro-JRPG Inspired by Welsh Mythology
After her temple is raided, Carys finds herself at the mercy of Bleddyn, a Gwyllgi feared by society. But Carys finds that their differences only bring them closer - inspiring them both to seek answers to the events that led both their lives down a dark path. Toward Dawn features mythical beasts and themes inspired by Celtic legends - exploring trauma, cycles of abuse and friendship in recovery.Explore a vibrant pixel world, matched by a charming and memorable cast of characters while you experience the story in animated scenes. Upgrade your abilities with individual skill trees, while you craft equipment that bestow unique actions and traits, tailoring the characters to your preferred playstyle.
With a combat system partially inspired by the Grandia and Octopath Traveler, BREAK your enemies' poise, removing their action and making them vulnerable to high damage. There are no random encounters or forced grinding, the focus is instead on your tactics and how you have chosen to develop the characters.
Get to know the characters more by viewing optional Skits, be distracted with the Dragon's Guard cardgame, and meet a variety of colourful characters in sidequests!
Characters
Carys is a priestess from the Temple of Two Dragons. The temple holds the original faith of the people of Draibryn, barely tolerated by the ruling One Church. She was originally a citizen of Llanllwch, where her father joined the Draibryn rebellion, but was ultimately killed. Her mother, a servant, found it incredibly hard to feed the family in the aftermath, and ended up dying in the pestilence that scourged the land. Carys was then adopted by the temple, and though she was never the most adept Incanter, it gave her a place to leave her past behind her.
Bleddyn is a Gwyllgi, a wolf-man race. The Gwyllgi were enslaved by the Ampyrians, who used their fierce and powerful builds to carry out assassinations and wreak terror upon those who rebelled. Even today, the Gwyllgi are feared, and utilised by the current nobility for similar reasons. Bleddyn’s father was Gelert, a Gwyllgi personal guard for a noble family. However, an incident caused Bleddyn to leave the castle alone, though he isn't keen to talk about the past.
Idwal is the firstborn and only son of the Thornfield family. As a child, he was loud, playful, and intently curious about the world. Though now, he hides behind his long hair, his manner quiet and meek. One could mistake him for a beautiful maiden. Though full of doubt and always downplaying his own abilities, he is a skilled student of magic.
- OS: Ubuntu 18.04+ or SteamOS
- Processor: 2+ Cores. 2+ GHzMemory: 2 GB RAMStorage: 1 GB available space
- Memory: 2 GB RAMStorage: 1 GB available space
- Storage: 1 GB available space