Alabaster Dawn Hands-On: Modern Retro Done Right

Retro done right is somehow surprisingly difficult. For decades, developers have attempted to capture the magic of yesteryear through visuals, music, and game design. Pixels may have charm, but recycled game design rarely lands, as—and I know some will hate reading this—old game design has been left behind for a reason. Fear not, because masters of this art, Radical Fish Games, are bringing their latest masterpiece to early access: Alabaster Dawn.

Alabaster Dawn boasts a harrowing intro: a seemingly utopian society must seek shelter from meteors falling from the sky. They’re not just space rocks, though. Monsters named Nuemera heralded by Nyx roam the infertile land. Twelve Chosen by the gods have been selected to fight back the blight, which is when the dialogue starts. What ensues over the next ten minutes is pure, excruciating cinema. No exaggeration—I got misty-eyed with the impactful storytelling.

We are then introduced to our core protagonist, Juno. She awakens as a Chosen to rid the world of Nyx’s influence. The pace and flow of the storytelling and mission design start here: explore the surface, fight back the blight by cleaning up Nuemera critters, and restore greenery to the world as an underground society rediscovers the surface. Have the option to do some odd jobs, and then move on to the next town.

Formulaic though the pacing’s skeleton may be, the loop is satisfying. I only cut my teeth on seven or so hours, so there’s no telling what discoveries and twists lie in wait. The details matter.

Sleek and beautiful, Alabaster Dawn is distinctly CrossCode, but with a significant facelift. Expect unparalleled pixelwork and animation. Little touches like camerawork during intense scenes—like the aforementioned ten-minute introduction—are intentional and enhance the storytelling. What Radical Fish Games showcases in this early access preview isn’t just a new work reminiscent of their critically-acclaimed CrossCode—it’s the bold, modern, and retro title we’ve all been looking for since 2018.

For the uninitiated, this is a classic top-down action RPG that follows a sprite-based protagonist around large areas until the map shifts at the edge. It’s distinctly 16-bit in its visuals, and players can expect crisp, instant controls with which to fully explore the toolkit offered.

Mashing attack can get the job done, but near the end of my journey in Alabaster Dawn, I was forced to learn the combos, which largely revolve around holding down the button in the middle of a combo to change how that combo finishes, or delaying inputs to change what attacks land for the rest of the combo. Frenetic mashing in a difficult fight by the end of the seven hours wasn’t doing me any favors, so I had to git gud. Eventually, I discovered a new element type and weapons, which some enemies may be vulnerable to. I may love me a large hammer, but sometimes a simple blade is needed.

This all sounds pedestrian on the surface, but in the moment when you have to make fast-paced decisions, it’s exhilarating. In truth, the enemy design may be what truly brings out the best in Alabaster Dawn’s combat. Again, nothing revolutionary here, but the quantity of enemies, placement in terms of the environment, and delays between enemy attacks keep seemingly repeated battles dynamic and engrossing. Combine all of this with a variety of skill trees, accessories to enhance stats, and a cooking system, and we’re set for involved, accessible gameplay. The first few hours were fairly simple, but by the end of the journey, I was losing battles against bosses.

Deniz Akbulut returns to compose Alabaster Dawn’s soundtrack, and that’s instantly recognizable from the game’s main menu. He nailed the soundtrack for CrossCode, whether that was a peaceful retreat from the mayhem or a caustic feud with a giant foe. His composition, like the rest of the team at Radical Fish Games, is emblematic of a bygone retro era but with modern furnishings.

We’re immediately invited into a world ravaged by space creatures. Throughout, we get hints that Juno may bear secrets. Pacing and flow keep Alabaster Dawn engaging, and I am absolutely wrecked that I had to play this early access preview, because now all I want to do is finish the game. The good news—the most important news—though, is that this proof-of-concept virtually guarantees that the finished product will be as outstanding as CrossCode. If you, like me, will find it hard to wait for Alabaster Dawn to finish development, please take a dip into the waters of CrossCode, one of the greatest games I’ve ever played.