Bless the indie gaming scene for bringing me experiences that I could never have conceived seeing. Whether it’s a combination of genres that simply seem like they shouldn’t belong together, turning traditional play concepts on their heads, or any number of other odd and inspired ideas, indie games represent the opportunity to explore ideas nobody with a larger budget and staff would dare touch. 

Gray Dawn is absolutely such a title, featuring more religious iconography and troubling vignettes than I think I’ve ever seen together. Even with my pretty lax set of beliefs, I was taken a bit aback as it’s a lot, but I’ll give it credit for at least appearing to make it all in service of the narrative, which is predictably quite dark as well. Given that you’re playing the part of a priest accused of murdering multiple children and kidnapping another, and with your perspective shifting between the real world and what can only be described as mad visions, you can expect it to be a wild ride.

The format of play is somewhere between a walking simulator and a traditional adventure game, with you moving through areas in search of vital items, solving periodic puzzles, and trying to hold onto the scraps of your character’s sanity. In the end, I’m not even quite sure what the game should be classified as, not quite qualifying as horror, but certainly housing a great deal of imagery and elements that are unsettling nonetheless. 

If your feelings on religious iconography are either love or hate, this may be a tough pill to swallow. A neutral perspective would likely be best to avoid any number of ways to be disgusted by what you may see. If you’re down for something that can be uncomfortable at times and completely committed to doing its own thing though, it may be worth a few hours of your time.