MARS 2120
MARS 2120
Game
Game2022
Dawn of the Monsters
Developer 13AM Games, WayForward
Dawn of the Monsters is a beat'em up video game developed by 13AM Games and published by WayForward. The game was released in March 2022 for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Google Stadia. The game received generally positive reviews upon release. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
142 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Aug 21, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
91
LovedLoved
105 positive · 10 negative
95% range 85–95%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 105 | 10 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 5 | 2 | 16 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 4 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
111 of 122 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
91% recommend · 107 yes, 10 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 117 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (134 of 153 positive).
Players praise the satisfying combat and deep combo system. [1][2][3] The game is a love letter to kaiju and tokusatsu fans. [4][5][6] Some reviewers note limited replay value and minor technical issues. [1][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [12]
If you think this Kaiju brawler is the dumb fun you're looking for, then prepare yourself for some disappointments: The hit feedback is very weak and, above all, far too quiet. This would be a point of criticism in any brawler, but here you're brawling with KAIJUS! Landing hits isn't easy either, as the fighters' ranges are often too short. You also have to be very careful to stand in the same lane as your opponent …
- [1]
- Great combat. 4 different characters to choose from, all with fun combo potential to play around with, and a nice amount of enemy variety. - Nice graphics, art, and animation - High refresh rate support, although it seems buggy. The camera snaps forward a lot on my 240hz monitor; this doesn't happen at 60hz. - Low difficulty - Limited replay value. There are a lot of unlockable colors, but there's just not much to …
- [4]
This is a really solid game, both for tokusatsu fans and beat-'em-up fans. The game looks great, has appropriate music and is mechanically deep. With four unique characters, large movesets and a fun gear system that works off the ranking system, the gameplay loop is solid. If you want a bit more in your modern beat-'em-up than an s-string and a jumpkick, you'll feel at home here. Parries, just dodges, animation …
- [6]
Pros: + Pleasing comic book style visuals + Satisfying arcade style combat with enough variance between moves to never feel stale + Great roster of varied enemies, locations and bosses + Very good value for money especially if you go for S+ rank in missions Cons: - Some stunlock moves are quite annoying - The plot is not the most original ever, even compared to Kaiju themed movies - Some of the characters are …
- [2]
Awesome beatemup game! Pros: 1. 4 differnt characters with different playstyle 2. You can build your characters by using DNA 3. Combo, spesials, super boom atack, dash, perfect dash, block, parry. 4. Kaiju vs kaiju 5. Nostalgia 6. Fun story with fun characters in comic style. 7. You can play with your friend or without :) 8. Voice acting for all characters 9. Music is ok. Cons: 1. Lacking of animations in story …
Summarised from 34 of the 146 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 10, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Dawn of the Monsters talk about satisfying combat with deep combo mechanics; those who didn't talk about limited replay value after completing the story. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Dawn of the Monsters received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic. Stuart Gipp from Nintendo Life praised the extensive customization options and augments, which added variations to the game. However, he was disappointed by the repetitive stage design, and the stiff animation. Writing for Destructoid, Chris Moyse strongly commended the game's visuals and described it as "dazzling" and "one of the finest 2D releases in years". While he enjoyed the combat system for its depth and complexity, he believed that the game failed to present enough challenges to players. Shaun Musgrave from TouchArcade agreed that the game slowly became repetitive, though he…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 142 · most liked firstFour video games you can get if you want to play as a Big Giant Stompy Monster in a city (who can grow in size or strength too)! 1 - Pawperty Damage 2 - Gigabash 3 - Dawn of the Monsters 4 - Super Man or Monster (I play all of these; feel free to ask~) #TribLovesVideoGames #G/t #macro #kaiju
positive · AI labelView post →- Great combat. 4 different characters to choose from, all with fun combo potential to play around with, and a nice amount of enemy variety. - Nice graphics, art, and animation - High refresh rate support, although it seems buggy. The camera snaps forward a lot on my 240hz monitor; this doesn't happen at 60hz. - Low difficulty - Limited replay value. There are a lot of unlockable colors, but there's just not much to do once you complete the story and get an S+ rank on every mission. I'm really…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a really solid game, both for tokusatsu fans and beat-'em-up fans. The game looks great, has appropriate music and is mechanically deep. With four unique characters, large movesets and a fun gear system that works off the ranking system, the gameplay loop is solid. If you want a bit more in your modern beat-'em-up than an s-string and a jumpkick, you'll feel at home here. Parries, just dodges, animation cancels and juggles are a frequent part of every non-boss interaction. Outside of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →1. A Monster Beat'M up Game: Check 2. Play as a Ultra-MAN or GRIDMAN like character: Double Check 3. Play as a Godzilla or Gimera like monster: Triple Check 4. Have all those Four Iconic character in a Monster' Beat'M up: MEGA EXPLOSION FRIGGAN AWESOME CHECK!!!!!!!!!!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm Juli / Fy, a Brazilian game animator and 3D artist living in Toronto. I've worked on games like Skullgirls, Dawn of the Monsters and the recently announced Missile Command Delta. I love vtubers and I help run @karikaripanko.bsky.social's channel - I do almost all the art you see over there
neutral · AI labelView post →I killed a kaiju with the head of his friend. Very cool.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you think this Kaiju brawler is the dumb fun you're looking for, then prepare yourself for some disappointments: The hit feedback is very weak and, above all, far too quiet. This would be a point of criticism in any brawler, but here you're brawling with KAIJUS! Landing hits isn't easy either, as the fighters' ranges are often too short. You also have to be very careful to stand in the same lane as your opponent in order to hit him. This is difficult to achieve here, because you can hardly…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you're looking for some 13AM Games physical game goodness, Dawn of the Monsters physicals are still available over at @vgp-videogamesplus.bsky.social These are all out of print so it’s a great chance to grab the game on PS4, PS5 or even Switch: videogamesplus.ca/search?type=...
neutral · AI labelView post →Solid game, satisfying combat, neat story (a bit cliche for kaiju stories, but still). Overall a hidden gem. The kaijus feel big and heavy, which I think is very important for the genre. Controlling them is highly satisfying. Cleared the game on Steam Deck, and the support is near perfect (except for occasional issues after waking from sleep).
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awesome beatemup game! Pros: 1. 4 differnt characters with different playstyle 2. You can build your characters by using DNA 3. Combo, spesials, super boom atack, dash, perfect dash, block, parry. 4. Kaiju vs kaiju 5. Nostalgia 6. Fun story with fun characters in comic style. 7. You can play with your friend or without :) 8. Voice acting for all characters 9. Music is ok. Cons: 1. Lacking of animations in story cutscenes. 2. Characters little bit bulky, but dash and block fix this issue. PS:…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was really excited for this game, but quickly found myself dissapointed. The core mechanics are interesting enough, but this is a lousy pc port. The biggest issues is that the gamepad implementation is TERRIBLE. The game has an odd button layout (click the stick instead of start) that for whatever reason defaults to Playstation icons even if you're using an Xbox controller. You can change the controls in the options menu (the ui looks like an early 2000s game), but doing so doen't change the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Prize pack will include Vitamin Connection, River City Girls 2, RCG2 Double Dragon DLC, Spidersaurs, and Dawn of the Monsters. Vitamin Connection is Switch only; other game codes will be on the platform of winner's choosing.
neutral · AI labelView post →Well time to give my thoughts on this game now that I've played through most of it except the very end. The game's got really fun combat for a kaiju beat em up. It reminds me a bit of King of the Monsters 2 with more focus on the mooks than the bosses. The combo mechanics have got quite a bit of depth on them. You have a bayonetta-like perfect dodge which stuns like a weaker witch time with the right upgrade and a just guard parry. Most moves can be dodge cancelled to extend combos and the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i have enjoyed it. ok brawler . cool kaiju. game may not be for every1 but is a thumbs up for me
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We need more kaiju games, giant mosters are such an underdeveloped genre as it is
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cool Kaiju designs? Check. Beat em up thrill? Check. Juicy Monster lore. Check-o-roni. Highly recommend and monster mashing fun of approval
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →And if you haven't played Dawn of the Monsters yet, what are you waiting for?!
neutral · AI labelView post →The default controls are awful and you can't rebind them without getting yourself stuck in the pause menu.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Having 100% completed this game 5 times on PlayStation and now half way through a sixth playthrough on PC, I can say with confidence that this is one of my favorite games out there. I’d highly recommend it for fans of Beat ‘Em Ups, and I’d say it’s one you can’t miss if you love Kaiju! The game offers extremely satisfying combat, and rewards strung out combos or just simply blowing your opponent to pieces. Nothing feels quite as good as punching a monster in the face so hard it explodes,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros: + Pleasing comic book style visuals + Satisfying arcade style combat with enough variance between moves to never feel stale + Great roster of varied enemies, locations and bosses + Very good value for money especially if you go for S+ rank in missions Cons: - Some stunlock moves are quite annoying - The plot is not the most original ever, even compared to Kaiju themed movies - Some of the characters are forgettable Dawn of the Monsters is a love letter to all Kaiju fans and more…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You like Godzilla? You like Pacific Rim? You like giant robots and giant monster beating each other while destroying stuff? I you answer any of these questions "YES", then you will like the game. The patch solved all the controller issues I had and now I can keep punching mosnters in the face even more. Combo system is pretty deep and the augment system can be used to try different builds.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game overall if you're a fan of beat'em ups or kaiju you owe to yourself to give it a go.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game 236: Dawn of the Monsters Beat 'em ups are awesome. Kaijus are awesome. So, guess what my opinion is on a Kaiju beat 'em up? With slower but super impactful combat, stylish graphics and a very engaging combo system, this is one of the finest, most unique modern takes on the genre.
positive · AI labelView post →good visual style, decent writing, above average beat'em'up. would recommend buying it when it goes on sale however at its current price tag I would only recommend it to hardcore fans of that genre or to people who (like myself} are starved for more content from the kaiju genre. If DOTM wants to maintain its current price tag it seriously needs more content otherwise its core audience will remain niche.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Had to refund, between the ongoing controller issues and lack of widescreen support it was an unplayable game. May pick it up on console since that will probably work as advertised.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is awesome, especially if you like SoR4 or Dawn of the Monsters
neutral · AI labelView post →Stylish and pretty damn fun, wish combat had more depth (maybe have throws) and cancels like SOR4, could use more characters to play with. Godzilla collab when.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a comic and monster movie inspired beat-em-up game, and its wonderful.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →ABSOLUTELY AMAZING KAIJU GAME!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very fun and stylish kaiju beat 'em ups game. Each character is unique with their own special moves, playstyle and combos. Combat features mechanics like juggling, wall bounce, special canceling and even otg so you can always experiment with different combo routes. Story is also fully voiced so that's a cherry on top. Highly recommended.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Was pretty pumped for this game on my arcade machine, since it looked like a pretty neat beat em up to alongside the new TMNT game. The game looks fun. However, the controls just... didn't work. Fresh install and neither control panel would work, or the attached Xbox controller. I disabled steam inputs and then player 2 on the control panel worked as player 1, but the buttons were mapped wrong. Start wasn't mapped at all, so I couldn't get into the settings to try and remap stuff (if the game…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I like it. More people need to know about it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →244) Dawn of the Monsters I’ve heard about this game for a while now so I decided to finally try it. This ended up being a really cool beat’em up with its concept of controlling giant Kaijus. The game does start to get pretty tough near the end though. #justbeatit @polykillpodcast.bsky.social
positive · AI labelView post →this game is so awesome i love this i love killing kaijus
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly it's just a bunch of fun, the characters have some solid variety to them and there aren't a lot of kaiju games out there right now. If the price feels a bit much for you then I'd absolutely suggest it on sale. Though, the fact that it is splitscreen/steam remote play only for multiplayer may mean you should nab it on a console or something instead where it is easier to set up the multiplayer. That's your call though.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I would absolutely highly recommend. The fact that (at the time of me writing this anyway), only around 15% of players have even finished this game is beyond unfair. Sure, the roars are a bit meek and unsatisfying (seriously, amp up the fierceness of those roar animations, increase the volume and make the screen shake a little! These are MONSTERS, not your GRANDMA.), but the gameplay is satisfying. You can perform satisfying, vicious executions on low-health enemies, you can pick up buildings…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My first impressions video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C4_cD8XX9A This is one of those games where I really wish Steam had a "thumbs sideways" button. I'm recommending this, but Ialso recommend you either watch my video or be prepared to try this and possibly refund it. This is definitely not a bad game, but I personally think it's let down by some pretty weak core combat. I love brawlers and one with Kaiju was instantly appealing. There is a story that explains why you can play not…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very fun gameplay loop. If anything seems to hard, you can replay earlier missions to farm for augments to get better ones. This game's real appeal is for kaiju and tokusatsu fans and is a nice little beat-em-up on top of that. I hopes the devs can add integrated online co-op because all of the friends who want to play this game with me live out-of-state.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →big monsters get punched. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I need to buy the Gamera DLC they released. Giga Bash fucking rules. Awesome, ass-kicking kaiju action. Dawn of the Monsters is another really good one. That game also has an Ultraman in the form of Aegis Prime.
neutral · AI labelView post →Tokusatsu themed beat-em ups are quite rare. King of Monsters 2 for the NeoGeo comes to mind, even though that game had very little to offer aside from some nice sprite work and music. Dawn of the Monsters seems to have taken inspiration from that game, but is easy to tell that its developers saw many areas to improve upon and the end result is a very solid beat em up title despite a few flaws. The story is relatively simple but is interesting nonetheless. Giant monsters (known as Nephilim)…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →People ask me "Alex, as a game developer what is one of your proudest achievements?" And working with a ramen chain to make a dish based off of the lead character in Dawn of the Monsters is up there. Like, way up there.
positive · AI labelView post →30$???? scam 8$??? fun purchase C:
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i had played kaiju games back in the days such as King of the Monster 1 & 2 (Neo geo), War of the Monster (Ps2), Godzilla Unleashed, etc. Overall, i find this game is great and have a really good potential. However, what my dissapointments about this game are lack of important elements back in those previous kaiju games like: 1. Lack Human Interations (such as tanks and planes, When i play King of the Monster (which is really similar to this game) it really fun how human tanks and planes both…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hilariously broken controller support, and surprisingly inept in other ways. No main menu, no way to exit the game other than Alt-F4, and the most useless remap screen in history. Hopefully it's just an incredibly inept port and the console version runs well, but this would be shameful at a third of the price.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it's nice to punch giant monsters
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game only true issue I ran into was when I plugged in my xbox controller and had odd button mapping. However, with some minor comparisons to see "what button did what" on keyboard compared to controller and viewing the mapping layout on the options tab I then remapped it to get a normal button layout. EDIT: The Controls have been fixed in a patch awhile ago. New Character, New Game+, and Arcade mode brought life to an already fun game. So go ahead an enjoy the monster bash. Overall…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you love kaiju in general you will love this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a kaiju beat 'em up. What else is there to say? The art is amazing, and the combat is thrilling. Secondly, I tried the remote play option with a friend and it worked perfectly
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →fun beat'em up kaiju game! But Need more playable Kaiju/characters tho!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dawn of the Monsters is an energetic side-scrolling beat 'em up that successfully translates the spectacle of classic giant-monster battles into an arcade-style action game. Developed by 13AM Games and WayForward and published by WayForward, the game places its emphasis on destructive combat, enormous playable creatures, and a colorful manga-inspired presentation. Rather than simply borrowing kaiju imagery, it builds its mechanics around the fantasy of controlling something powerful enough to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dawn of the Monsters is a pretty awesome beat 'em up that deserves more recognition. The story revolves around Giant Mechas and Kaijus fighting more Kaijus (called Nephilim) that come out of "nowhere" in big cities, so the premise is already good. There is some plot going on regarding big corpos, where the Nephilim come from, and even some character development. Everything feels pretty much like anime/manga as detailed in the game's description. It's enough to keep you entertained. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →📰 **Retro roguelike action game Dungeon Lurker announced for PC** Dawn of the Monsters developer 13AM Games has announced Dungeon Lurker, a retro roguelike action … Source 📰 Source: Gematsu 🔗 Link: https://www.gematsu.com/2026/06/retro-roguelike-action-game-dungeon-lurker-announced-for-pc […]
neutral · AI labelView post →Dawn of the Monsters is a great spin on the classic beat ‘em up sidescroller formula, but I can’t abide a game that asks me to save Toronto.
neutral · AI labelView post →Easy 9/10 from this Kaiju fan who played this entirely on Steam Deck as is Absolute love letter to all Kaiju and Super Robot universes out there! The story isn’t too hard to get through and gave me around 10 hours to complete. Around 20 hours with all steam achievements, trials and in-game challenges completed. I have not finished my New Game+ play through yet. Dawn of the Monsters is a side scroll Beat’m Up with some RPG elements. You play as one of 4 (5 w/DLC) Kaiju/Robots saving the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A low budget love letter to the kaiju movies of yesteryear, Dawn of the Monsters does an impressive job of giving off the impression that you're really controlling a hulking monstrosity capable of walking over most buildings. This has you select from one of four different characters. There's Megadon, the not Godzilla lava monster who can buff himself and hits hard; Ganira, a giant crab turtle who specializes in support, offering shields and monster spawns to take the heat off; Ttempest…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a fan of the kaiju genre, this game checks all of the boxes. Could not have picked a better first game for my Steam account.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is what I would label "Simple but effective" and boy is it effective in my opinion. DOTM is a perfect small compact game for any Kaiju fans that want something with a simple formula but attention to details. The playable monsters are perfect with their unique yet simplistic designs that really give off a Showa era feeling for kaiju media. The combat is very fun too with heavy moves that feel heavy and destructive. Megadon was the obvious choice for me as I am a mega Godzilla fan, and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There aren't a lot of western developed games out there that manage to scratch that Tokusatsu itch. This is definitely one of the few that succeeds and then some! A 2D brawler with some depth wrapped up in gorgeous art/animation with a delicious color palette and a theme I personally love. You also get to trash Toronto, so that's an added bonus. So if you enjoy non-basic 2D beat'em ups, vintage tokusatsu and 70's/80's super robot mecha anime, then you owe it to yourself to grab this along with…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Agreed with most of the review that the product is a little pricey for the content it provides. Would definitely recommend getting this on sales. If you are looking for getting 100% steam achievement in this game, just a little heads up that there is like 5 achievement that requires you to purchase the DLC. Story and combat is fun to go through regardless. With one of the character, you can summon friend :). I hope this game can add rogue-like (random buffs)-endless runs as one of the mode,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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