Dawn of the Monsters, a Kaiju Beat-Em-Up, is Out Now

Colossal Creatures Collide in Co-Op Chaos

Kaiju media has always been hard to come by in the US. I remember taping random Godzilla movies to a VHS tape and getting excited anytime a tokusatsu show would get a new release, even if it was a shadow of its original form. Kaiju games are also fairly scarce even though the genre has so much potential for video games. With the popularity boost kaiju media has gotten through films like Godzilla vs Kong, and productions like Shin Godzilla pushing things forward in Japan, more projects will hopefully be greenlit. Likely a product of this increased interest, this leads us to a new game release from Way Forward in collaboration with 13AM Games called Dawn of the Monsters. 

Dawn of the Monsters is a local co-op beat-em-up or what’s also been referred to as a brawler featuring four playable characters that all pay homage to the titans that walked before them. Megadon looks like a combination of Godzilla and Blizzalar of Gridman. Meanwhile Aegis Prime is an Ultraman-style superhero. This layered tribute makes sense because 13AM Games brought in notable kaiju creators including Shinji Nishikawa, Matt Frank, and EJ Su. 

A manga-inspired visual language is used to sell the over-the-top, city-flattening action. It reminds me of what was used in 2000s era fighting games where characters were stylized, mostly 2D with 3D backgrounds and environments. There is also lots of voice talent to bring the game’s story to life such as AmaLee, Cristina Valenzuela, Xander Mobus, and Patrick Seitz. 

Dawn of the Monsters is available now on Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Stadia, and PC for $29.99 USD. Those interested in physical releases have until April 3rd to purchase either a standard or collector’s edition from Limited Run Games. 

Learn more on the official website. Images and press assets courtesy of Way Forward.