Back to the Dawn is a 2025 indie role-playing video game developed by Metal Head Games and published by Spiral Up Games. The early access version of the game was released for Windows and Xbox Series X/S in late 2023. Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 obtained the game with no early access version in early 2026 . At this time, the game exclusively featured the story of Thomas the Fox, but with the full release of the game on 18 July 2025 a second playable character was added: Bob the Panther, an undercover intelligence agent. Back to the Dawn is a story-driven game where the player can play as either Thomas the Fox or Bob the Panther. For both characters, the story starts with their imprisonment at Boulderton Prison and follows their journey in the jail over the next 21 in-game days. Time management is a central gameplay mechanic. In-game time only passes when the player undertakes an action, so the player will have to carefully pick and choose the activities they do, the conversations they have, and the amount of sleep they get per night. The ending of the story varies significantly based on which actions the player takes throughout their time at Boulderton, with several different endings for either character.
