Dawnfolk

Short Circuit Studio

About this game

In a world of darkness, you are the ruler of a kingdom lost to shadows. On a quest to save your people, you discover Lueur—a mythical, fiery companion who will light your way.

Created by solo developer Darenn Keller, Dawnfolk blends minimalist strategy, exploration, and city-building into a relaxing yet deeply rewarding experience.

Decades ago, obsidian monoliths fell from the sky, bringing a creeping darkness that consumed the land. Now, with the power of Lueur, you can push back the shadows and reclaim your realm.

But what kind of ruler will you be?

Explore an uncharted medieval fantasy world, manage resources, build cities, and survive against many dangers.

Minigames add a unique challenge to supporting your people. The better you perform, the more resources you gain—helping your community weather the darkness.

Every choice matters as you explore different strategies and play styles. Grow your settlement from a handful of tents into a thriving city in less than an hour, with no need for long tutorials or complex systems.

Designed to feel familiar yet fresh, the game focuses on exploration and experimentation—where discovery is part of the journey.

Your choices will shape the fate of your people.

Will you succeed in bringing light back to the world?

Features
- A Comfy Game: A strategy experience designed for relaxed play, wherever you are.
- Easy to learn: No long tutorials or complex menus—jump in and start building.
- Short sessions: Grow from nothing to a thriving city in under an hour.
- Mixing Macro and Micro: Blend city-building with mini-games inspired by farming sims and RPGs. Earn bonus resources through skill-based challenges that break up city management.
- Game Modes: Multiple ways to play, including real-time, turn-based, and adjustable difficulty.
- Incentivized Discovery: Explore, experiment, and uncover systems at your own pace—the game won’t tell you everything.
- Minimalist Design: Focused mechanics that deliver depth without unnecessary complexity.
- Interactive Story: Your buildings shape evolving stories. Your choices determine outcomes and directly impact your city—will you rule with kindness or pragmatism?

Ratings and reviews

The game is OK, I like the idea and I can see the creator worked hard on it but I have a few complaints. When playing endless , its not actually endless it just the bosses get too hard to destroy and too many of them showing up, at some point it costs all of your resources just to defeat one of themand they are close to your base. once they hit your base its over. There's not alot of different scientific stats to research to improve gameplay, while there are a few it doesnt feel like enough.

Fantastic Game. Just the right balance of strategy. I have played a couple of story Missions so far and I like that there are difficulty options. Perfect for a mobile game as Missions are short enough to put down and pick back up again. Definitely recommend this for anyone who loves a city-builder with resource management!

straight pc port, needs a lot of polishing and convenience features. looking forward to it and updating my review.

What’s new

Stability and bug fixes. Mainly resolving issues with controller support. Thank you for playing!