Dawnfolk

Name: Dawnfolk
Rating: 4 (44 reviews)
Author: Short Circuit Studio

Minimalist city builder

Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.

44 Ratings
Age Rating

4+
Years
Category

Puzzle
Developer

Short Circuit Studio
Language

EN
+ 9 More
Size

338.9
MB

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?

Events

MAJOR UPDATE
A Puzzling New Dawn

Tackle unique scenarios, master resource management and find creative solutions to overcome each new objective.

Ratings & Reviews

4.0

out of 5

44 Ratings

Fun Game, Bugs to Address
Aug 25
allnamestaken23456789345
First and foremost, the game is fun. The full story is a bit short, but each level offers something unique and fresh. Mini games are cumbersome on a touch screen. Some of them are impossible to get a perfect score with screen lag and the nature of slow touchscreen input. It’s clear the creator put a lot of thought and time into developing the game and that makes me feel the need to point out that there is a major bug with unlocking the full game on iOS. After completing the first few levels, and force quitting the game, the cost to unlock the next level goes from 999 before quitting the app, to a more reasonable 5-10 in game credits. By force quitting after completing the first few levels, I’m able to unlock the full game content at no cost. I would rate this higher once the bugs have been addressed.

Developer Response
Thank you for the detailed feedback! We appreciate your thoughts on the mini-games and touch controls, and we'll keep them in mind. The game-unlocking issue you reported has now been fixed in the latest update, so thank you for flagging it! If you run into any other issues, please reach us at support@shortcircuitstudio.com.
Fun Game, Bugs to Address
Aug 25
allnamestaken23456789345

First and foremost, the game is fun. The full story is a bit short, but each level offers something unique and fresh. Mini games are cumbersome on a touch screen. Some of them are impossible to get a perfect score with screen lag and the nature of slow touchscreen input. It’s clear the creator put a lot of thought and time into developing the game and that makes me feel the need to point out that there is a major bug with unlocking the full game on iOS. After completing the first few levels, and force quitting the game, the cost to unlock the next level goes from 999 before quitting the app, to a more reasonable 5-10 in game credits. By force quitting after completing the first few levels, I’m able to unlock the full game content at no cost. I would rate this higher once the bugs have been addressed.
Developer Response Sep 11
Thank you for the detailed feedback! We appreciate your thoughts on the mini-games and touch controls, and we'll keep them in mind. The game-unlocking issue you reported has now been fixed in the latest update, so thank you for flagging it! If you run into any other issues, please reach us at support@shortcircuitstudio.com.
Comfortable
Oct 6
WeepingPanda
I am really enjoying this game. I did purchase the full version to support after playing the first world. To be honest there are some things I do not understand and I don’t know where to learn about them (for example, I can’t seem to upgrade desert tents or create buildings for different purposes as in the first world, even though my main building is upgraded to a castle, and I don’t know why). However, I am still learning the game. If there’s need to amend my review later I will, but it’s such a fun, non-stressful game I enjoy it nonetheless.

Developer Response
Thank you so much for the lovely review and for supporting Dawnfolk! ❤️ We're really happy you're enjoying the game. To unlock those upgrades, you'll need the rare Science resource, which you can earn primarily by upgrading your home or stronghold, or occasionally discover through exploration, castles, and treasure. We'd also recommend playing through the levels in the Story section, as they're a great way to learn the game's mechanics through the tutorials. If you have any questions, feel free to reach us at support@shortcircuitstudio.com. We're always happy to help. Thanks again for playing and supporting us!
Comfortable
Oct 6
WeepingPanda

I am really enjoying this game. I did purchase the full version to support after playing the first world. To be honest there are some things I do not understand and I don’t know where to learn about them (for example, I can’t seem to upgrade desert tents or create buildings for different purposes as in the first world, even though my main building is upgraded to a castle, and I don’t know why). However, I am still learning the game. If there’s need to amend my review later I will, but it’s such a fun, non-stressful game I enjoy it nonetheless.
Developer Response Oct 12
Thank you so much for the lovely review and for supporting Dawnfolk! ❤️ We're really happy you're enjoying the game. To unlock those upgrades, you'll need the rare Science resource, which you can earn primarily by upgrading your home or stronghold, or occasionally discover through exploration, castles, and treasure. We'd also recommend playing through the levels in the Story section, as they're a great way to learn the game's mechanics through the tutorials. If you have any questions, feel free to reach us at support@shortcircuitstudio.com. We're always happy to help. Thanks again for playing and supporting us!
Gamemodes disappear after purchase
Sep 9
marcNDJCKKSKS
While this game is a lot of fun, and I’ve had a blast playing, it’s been bugging me that when I was playing the free version there was a puzzles tab and a daily expedition tab, similar to townsfolk’s weekly challenge, but after purchase those gamemodes vanished. I downloaded this on release day and bought it two days later. After over a month of patiently waiting for a fix and even emailing the address on their website, nothing. Its a big reason I cannot in good conscious recommend anyone buy this game right now. 2 of the 5 core gamemodes are inaccessible *after* spending money. It’s only one issue, sure, but it’s a pretty big one

Developer Response
Thanks for raising this, and sorry for the confusion! This isn't a bug—Puzzles and Expeditions were available during the internal beta test, but weren't included at launch in either the free or paid version. We're hoping to bring them back in a future content update. If you contacted a different email, our correct support address is support@shortcircuitstudio.com, or you can reach us directly through Discord.
Gamemodes disappear after purchase
Sep 9
marcNDJCKKSKS

While this game is a lot of fun, and I’ve had a blast playing, it’s been bugging me that when I was playing the free version there was a puzzles tab and a daily expedition tab, similar to townsfolk’s weekly challenge, but after purchase those gamemodes vanished. I downloaded this on release day and bought it two days later. After over a month of patiently waiting for a fix and even emailing the address on their website, nothing. Its a big reason I cannot in good conscious recommend anyone buy this game right now. 2 of the 5 core gamemodes are inaccessible *after* spending money. It’s only one issue, sure, but it’s a pretty big one
Developer Response Sep 11
Thanks for raising this, and sorry for the confusion! This isn't a bug—Puzzles and Expeditions were available during the internal beta test, but weren't included at launch in either the free or paid version. We're hoping to bring them back in a future content update. If you contacted a different email, our correct support address is support@shortcircuitstudio.com, or you can reach us directly through Discord.
Fun game but may be a little confusing on how to unlock more levels for free.
Aug 18
Bailey#3
At first I thought only the first level on “story” was free. But after I beat it on hard (along with regular) it seemed I was actually able to use in game currency to unlock the other levels! It’s a really fun game and without adds but I would suggest maybe making it known that you need to beat both difficulties in order to get the rest of the game. Otherwise it will seem like it’s a try before you buy game

Developer Response
Thanks for the review and feedback! Just to clarify, the full game is unlocked through a one-time optional purchase. This allows us to keep the experience completely ad-free while supporting it's dev. We appreciate your feedback on making this clearer in-game and will keep it in mind. If you need any help, reach us at support@shortcircuitstudio.com.
Fun game but may be a little confusing on how to unlock more levels for free.
Aug 18
Bailey#3

At first I thought only the first level on “story” was free. But after I beat it on hard (along with regular) it seemed I was actually able to use in game currency to unlock the other levels! It’s a really fun game and without adds but I would suggest maybe making it known that you need to beat both difficulties in order to get the rest of the game. Otherwise it will seem like it’s a try before you buy game
Developer Response Aug 21
Thanks for the review and feedback! Just to clarify, the full game is unlocked through a one-time optional purchase. This allows us to keep the experience completely ad-free while supporting it's dev. We appreciate your feedback on making this clearer in-game and will keep it in mind. If you need any help, reach us at support@shortcircuitstudio.com.

Stability and bug fixes. Thank you for playing!

Version 1.0.9 6h ago

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Accessibility

Information

Seller: Short Circuit Studios AB
Size: 338.9 MB
Category: Puzzle
Compatibility: Requires iOS 15.0 or later.

iPhone
Requires iOS 15.0 or later.

iPad
Requires iPadOS 15.0 or later.

iPod touch
Requires iOS 15.0 or later.

Mac
Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.

Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
Languages: English and 9 more

English, Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish
Age Rating: 4+

4+

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In-App Purchases: Yes

Dawnfolk $7.99

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Copyright: © 2026 Darenn Keller

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