Existing in the liminal space between indie and triple-A game development (tentatively given the qualifier of 'double-A'), California-based video game developer Ready at Dawn has been actively engaged in the industry since 2003. With a core staff comprised of former members of triple-A big-hitters Naughty Dog and Blizzard Entertainment, Ready at Dawn has created projects that span scope and genre over its current 23-year existence.
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Furthermore, Ready at Dawn has enjoyed close ties to Sony, with a large proportion of its output involving PlayStation-exclusive properties such as God of War and Jak and Daxter. Whether creating games based on existing IP, developing ports of released games, or building its own original game from the ground up, Ready at Dawn has had a varied and intriguing history as a video game developer, and its body of work reflects this.
10 Deformers
The first of three games released by Ready at Dawn in 2017 took the form of multiplayer brawler/sports game Deformers, which sees players take control of ball-like creatures in a multitude of scenarios, including battle royales and team sports. It also bears mentioning that these squishy ball creatures are fully customizable, with cosmetic skins ranging from a cow to a watermelon.
For all its charm, Deformers was met with a lukewarm reception on release. Its Playstation 4 version did review semi-positively, but this did little to save the squishy ball brawler. In August 2018, the game's servers were shut down, leaving players' meticulously customized ball creatures gathering dust forever more.
9 The Order: 1886
Objectively, the idea of running around a steampunk Victorian-era London as Sir Galahad of the Round Table dispatching supernatural creatures using fantastical technology invented by Nikola Tesla himself is far from uninspired. Indeed, this is exactly the experience that 2015's The Order: 1886 promised to provide and was eagerly anticipated by players.
The Order: 1886 ultimately fell short of its goal, however, with players and critics alike criticizing the game's short length, reliance on quick-time events, and (most importantly) the distinct lack of gameplay involving the battling of supernatural creatures. It would be unfair to claim that The Order: 1886 was a disaster; however, it would be accurate to state that the game failed to deliver on its own hype.
8 Lone Echo 2
After the success of its predecessor, the sequel Lone Echo 2 was released in 2021 as a continuation of Ready at Dawn and Oculus Studio's developer-publisher partnership. Keeping the majority of the original's gameplay, Lone Echo 2 innovates by adding enemy NPCs (in the form of living biomass called ticks) for the player to deal with on top of solving puzzles in zero gravity.
Whilst not quite as critically lauded as its predecessor, Lone Echo 2 possesses qualities that implement and magnify its unique use of zero gravity and its effect on the players' experience when solving puzzles. Considering this, the partnership between Ready at Dawn and Oculus Studios is set to be a beneficial one moving forward.
7 God of War: Origins Collection
Ready at Dawn's history with the God of War franchise has been well-received, to say the least, so much so that a port of the two PlayStation Portable entries in the series was released in 2011 for the PlayStation 3 titled God of War: Origins Collection. Developed in close collaboration with Santa Monica Studios, the collected version featured various extras, including enhanced graphics, trophy support, and a plethora of extra game content.
With its God of War handheld efforts, Ready at Dawn proved itself as a competent developer that understands the best qualities of existing IPs. Indeed, by the very nature of the existence of God of War: Origins Collection, one can infer the positive reception of both the original games. All in all, Ready at Dawn proved that Kratos can still slay gods just as effectively on a handheld console.
6 Daxter
Impressively, Daxter has the accolades of being not only one of the most well-received PlayStation Portable games of all time but also the 5th best-selling ever. Mixed with the fact that this was Ready at Dawn's first developed game, one truly begins to see that the developer started its existence with its best foot forward.
Part of the Jak and Daxter franchise and set within a time skip present in a mainline entry, Daxter sees players control the eponymous sidekick as he attempts to rescue Jak from imprisonment. Praised for its witty humor and tight gameplay, Daxter proves Ready at Dawn's reputation as a master of handheld console development.
5 God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta
The second God of War game developed by Ready at Dawn, God of War: Ghost of Sparta is the epitome of the 'do not fix what is not broken' philosophy, with the entry barely touching the mechanics set up by its fellow handheld game. Lack of innovation aside, God of War: Ghost of Sparta is a blood-filled romp that continues Kratos' vengeful rampage against the Greek pantheon between the first two numbered entries in the series.
Throughout the game, players can explore multiple locations of Ancient Greece, including the mythical Atlantis. While not being the fan-favorite God of War handheld title, God of War: Ghost of Sparta is an impressive hack-and-slash adventure that series veterans will enjoy from beginning to end.
4 Echo Arena
Echo Arena and Lone Echo are paradoxically both one and the same and wildly different. Indeed, the former was developed as the multi-player component of the latter but got its own standalone release in addition to its inclusion as part of the other. A sci-fi team sports game, Echo Arena borrowed the zero gravity locomotion of its parent game to spice up the gameplay.
The online experience became quite the spectacle with fans, with Echo Arena fast becoming an e-sport staple with large sums of real-world cash up for grabs for the team with the skills to claim it. So much so was the love for the game that, when Ready at Dawn announced the closure of the game's servers in 2023, the fans rallied and petitioned to keep the game alive.
3 Lone Echo
Lone Echo is a single-player narrative experience that distances itself from its multi-player sports component, Echo Arena, by casting its players as the android, Jack, who is serving aboard a mining station in Saturn's orbit. When Jack's human commander, Olivia, disappears after boarding a mysterious spaceship, players take Jack on a journey that bends the very fabric of time.
Garnering praise for its setting, storytelling, and central characters, as well as its landmark innovations in VR gameplay, Lone Echo is a brilliant experience for players, allowing them to truly witness the wonders of the universe and the mind-bending nature of time.
2 Okami
Admittedly, Ready at Dawn was only responsible for the Nintendo Wii port of the beautifully cel-shaded action-adventure game Okami; Japanese game developer Clover Studio was behind the game's wider development. However, after Clover Studio closed its doors, Ready at Dawn stepped in to deliver a fan-requested port to the aforementioned console.
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Cast as sun goddess Amaterasu in her graceful white wolf form, players roam ancient Japan bringing nature back to life and vanquishing enemies all with strokes of the Celestial Brush. Like other versions of the game, Ready at Dawn's Nintendo Wii port was met with critical praise, especially when considering the integration of motion controls into the game.
1 God Of War: Chains Of Olympus
It is not often that a game is cited as the undisputed best on a platform, but in the case of God of War: Chains of Olympus, it is a fact. With review aggregators Metacritic and GameRankings hailing it as the best-rated PlayStation Portable title of all time, along with universal acclaim from critics and fans alike, God of War: Chains of Olympus acts as a prequel to the original God of War released back in 2005.
Set at a time when Kratos is actively serving the deities of Mount Olympus, the game sees the vengeful Spartan battle the dream god Morpheus, who is causing chaos for the Greek pantheon. With God of War: Chains of Olympus, Ready at Dawn created an entry in the franchise to rival even the mainline entries in the series.