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Cryostasis Review for PC

Cryostasis Review for PC

Shiver Me Timbers

Cryostasis is all about atmosphere. I am tempted to use the cliché, “The devil is in the details,” simply because this game could be easily dismissed because of what may be perceived as a boring environment. This is not a travelogue. You’re stuck on a frozen boat somewhere near the North Pole. As a Canadian, I can appreciate the feeling of loneliness, emptiness, and the helplessness that comes from suffering the unbearably brutal temperatures and winds unleashed by nature. It’s ugly, but it has to be respected. Cryostasis does an admirable job of capturing those feelings of isolation and despair, and I would largely attribute that to the fact that the development team is Russian.

Cryostasis screenshot

Presented in first-person perspective, Cryostasis is a survival-horror game, highly influenced by the action/adventure genre. Although the point-and-click method of control is not favored, various elements of the genre such as puzzle-solving and exploration are put to good use. You’ll even wield weapons and traverse corridors like a traditional shooter. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t get everything right. It would have made a better action/adventure game in my opinion, but there are some truly memorable moments, and by that I mean your heartbeat is going to escalate rapidly in some areas.

Playing as meteorologist Alex Nesterov, you are investigating the mysterious disappearance of the crew of a nuclear icebreaker called the North Wind. The ship is located close to the North Pole and is encased in ice. It’s an eerie and haunting scene, seemingly devoid of life. But you’re not alone on this frozen ghost ship, as you can probably imagine. That would be one bloody boring game. It’s filled with zombies and other mutated forms of life. Obviously something incredibly horrible happened, and it’s up to you to find out what. That’s not an easy task as you’ll soon find out. The story is interesting, but it’s far from original. The gameplay is better than average, but it’s not particularly fast-paced, and the environments may seem too redundant to the average player. I would like to say that Cryostasis is a truly sophisticated game, but it’s not. It possesses some uniqueness, but it’s not perfect and it’s not for everyone.

Cryostasis screenshot

As Alex, you will trudge down seemingly endless corridors and enter more seemingly endless series of rooms. The fun lies in what is waiting for you. You’ll often hear the nightmarish sounds of some hellish creature long before you see it. This helps build the tension and anticipation, and usually before you can pinpoint its location, it’s on you. Adding to the creepy aural atmosphere is the howl of the northerly winds and the creaking of the steel monstrosity that is held hopelessly in the ice. Weapons will be collected throughout the game, starting with a clucky, old, rusty water valve. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to think your way out of various predicaments instead of being forced to reach for your weapon. In this way, the game favors brain over brawn. Its strength is not as a first-person shooter but a hybrid. You’ll be mixing in a little Einstein with your John Wayne and that’s enough to keep me interested.

It’s possible to literally catch your death of cold on North Wind. To keep from becoming a casualty of the ice, you will have to find various heat sources to maintain your health. The boat is not entirely non-operational. You’ll find working lights that you can warm your hands on, as well as steam pipes, stoves, and warm machinery. You will even be able to combine items to create a fire. The monsters are immune to the cold, but they aren’t immune to a good whack from an axe or a round from the Soviet-made Tokarev SVT-40.

Cryostasis screenshot

Another interesting concept is the Mental Echo feature, presented as a flashback, allowing you to see exactly what happened to some of the dead crewmen. The Mental Echo ability is interactive, as you can enter the body of the corpse and alter its destiny. In other words, you can bring it back to life and change the present. By doing so, you will unlock a door or cause a switch to be thrown. This feature isn’t as deep as the Butterfly Effect, but it does throw some light on the mystery, not to mention it gets you on your way to the next stage.

Cryostasis screenshot

Overall the game feels sluggish, but that’s part of the charm, like it or not. The weapons system seldom makes you feel in control; either you can’t get the weapon working fast enough, or you’re about to run out of ammunition. There are some frustratingly difficult sections that cause you to return to the same checkpoints more times than you care too. These sections require trial and error and near perfect execution. You’ll have to make sure each bullet reaches its target and get to the heat source before you lose your health.

Graphically, Cryostasis is a starkly beautiful game, but keep in mind beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While I’m throwing out clichés, I might as well add that the devil is in the details. See, I did use it. There are so many shades of white, blue, and gray, you really have to see it to appreciate it; very realistic. This ship feels cold. Ice crystals, icicles, and frost-capped railings appear as random and different as snowflakes. Ice melts near heat sources, only to frost over when the source is removed or extinguished. The ship is huge; it’s a scary behemoth in its own right. It takes on a life of its own. The monsters’ models aren’t the most terrifying-looking, but when they pop up in front of you with a scream, the fright is not made any less heartfelt.

Cryostasis is a breath of fresh arctic air that won’t leave you cold.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.4 Graphics
Starkly beautiful. Captures the essence of a frozen wasteland. 3.0 Control
It’s supposed to feel sluggish, but it’s still frustrating. 4.8 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Great chilling, aural atmosphere. Haunting sound effects. 3.3 Play Value
Hybrid gameplay doesn’t always gel. 3.6 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Terrifying first-person, survival-horror action gameplay.
  • Unique “Mental Echo” ability providing the player the chance to change the outcome of a character’s past.
  • Highly detailed levels based on a real Russian ice-breaker.
  • Battle powerful enemies, all with unique capabilities.
  • Non-player characters help to reveal the true story.
  • Historically-authentic weapons.
  • A completely new physics and weather system with realistic ice, frost, and snow with advanced character/object physics.
  • Unified dynamic shadowing system – fully dynamic, moving light sources, casting shadows on all objects.

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