Cryostasis

Price £25 Publisher 505 Games Developer ActionForm Community 1C Company

Put on your cans, turn out the lights, and prepare to be scared. Very scared

Cryostasis is an incredible game. Indeed the term ‘game’ barely does it justice – experience would be closer, but even that isn’t quite right. It’s a title you’ll want to talk about down the pub; although like a book that you want others to read, you’ll stop yourself giving away too much. I’ve completed the game and I want to blurt out the truly wonderful ending. I won’t though, I’ll keep it locked away in my head, eating away at my existence until I go mad...

In essence, Cryostasis is a survival horror game – a genre most recently championed by the creepy, but decidedly entertaining Dead Space. There are certain parallels to be drawn between the two – health is shown in a more discreet way (in this case your body temperature), and they both boast a limited supply of monsters to off, focusing instead on scaring your lower intestine out of your nether regions.

Cryostasis is more psychological in its thrills though, and will appeal more to anyone that played Penumbra or Call of the Cthulu. Part of this is thanks to your character’s ‘Mental Echo’ ability, which enables you to change the actions of the dead, which in turn can change the current time frame. Whether that’s opening doors or removing obstructions it’s a neat trick that lends a decent puzzle element to proceedings.

You assume the role of one Alexander Nesterov, a meteorologist who has been sent to investigate the North Wind, a Russian nuclear icebreaker that has come into difficulties. You arrive in a storm, and so it’s impossible to tell just what state the ship is in, but it soon becomes apparent that something awful has and is still happening. The ice-breaker makes for a stunning setting, and its something that Action Forms has exploited beautifully – with depressing surroundings and creepy stories to tell.

A core component to the game is keeping your body warm enough to avoid freezing to death. This adds pressures to events – whether you’re in the belly of the ship, or struggling to make it between compartments on the upper decks. There are plenty of things to warm your hands against – makeshift fires, light bulbs and hot pipes to name but a few – though making it to the next warm spot isn’t always easy.

The other drains on your body-heat, aside from the weather, are the assaults from the denizens of the North Wind. Transformed by events, these zombie-like creatures start off making you jump, but soon advance to blowing ruddy great chunks out of you. This is the game’s weakest point though, as it isn’t as competent a shooter as it thinks. The weapons might take an age to operate, but that just adds to the tension; the issue is that as the game progresses harder and harder waves of monsters are thrown at you. Ammo management becomes more important, and that’s not what you’re playing the game for.

That said, it’s the level of immersion combined with a sumptuous plot that will see you through these short falls. The sound in particular stands out – I think we have the winner of the best game sound for 2009 already. Turn off the lights, slap on some headphones, and have a large pile of clean underwear to hand as you make your way through the ship: Everything from the creaking of its huge steel hull to the drip-drip of melting ice is realised beautifully.

Cryostasis is a beautiful, yet flawed, gem of a game. It offers up a thoroughly unique experience, that at its height is as breathtaking as it terrifying. The decision to render this as a first person shooter is slightly double-edged though, because as a shooter it’s less of a stunner, but is still a worthy addition to your game shelf.
Alan Dexter

PCF 83%
+ Great atmosphere and story
+ Stunning audio
- Not too hot a shooter
- Needs a beefy system

A sumptuous addition to the Horror/Survival genre, boasting a quality story and atmosphere to die for. It’s no shooter though.