Tech Olive

Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason is a new game from a Russian-based developer, Action Forms, that seems to have flown in under the radar. I didn’t even see it coming which surprised me because I have been watching release charts quite closely for the past few weeks. At any rate, it’s here.

At the start of the game, you find yourself in an arctic locale with no details as to why or even where you are. As you’re led through the snow on a sled by a pack of dogs, things start to go bad and ice starts breaking apart. You fall into an ice cave beneath the surface, separated from your sled and dogs. You have no choice but to try and work your way back to the surface. You start by entering a nearby cargo ship that seems to have gotten stuck in the ice many years ago. As you slowly work your way through the frost-licked corridors of the frozen ship, trying to get to higher ground, you come across the bodies of the crew that once manned this ship. With these bodies, you use your “Mental Echo” to relive the last few minutes of that person’s life to correct their fatal mistake and release their soul. I will admit, it sounds kinda cheesy and pretty lame, but it actually works and makes it fairly interesting to play parts of the game through different perspectives. You also begin to learn the history of the ship and what caused it to be stuck there in the first place.

Because no back story is given at the start of the game, Cryostasis relies upon flashbacks to explain and to progress the story. In most cases, I am a fan of flashbacks. It usually gives games a cool style and Cryostasis is no exception. However, at times they rely on this method a little too much and the flashbacks can get a bit tiresome, but they are usually spaced well enough that they do not get too monotonous. Rather then employing a standard health meter, or a regenerating health system, Action Forms decided to implement a system which relies upon the player’s body heat, which can be raised by finding a heat source. A choice which the game benefits from greatly, and it fits perfectly within Cryostasis’ arctic setting.

The controls are great and very simple, which leaves you time to focus on more important things, like not wetting yourself, for example. At times ammo can become sparse. When this happens you must rely on melee combat to defend yourself, which makes the game a lot more suspenseful. The way your character moves aids in the immersion. It’s hard to explain how this is really possible, but it makes the game feel very believable and fluid by the way the camera sways as you move. The sound of your foot steps and your character drawing breath also helps draw you into the game and creating the amazing atmosphere that this game is build around.

In some ways, it reminds me of F.E.A.R., although this game doesn’t scare you as often, it’s still a very fun game to play. And much like F.E.A.R., the game can be played by fans of the horror genre, or by people who don’t consider themselves fans, but do enjoy a good, creepy setting, much like myself. It does have some issues with difficulty-curves, with the enemies being a little too accurate with the rifles. But all things considered, it is still a decent game and is worth playing.

Score: 7 Olives