SpawnPoint - Where Game Begins

Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason                                      8/10
 
It isn’t the icy cold surroundings that cause you to shiver, but in this tundra terror you fight for survival against all odds, with heat being the main necessity.

Cryostasis
Cryostasis starts off with a tale about a tribe that were stuck within a forest, but when you start the game, you’re aboard a Russian nuclear icebreaker ship, and then the story unfolds via flashbacks, very similar to the structure of the film, Memento. Aboard the ship the crew has become blood thirsty zombies, for reasons unknown that are to be discovered as you venture through the icy sheaths of the ship. Cryostasis                                                    
There are so many aspects of the game that make it so unique, so I’ll start with saying that the graphics are beautiful, which help capture the essence that will leave you shivering with cold, it features many dark places, which can often be a bit of an annoyance, seen as the doors and the walls are the same colour, which can sometimes leave you walking around looking for a door, you’ve passed already several times. The pure beauty doesn’t hit you until you’re outside the ship, with blinding glare from the snow and ice, that looks stunning, but the real chill doesn’t arise until your deep within the ship. There is particular scene that involves you with a single torch, on a boat flowing through the lower parts of the ship that has become flooded with water that would freeze you to death, the noise and effects add to this haunting scenario that must be played to be enjoyed.

The crew have become mindless zombies

The real unique thing about the game is how you progress, you find crew mates that have died, but for some reason you have the power to re-live there dying moments, in an attempt to save them from there mistakes, which will free an area that acts as an obstacle, these can be done over and over again, which is a relief, as some are really difficult, and each scenario is different so none of this ever feels repetitive. The story is told in this way, and to begin with you have no idea why these people died, nor why they were put in these situations

 
You replay dying moments to save souls

As for enemies, the crew have all turned into rampant zombies, though instead of health, your only means of health is your warmth, and the only ways to recover are to use any heat reflecting objects, such as lamps, torches, generators, anything that gives off heat. This is a nice change from the usual health gauge, and more realistic, though you can get beaten by zombie non-stop, as long as you warmed up after, you completely recover! Though the challenge is that certain objects give off more heat than others; a fire gives a considerable amount of heat, whereas something smaller like a lightbulb may only give off a small amount.

For a large amount of the game, your arsenal of weapons is your fists, and a valve, you eventually work your way up until you find a type of pistol, and the combat mechanics aren’t all that great, the jumpy zombies and your arsenal of fist and melee combat styles make it very slow, and fairly clunky, though this shouldn’t ruin the experience.
 

The ship is savaged by the icy winds and tormenting monsters

The game often slows down, as if the graphics engine can’t cope with what’s on screen, slowing the frame rate down, which I believe is due to the blur, as when you re-live a scenario, this seems to play flawlessly, though with the icy effects and blurriness, it isn’t enough to pull the overall score down too much.

The good
It’s very unique with enough thrills and drama to keep you going
Re-living peoples dying moments provides a different twist
Great storyline
Really does suck you into the atmosphere that you’re actually in the artic

The bad
Combat can be a bit of a task, rather than pleasure
The stability of the game can vary
Graphics look a little dated from time to time

The ugly
The stability can render the frame rate to limit its capabilities, though not enough to stop you loving this game

This horrifying FPS is worth a play

Summary
The game offers something unique, which is rare within games these days, it tries to stay away from the band wagon and for what you get this is a pretty solid chilling first person shooter, with a lot to give, the haunting icy apocalypse will be left frozen into your minds as you sleep, a game that will look good on your shelves this year for a play through once, though its one of the scariest titles I’ve encountered this year.
 

 By Liam Copping