CRYOSTASIS: THE SLEEP OF REASON

GAME DETAILS :-

Developer : Action Forms

Publisher : 1C Company And 505 Games

Engine : AtmosFear 2.0

Genre : First Person-Shooter And Survival Horror

Release Date : April 24 , 2009

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS :-

Operating System : Windows XP / Windows Vista

CPU : AMD Athlon64 X2 4400+ / Intel Pentium Dual Core Processor

Memory (RAM) : 2 GB

Graphics Hardware : DirectX 9.0c Compatible Video Card with Memory 512 MB

[NVIDIA : GeForce 6800 Series
ATI : Radeon X800 Series]

Hard Disk Space : 6 GB

GAME FEATURES :-

Cryostasis takes place in 1981 on a nuclear icebreaker called the North Wind, which has become shipwrecked near the North Pole. The main character, Alexander Nesterov, is a Russian meteorologist who finds himself aboard the ship and begins to investigate what happened. But he’s not alone, and the North Wind is now plagued by dead crewmen who have undergone a bizarre metamorphosis. As the player fights his way through the ship, he learns what happened through visions of the past. The captain took a perilous course through the ice, ignoring the warnings of his first officer. After colliding with an iceberg and suffering significant damage, the first officer radioed HQ, which in turn ordered the ship to return to port for decommissioning. While the crew struggled to repair the damage over the course of several weeks, the captain is disgraced, forsaken by all the crew. During this time, the ice around them thickens, essentially freezing the ship in place and isolating the crew. In an attempt to regain the respect of his crew, and lead them out of their predicament, the captain attempts to free the ship from the ice. His attempt is interrupted by the first officer, however, whose orders result in the ship's engine room catching fire and the nuclear reactor core destabilizing. Consequently, the crew begins to suffer radiation poisoning and die. These events roughly correlate to an old Russian tale, which is relayed through notes discovered throughout the game. Like the rise against Danko, the ship's crew members that rose against the captain began to transform into horrible creatures. Throughout the game, the main character comes across fallen crew members and has a chance to correct their mistakes. At the end of the game, the player encounters Chronos, the god of time, who gives him the opportunity to correct the entire tragedy. There are multiple paths to correcting the tragedy by changing the actions of one of three major characters. By possessing the soul of the first officer when he brings the telegraph regarding impending decommissioning to the captain and questions the captain's competence, the player may choose instead to descend into the ship, helping the crew with repairs and discarding the telegraph. This results in the captain not losing his morale, and the crew never losing faith in the captain. By possessing the chief engineer when he berates the despondent captain upon hearing the news, the player may choose instead to cheer up the captain by offering him a scale model of his ship. Finally, when the captain is trying to free the ship and is incapacitated by a window shattering in his face, the player may choose to have the chief security officer go to his side and help him up, rather than assisting the first officer. This results in the ship breaking free under the captain's actions, since the first officer no longer aborts the escape attempt, and the engine fire and nuclear reactor setbacks never occur. Any of these three changes result in the captain breaking free from the ice and being in good standing with his crew. After the final flashback, the player is returned to the beginning of the game where he finds the icebreaker and falls through the ice. However, this time the crew appears on the ice outside the icebreaker, and the captain pulls the main character out of the freezing water.

The enemies aren't the smartest bunch, but they can inflict a lot of damage, so every shot you fire must count. This is partially because your weapons aren't built for speed; like every facet of the game, slaying your lumbering enemy is a measured affair. The axe, your close-combat mainstay, feels remarkably heavy, and the camera sways forcibly when you swing as if to reinforce that notion. Ranged weapons can be just as ponderous, often devastatingly so. Reload times are incredibly long, and the camera bob that signifies recoil with some weapons is dramatic. Burning torches, flaming debris, and even desk lamps not only provide visual warmth, but also let you replenish your health reserves. Your health meter is dynamic, given that it is affected both by taking damage in combat and by the chill that permeates the Arctic. Although the standard levels of cold won't kill you, they will keep your health meter practically empty, and a few short jaunts through superchilled fogs can easily be fatal. The water and ice effects are quite good, as are the lighting and shadows. Flickering lights and icy reflections set up the scares, but these touches aren't used so often that they lose their edge. Additionally, though not always perfectly smooth, good animations bring characters to life, human and nonhuman alike. Yet though the graphics engine projects the right mood, it is somewhat dated. Textures are greatly lacking in detail, and some jagged edges and blocky geometry make Cryostasis look uneven. Despite that, the graphics technology has a difficult time keeping up. If you need the constant stimulation of flying bullets and sprays of blood, Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason likely won't inspire you. But if you appreciate slow-burning suspense, this adventure will keep you glued to the monitor to uncover the secrets buried deep within the inhospitable tundra of the Arctic circle.

GAME REVIEW :-

8/10

Cryostasis: The Sleep Of Reason Trailer :-