An essay of mine... in Dactylic Heptameter! Correct it, please.

Oh, alright. It's not in Dactylic Heptameter. Yeah, yeah, I was just trying to get your attention. This may or may not be submitted to my school newspaper (I can't decide if it's good enough...). Any input you may have would be of great help to me.



By the way, it's a review of a video game. I don't expect everyone to get the terminology and what not, but just the overall English aspects are what I'm most concerned with.

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For quite some time, I’d been looking forward to Cryostasis. After reading of the bizarre concepts in Ukrainian developer Action Forms’ new First-Person-Something, Cryostasis: The Sleep of Reason, I couldn’t help but be curious. Marketed as the “Russian BioShock”, this equally weird and ambitious game may have the creepy atmosphere, glistening visuals, and beautiful plotline as seen in BioShock, but is, in fact, not a shooter. Cryostasis is a first person survival horror game, for better or worse.

Cryostasis is set on a nuclear icebreaker, the North Wind, which crashed in 1968. Players assume the role of Alexander Nestorov, a meteorologist tasked with figuring out mysteries of the North Wind, 13 years later in 1981. Alexander also discovers some nasty zombies, furthering his need to find out what’s going on. That’s all well and good, but the plot takes a while to get going. The main punch isn’t thrown until nearly the ending, so for most of the game the story is more “mysterious” than it is substantial or satisfying. This is fine ultimately, because the final fourth of the game ties the whole story together; with the last encounter being way too awesome to spoil. Just make sure you’re paying attention to the [seemingly-lackluster] beginning, because Cryostasis often references past events. Not only would I call Cryostasis’s story art, I’d call it interpretive art – something pretty cool to see in a video game. There are even a few different endings to add some replay value.



The magnificent tale unfolds via notes left behind by the original captain and cinematic flashbacks to 1968. At one point, you’ll be walking through the frozen sleeping area of the crew, when a flashback reveals the actual crew sleeping. It all makes the North Wind feel like a real place. I do wish there was a bit more room to explore though, as Cryostasis is an extremely linear game. Linearity isn’t an inherent problem, but in this case, I felt like I wasn’t getting the full package. Cryostasis has this incredibly original setting that I want to go out and explore, but was just never given the opportunity. And generally, I loved the “vibe” of the North Wind, but there is too much repetition from level to level.



Gameplay-wise, Cryostasis has all of the trimmings of a Survival Horror game, but it lacks the “jump out of your seat” element that others have in the genre. Cryostasis is mostly just eerie, not scary – there is a difference. It’s clearly trying to go for “psychological scares”, but after the 5^th or 6^th repeat scare-tactic, enemies become more bothersome than frightening. The creaking ship is more unsettling than the various beasties, anyways.



The major problems arise in gunplay. Most of the game you’ll be fighting with your fists or various other melee weapons – a visceral affair, reliant on timing, which is generally well executed. Around the halfway point, however, you’ll obtain a bolt-action rifle, and things go downhill. The weapons are realistically inaccurate, and the loading times are, realistically, long. It does add tension when unarmed enemies charge you, but during fire-fights, it’s just annoying.



The touted “mental echo” feature does come into play often, but it’s debatable if that’s a good thing or not. Alexander will have to enter dead bodies and relive their final moments of life to change his situation in the present. I wouldn’t even call these situations “puzzles” – they’re more like extended cinematics. You have to solve something, but it’s usually obvious what needs to be done. By playing as the dead crew, their downfall unfolds right before your eyes, and it does add narrative depth, if nothing more. It gives the story a personal feel, which not many games can claim. The main complaint I have is that “mental echoes” are usually paced in a way (i.e. fight with monster, small environmental puzzle, mental echo, repeat) that they become monotonous after a while.



I will admit, though, that Cryostasis has a very original health-system. Forget health-regeneration, Cryostasis features health-degeneration. You’ll gradually lose health due to the cold, and you can only restore health by finding a heat source, to terrifying results. The best part is that you can see that some environments are colder than others, and that the effects it will have on you are different. Get too cold and you won’t be able to swing your axe as quickly, for example. Health and temperature are one and the same, so when you’re shot by an enemy you get colder. It doesn’t make much sense, but it’s a novel idea that I hope other games (or perhaps Action Forms’ next game) will improve upon.



Graphically, Cryostasis can look very beautiful -- with the right set-up. The textures, enemy design, and lighting effects are on a very high level, but the “cold” is the real star. The effects are so well done you sense the chill on your own body. Cryostasis is, to my knowledge, the 1^st game to use PhsyX real time water physics, and, like I’ve said, both the ice and water effects are marvelous. When multiple enemies are on screen the frame-rate dips a bit, which is a nuisance considering that ammo is at a premium (there may be a patch soon, though). Here’s the kicker: Cryostasis doesn’t run well on multi-core machines. The frame rate dips even lower than regularly, even with settings turned down. Also, Cryostasis performs slightly worse on any card other than an Nvidia. It’s not an overly dramatic difference, just something to consider if you’ve got an ATI card. Excuse these oddities, and for the most part, Cryostasis looks great.



The sound is what really sells the atmosphere of any survival-horror game, and in this department, Cryostasis shines. Music is absent - save one gut-wrenchingly perfect “credits” song – but again, the effects are extraordinary. The various creeks and groans of the North Wind are more mind-numbing than any 4-eyed-monster can ever be.



Bottom Line: Unapologetically, Cryostasis is more of an “experience” than a game. It’s committed to its unique setting and story, often at the expense of gameplay. FPS fans expecting non-stop action will be disappointed by the slow pace and repetitive environments, while others will appreciate the touching story, beautiful graphics, and bone-chilling sound effects.



Recommendation: If you’re the type of gamer that can overlook some gameplay flaws in favor of a great story, Cryostasis is for you. At a budget price ($30 on Steam), the cumbersome gunplay can be forgiven, for my money. I did like Cryostasis, and feel it deserves to be classified as art; but then again, art is subjective.