Cryostasis: The Sleep of Reason
Preview
Popsicles and frozen little Russians
by Deis
previewed on PC
Target Practice (cont.)
Alexander can retreat behind walls, and, should you get a good shot in, your enemy will stagger backwards. This can be quite amusing if you have a sadistic streak, and assuming your reflexes are up to par, will enable you to sneak in another shot. Parts of the landscape will also collapse during fights, although it’s yet to be seen whether this will only be used as a plot element, or of it occurs randomly.
I see dead people
One of the most fascinating and unique aspects of the game is the ‘mental echo’ feature. As Alexander explores the vessel, part of his task is to unlock the mystery of what took place there, and release the souls of the sailors trapped in this purgatory. As he approaches dead bodies, he is able to witness their last moments of life, and even affect what happened. This forms the basis of an intriguing puzzle system. In the example I saw, a crane blocked a doorway. When Alexander viewed the last memories – the mental echo – of the body nearby, he discovered how the crane had ended up where it was, and upon touching the body, he relived its last few moments. His actions were enough to affect past events to the point of moving the crane. Many times when using the mental echo, you’ll see what killed the poor unfortunate soul, and, by touching the body again, you will need to evade that fate, usually by fighting.
Walking in a Winter Wonderland…?
Although the graphics still look slightly blocky, some sections are brilliant. Ice crystals glisten on snow-covered surfaces, and lights sway realistically. Although you can see the warm breath of your character flowing like fog at the bottom of your screen – a nice touch - the movement of enemies and NPCs (of which there are few) doesn’t always look great. To be perfectly honest, sometimes the graphics of this game seem a little sub par, and it’s to be hoped that the last few weeks of development time are spent improving them. Graphics don’t make the game, of course, but it would be a pity if they let down the rest of it.
One a bright note, levels are said to be based on real Russian vessels, and the amount of background detailing is astounding. The effects of light on water are very effective too, as is the way water will slowly freeze into ice.
Seasickness
As an added note, weak-stomached gamers beware. If the camera movements of certain games have the ability to give you motion sickness, this will likely be one of them. Cryostasis: The Sleep of Reason is intriguing enough to make me want to play it, but after only a few minutes, I feel dizzy. The gore of certain scenes doesn’t help either.
