Cryostasis

[Thompson]

No not really.

Thinking about it, if you're playing after reading this thread, WAITING FOR THE AWESOME to happen, you're inevitably going to be dissappointed.

Oh man, this thread has turned into a horrible, horrible thing. What have we unleashed upon this earth?

[miffy495]

Wait, why is it awful? We thought the game was awesome. Maybe if you play it on easy or something it's not as atmospheric? Maybe the cool stuff just didn't impress? Maybe the narrative (which I agree would be very easy to get confused by) just isn't Snoogle's cup of tea? It's fine if he doesn't like the game. I found it to be both a very suspenseful game (I barely shot anyone for the first 7 hours or so, relying almost entirely on my fire axe as ammo was so scarce) as well as having a very different and interesting narrative as compared with most (particularly horror) games. The fact that everything was ambiguous and that

your character was likely dead the whole time

, in my interpretation, made me feel like it was more of a good mindfuck horror movie story than a Video game one. The very fact that I needed to say "in my interpretation" in the last sentence impresses me, actually. Still, those movies also aren't for everyone.

What you said about the gameplay, Snoogle, is pretty accurate. With a few exceptions, like the heavily redacted bit discussed earlier in chapter 15, that pretty much is the game. The gameplay is only part of it though. The atmosphere, the tension, the setting, the ambiguity of the story, the mindfuck moments, the feeling that your character actually is freezing and having to do all of this while wearing heavy snow gear, and so on are what made it amazing. If those aren't grabbing you, I don't know what else I can say. Sorry you aren't digging it?

[Xeneth]

Ha ha, glad to be a part of making the thread asplode so hard it got mentioned on the cast!

I think what Raff and Miffy mean is that Cryostasis isn't a big budget game with set pieces designed to impact the player as much as possible... Walking up to Cryostasis and saying, "Impress me, game!" seems like it could end in a missed opportunity.

I'm not very far, but I think I'm "getting" and enjoying the vibe. Thus far, my analysis resonates with what Raff said about the moment-to-moment mechanics and gameplay not being anything revolutionary. The mere act of operating it isn't going to blow your mind open (ign.com)... But like any sort of thoughtful, creepy game, you've going to get more out of it than you put in, if you what you're putting in is immersion as opposed to expectations.

Here's what I'm bringing to the table, for example:

• Late nights, lights really low, (or out entirely)
  
• Headphones on
  
• Fullscreen
  
• Monitor filling the majority of my field of vision
  
• The window behind me cracked and cool air blowing into the room from outside. (It's San Francisco, your local mileage may vary on that, don't catch a cold!)
  

Gooseflesh would be your indicator that your environs, (and attitude) are aligned to experience at least a part of why I think it's neat.

It's entirely possible that having your initial info be "Weird game by no-name Russian developer" and then being surprised is a part of the impact-ful experience. "OMG thumbsplosion get it get it" could very well be the wrong expectation going in. We may be slightly at fault here for talking it up, but in our defense, you know how gamers get- We're easily excited and want to share.

[Raff]

Well the game grew on me more and more as I went. Things that initially seemed like crude level design started to 'make sense' in the context of the increasing abstraction.

I also think the story impressed me because for a large part of the game I was putting together this cliched horror story that I thought was going on based on the main layer, the flashbacks, the narrated side story. But this lame revelation never came and the actual plot hooks (which I agree are open to interpretation, which is great) become apparent instead which was really cool.

I thought for a long time that the ship must have come accross this 'ancient evil' related to the narrated drawing story which possessed the crew, caused all the other weirdness, and then we'd have to banish it or just die/run away at the end. Instead I got quite an uplifting, human story which gave me the option to actively forgive the character who fucked everything up (there's a minor plot branch but only 1 ending, for those that don't know, you can easily not notice it), and which allowed the entire game as an abstract construct to make sense under your interpretation.

[Snooglebum]

Wait, why is it awful? We thought the game was awesome. Maybe if you play it on easy or something it's not as atmospheric? Maybe the cool stuff just didn't impress? Maybe the narrative (which I agree would be very easy to get confused by) just isn't Snoogle's cup of tea? It's fine if he doesn't like the game. I found it to be both a very suspenseful game (I barely shot anyone for the first 7 hours or so, relying almost entirely on my fire axe as ammo was so scarce) as well as having a very different and interesting narrative as compared with most (particularly horror) games. The fact that everything was ambiguous and that

your character was likely dead the whole time

, in my interpretation, made me feel like it was more of a good mindfuck horror movie story than a Video game one. The very fact that I needed to say "in my interpretation" in the last sentence impresses me, actually. Still, those movies also aren't for everyone.

What you said about the gameplay, Snoogle, is pretty accurate. With a few exceptions, like the heavily redacted bit discussed earlier in chapter 15, that pretty much is the game. The gameplay is only part of it though. The atmosphere, the tension, the setting, the ambiguity of the story, the mindfuck moments, the feeling that your character actually is freezing and having to do all of this while wearing heavy snow gear, and so on are what made it amazing. If those aren't grabbing you, I don't know what else I can say. Sorry you aren't digging it?

My main problem is that it's too easy. I've only died from cold once or twice, and those behemoth boss characters with machine guns strapped to them die in one clip.

I never really feel like I'm in any real peril. And as far as I can tell, there are no difficulty settings. I'm not say I hate the game, just that it's way too formulaic and unexciting to me.

[JoanneCadaver]

woah. looked up the devs via 1C, because I noticed a while back their old site which had been up since they made chasm the rift (1997) is gone, and got a little worried.... "Hi, unfortunately we are not working with Action Forms for a long time. As far as I know, they are not making PC games any more and moved to developing software for Iphones,"

;(

after 13 years, where for half of it they were stuck making shovelware for wizardworks, NOW suddenly right after what is easily their best game yet and where they show an incredible improvement both in technical execution and writing and overall thought involved they go and.. abandon me..

I mean I love chasm the rift, and vivisector's island of doctor moreau was awesome. but cryostasis is special. DAMN IT

[Chris]

woah. looked up the devs via 1C, because I noticed a while back their old site which had been up since they made chasm the rift (1997) is gone, and got a little worried.... "Hi, unfortunately we are not working with Action Forms for a long time. As far as I know, they are not making PC games any more and moved to developing software for Iphones,"

;(

after 13 years, where for half of it they were stuck making shovelware for wizardworks, NOW suddenly right after what is easily their best game yet and where they show an incredible improvement both in technical execution and writing and overall thought involved they go and.. abandon me..

I mean I love chasm the rift, and vivisector's island of doctor moreau was awesome. but cryostasis is special. DAMN IT

I suspect the game was not a strong commercial success.

[Raff]

Seems like it was marketed as a tech demo more than anything else, and didn't run very well in its launch state.

A bit like how the massively under-rated 2007 Shadowrun game was marketed as a cross-platform DX10 game instead of as a brilliantly designed and refined class-based multiplayer game before class-based multiplayer games were cool.