• Publisher: Aspyr
  • Release Date: Apr 24, 2009
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 108 Ratings

  • Summary: Cryostasis takes place in 1981 on a nuclear ice breaker called the North Wind, which has become shipwrecked near the North Pole. The main character, Alexander Nesterov is a Russian meteorologist who must investigate what happened onboard the ship. But he’s not alone and the North Wind is nowow plagued by dead crewmen who have undergone a bizarre metamorphosis due to the effects of the incredibly cold climate. Alexander must try to unravel the mystery of the ship captain’s death and discover whether it was the cold or, possibly, something far more sinister. [1C Company] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 28
  2. Negative: 2 out of 28
  1. Cryostasis is just a few short steps away from being a video gaming Mona Lisa, and it's still easily an experience worth having.
  2. Cryostasis is a beautiful, yet flawed, gem of a game. It offers up a thoroughly unique experience, that at its height is as breathtaking as it terrifying. The decision to render this as a first person shooter is slightly double-edged though, because as a shooter it’s less of a stunner, but is still a worthy addition to your game shelf.
  3. Design flaws and the game's tendency to wax philosophical do not distract from the core idea and its stylish execution. This is what Vivisector, Action Forms' previous project, should have been like.
  4. Dull combat, countless boring gray rooms and an abandoned story make Cryostasis as appealing as frozen dog droppings. [Aug 2009, p.76]

See all 28 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 39
  2. Negative: 4 out of 39
  1. This game i found to be slow to start but as the game wore on it became addicting. The story line was beautiful and this game had me jumping in my seat at certain times in the game. Overall it was a great game Expand
  2. Cryostasis is a unique mix of different game play mechanics that you won't find in any other survival horror. Unique weapons from a world war time period to new inventions and the story makes you think unlike other games were the story is fed to you with a silver spoon. You will fight an array of different ice zombies and boss fights, each with different tactics to defeat them, requiring you to think on your toes. Using heat as a source of health and energy is also unique, keeping you stressed about staying warm in a arctic environment. The graphics are actually quiet remarkable for a 2009 game, but at the same time they require good hardware for top settings. Only reason i am not giving this game an 10 is because the games bugs are evident and the lack of re-playability let this game down. Besides that.. A great game from a unexpected source. Expand
  3. This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game would be fantastic if it stuck to the atmospheric horror a few of the chapters focus on. The best scares in this game came from trying to navigate the frozen ship and hearing a door slam behind you, the howling of the wind through a broken window, or fear of dying from lack of heat. Instead the majority of the game is cluttered with clumsy, coverless firefights resulting in lots of cheap deaths. Poorly optimized graphics mean sudden single digit dips in frame rate happen often before, during, and after battles. A flashback system fleshes out a great narrative about a captain losing control of his ship with another overarching story told by a narrator with sketches that runs parrallel to the plot. Along with time travel elements and numerous trippy encounters, there was the framework for a great story and game here. With some more focus on puzzle solving and non-combat survival this could have been a great game. As it is, this is an average survival horror at best. Expand
  4. Chrisn/A
    3
    This game gets a 3/10 for it's storyline only. The game itself looks awful, the water effects are extremely cheesy and bad... and not to mention on top of looking awful it also RUNS AWFUL! This thing would probably lag even with a GTX-285 or something, I mean my god talk about terrible optimization. The gameplay is stiff and boring, I can really only see playing it for the story... which is slow as dripping molasses mind you. On the plus side this minds me of Call of Cthuhlu, so I give it a 3/10 for nostalgia and having an 'alright' storyline. Expand

See all 39 User Reviews