Cryostasis

Created by little-known Ukrainian developer Action Forms, Cryostasis takes place almost exclusively within the frozen bowels of a 1981 Soviet nuclear icebreaker, the North Wind.

This has, for some unexplained reason, found itself stranded somewhere in the Arctic Circle. You play a character called Alexander Nestorov, who wakes up aboard the icy wreck and sets about solving the mystery of what happened to the ship and its crew.

Alexander has a useful trick up his sleeve. Using something called Mental Echo he is able to relive the past through the eyes of people who died under horrifying circumstances. Not only does this provide you with monochromatic flashbacks, offering clues as to what has occurred prior to the events of the game, but it also allows you to physically alter things in the past in ways that can directly affect the present. Indeed, the solutions to many of the game’s puzzles can be found by using this handy time-travelling possession technique.

The Mental Echo is one of a number of unique ideas contained within Cryostasis. Another notable example of the game’s innovation is its equivalent of a health meter, which is effectively tied to your character’s body heat. The sub-zero temperatures in which you'll be operating most of the time can be bad for Alexander's health, but heat sources – fires, working machinery and even lightbulbs – can warm him up a little and restore a little life.

In addition to battling the harsh environment, you’ll find yourself occasionally squaring up to the North Wind’s ghoulish occupants: former crewmates who have somehow been transformed into abominable snowmen. Their lumbering zombie-like attacks aren’t hard to predict – combat isn’t Cryostasis’s strong point and enemy encounters can be awkward and frustrating.

The game is played from a first-person viewpoint but, though it features some action-type elements, this is, in many ways, more like a 3D evolution of the old point-and-click adventure genre. It’s a brave, original and interesting game but, despite a deliciously chilling atmosphere and an intriguing storyline, Cryostasis never quite manages to capitalise on all its good ideas.

PEGI age rating: 16+