It's a shame, then, that the basic fighting and control mechanics are so woolly, at least in the rather slow-burning first few hours that we've played. Cryostasis is certainly compulsive, thanks to its intriguing premise, atmosphere and narrative tangents but it's hard to shake the feeling that the whole endeavour could be so much better with a thorough splash of tweak and polish. That's not to say that we're not keen to dive further into the depths of the North Wind when the game moors in the near future – we're just not expecting much beyond a compulsive curio on its release. Russian Bioshock this won't be but don't be surprised if Cryostasis finds a place as a firm cult favourite.