So you're playing this bloke Robin Shaw - second in command on a ship called The Temperance. Proper dramatic stuff happens straight away - your captain's gone missing, ship's stuck in ice, and suddenly you're the one making all these life or death decisions. Bit like being married, really.

The whole thing's about managing resources, right? Food, fuel, keeping warm - basic survival stuff. But here's the clever bit - every decision you make affects your crew. It's like being on Big Brother, except instead of deciding who gets voted off, you're deciding who might actually die. Bit more serious that.

They've used this thing called the Ink Engine - same one from that game 80 Days. Makes the story flow naturally, depending on what choices you make. Quite clever actually. Not like those games where you choose to be nice to someone and they still end up trying to kill you later anyway.

The psychological bit's interesting too. Your crew members aren't just NPCs walking around like robots - they're proper characters with their own personalities. Some of them probably remind you of people you know. You know, that one who's always complaining about the cold, another one hoarding all the biscuits. Human nature, that.

Visually, it's gorgeous. All hand-drawn, lots of whites and grays and blues. Proper depressing colors, but that's the point, innit? Makes you feel like you're actually there, freezing your arse off. The sound's brilliant too - lots of wind and creaking ice. Very atmospheric. Although I suppose anything's atmospheric when you're stuck in the Arctic.

Now, it's not perfect. It's a bit slow. And sometimes managing all your resources gets a bit fiddly. Like doing your taxes while wearing mittens. But that's not really the point, is it?

At the end of the day, it's about survival and making tough choices. Bit like life really, except with more polar bears and less comfortable seating. If you're into thoughtful games that make you question your decisions, you'll love it. If you're looking for something where you can just mindlessly shoot things, well, maybe stick to Call of Duty, yeah?

Tried to play through the game on hard mode, but it was just impossible. Unfair and unfun, it isn't balanced well at all. Shame, because the story was good, but the gameplay was just unbearable.

No voice acting. Could not finish game. Reading drained all my energy.