Kriophobia

About

Kriophobia is a single player action game with a horror theme. It was developed by Fira Soft and was released on November 20, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Kriophobia is a single-player horror adventure where Anna, a geophysicist, becomes trapped in a forgotten Soviet military base beneath the icy permafrost of Zhokhov Island. As she struggles to survive, she faces magnetic anomalies, surreal visions, and terrifying secrets lurking beneath the cold. This psychological survival horror blends atmosphere, story, and classic genre influences.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 26 reviews

story4 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game successfully captures the nostalgic feel of classic survival horror titles like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, with a unique art style and engaging atmosphere.
Puzzles are well-designed and challenging, contributing to a satisfying gameplay experience that emphasizes resource management and survival mechanics.
The game runs smoothly on older systems and has a strong narrative that keeps players engaged, with a chilling atmosphere that enhances the horror experience.

The lack of voice acting and some clunky animations detract from the overall immersion and storytelling experience.
Enemy design can be repetitive and frustrating, with some encounters feeling tedious and hindering puzzle-solving progress.
There are technical issues, such as performance hiccups and excessive visual filters, that can disrupt gameplay and obscure important details.

story
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
46%
23%
The game's story is described as interesting and mysterious, with a mix of engaging lore and multiple endings, though it suffers from a lack of voice acting and some rocky plot elements. While the atmosphere and art style enhance the narrative experience, gameplay mechanics can detract from immersion, particularly during environmental interactions. Overall, it appeals to fans of classic retro horror games, despite its storytelling inconsistencies.
- “The story is interesting and mysterious.”
- “I recommend Kriophobia to anyone who enjoys classic retro horror games, and also to anyone who cannot rest while there is a sinister story unfolding at every little step.”
- “The story also works really well.”
- “The story during the game was not amazing, but I did like the endings.”
- “The narrative had an interesting conclusion between a few endings, even though the plot was a bit rocky.”
- “Unlike most survival-horror games, you can get damaged while picking up items or even during some story segments, which is really stupid; I mean, let's be honest, it's really bad.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its ability to evoke tension and dread, reminiscent of classic horror titles like Resident Evil. Players appreciate the unique aesthetic and storytelling that enhance the immersive experience, making the presence of danger feel palpable throughout. Overall, the atmosphere is considered one of the game's strongest aspects, contributing significantly to its memorable and impressive horror experience.
- “It's definitely worth playing, the game's atmosphere makes you really feel the presence of evil lurking around the corners!”
- “The atmosphere is easily one of its strongest points.”
- “The cold atmosphere creates a genuine sense of dread right from the start.”
- “It's definitely worth playing; the game's atmosphere makes you really feel the presence of evil lurking around the corners!”
- “It brings back that familiar tension and atmosphere, but with enough personality to stand on its own.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The gameplay is reminiscent of classic survival horror games, featuring fluid controls, engaging mechanics, and a captivating atmosphere enhanced by an interesting story and art style. Players appreciate the survival elements and unique mechanics, such as independent flashlight control, though some report technical issues and frustrating puzzles that can detract from the experience. Overall, the game offers substantial content and a solid gameplay loop, but improvements are needed for a smoother experience.
- “The game really reminds me of the classic Resident Evil and Silent Hill games with the visual style, controls, and core gameplay mechanics.”
- “It has a good gameplay loop, the controls feel fluid, the atmosphere is cool, all put together with an interesting story and a neat art style.”
- “I really appreciate the survival mechanics here.”
- “For the most part, I think the locations look decent, although sometimes they can be a little too blurred because of all the filters and the frost effect, which is also a game mechanic where you can slowly freeze.”
- “It has a lot of content and optional collection; you can get 10+ hours out of it easily, but it's been a slog of random technical issues, mechanical frustration, and sometimes getting stuck on hard puzzles.”
- “Nothing that breaks the game or the gameplay, but I would rather have those fixed in any future patch for a smoother experience.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique art style that blends 2D and 3D elements, reminiscent of classic PS2 titles while benefiting from modern polish. The atmosphere is engaging, enhanced by moody audio, and the overall aesthetic reflects the developers' creative vision, resulting in a distinctive and immersive experience.
- “It gives off strong Resident Evil vibes—it feels like a stylized PS2 classic but with the polish of modern graphics and smooth movement.”
- “The art style is distinctive and genuinely interesting, and the audio work deserves real praise.”
- “What struck me the most was the unique art style and the combination of 2D and 3D elements to create the world around Kriophobia, following again the inspiration from the classics and their pre-rendered environments with fixed cameras.”
- “The art style is very unique, the music is moody and engaging.”
- “Made by a small team of developers, the game has its own unique aesthetic and atmosphere.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The music in the game is praised for its moody and engaging quality, effectively enhancing the atmosphere and immersion, especially when played with headphones. It pays homage to classic survival horror soundtracks, although some players suggest removing monster noises from safe room music for a more serene experience. Overall, the sound design significantly contributes to the game's chilling environment.
- “From the start, one can see that the devs are paying a big homage to the classics of survival horrors from the starting menu, the soundtrack, and by even bringing back the classic 'janky' controllers from the first Resident Evil/Silent Hill.”
- “The art style is very unique, the music is moody and engaging.”
- “Maybe remove monster noises from safe room music.”
- “From the start, one can see that the devs are paying a big homage to the classics of survival horror from the starting menu, the soundtrack, and even bringing back the classic 'janky' controls from the first Resident Evil/Silent Hill.”
- “Playing with headphones makes a huge difference — the sound effects and music add weight to every scene, and the sense of cold in the environment is almost tangible.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report experiencing performance issues, indicating that the game's optimization may not be fully refined.
- “I had a few issues with performance.”
- “The game runs poorly on my system, even with the settings adjusted.”
- “There are frequent frame drops that make the gameplay experience frustrating.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly with relentless enemies like the matryoshka and big arm foes, which can become frustrating without any means to temporarily halt their attacks. While the difficulty isn't overwhelming, the repetitive nature of these encounters contributes to a grindy experience.
- “The matryoshka/big arm enemy became tedious towards the end of the game; it was too relentless with no way of temporarily stopping them.”
- “It's not hard, just very frustrating and grindy.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the stability of the game lacking, as patrolling enemies are described as buggy and unengaging, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The patrolling enemies aren’t scary; they’re just buggy and boring.”