Project Hailstorm

About

Project Hailstorm is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by Imbrium and was released on February 10, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

Project Hailstorm is a short narrative-driven experience set deep within the Antarctic Circle, where you join a recovery team investigating a mysterious event from over five years ago. Explore a dramatic, atmospheric environment as you uncover the secrets buried beneath the ice. The game combines high-quality visuals with a gripping story in a compact, immersive format.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 282 reviews

story26 positive mentions

optimization7 negative mentions

Stunning visuals and atmospheric design that create an immersive experience.
Engaging narrative with a sense of mystery, leaving players wanting more.
Well-crafted for a solo developer, showcasing impressive sound design and voice acting.

Extremely short gameplay, lasting only about 10-15 minutes, which may leave players unsatisfied.
Limited interactivity and simplistic puzzles that do not provide much challenge.
The story feels incomplete and lacks depth, making it feel more like a demo or proof of concept than a full game.

story
91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
68%
3%
The game's story is generally perceived as underdeveloped and too brief, often leaving players wanting more depth and complexity. While some appreciate the atmospheric elements and potential for a compelling narrative, many feel it lacks sufficient content and coherence, resembling more of a demo or proof of concept than a fully realized experience. Overall, the story has promise but requires significant expansion to fully engage players.
- “The story delivers a compelling short narrative, immersing players in a dramatic and haunting environment.”
- “Project: Hailstorm masterfully blends mystery, atmosphere, and cinematic storytelling.”
- “I truly hope this is just a proof of concept and that we'll get a longer game in this world and story!”
- “There's little story to it; the trailer is basically the whole game, and I honestly finished it going '...that's it?'”
- “The dialogue didn’t add much to the story, and the mystery aspect wasn’t fully developed—aside from finding the marker, there wasn’t much to engage with.”
- “I understand this is supposed to be a short story, but even that just sounds like a tacked-on justification for what is otherwise the shortest, laziest game I've played this year.”
graphics
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
26%
4%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their high quality and stunning visuals, often compared to those of AAA titles. Many players appreciate the atmospheric design and detail, although some note performance issues on lower-end hardware and the need for optimization. While the visuals are a standout feature, several reviews emphasize that impressive graphics alone cannot compensate for the game's brevity and lack of engaging gameplay.
- “The graphics are seriously impressive.”
- “A beautifully crafted mini experience, amazing visuals from the dev, clearly made with passion and care.”
- “Gorgeous visuals and intense atmosphere.”
- “The default graphics settings were 'high' which gave 20fps; dropping to 'medium' gave 40fps.”
- “However, it does have some problems: if you have a potato (like I do), then expect (even with lower quality graphical settings) abysmal frame rates; since there's no fighting currently in this short 'game', and precious little in the way of puzzles, a stuttering mess won't really impact your success in finishing the game, but it can be graphically distracting.”
- “It straight up is missing the graphics options it had all of five minutes ago.”
atmosphere
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
79%
16%
5%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, featuring high-quality visuals, effective sound design, and a strong sense of tension and mystery. Many players appreciate the detailed environments and ambient elements that enhance the feeling of fear and exploration, although some express disappointment with the game's brevity and lack of substantial content. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as a key strength, making it a compelling experience for those who enjoy atmospheric storytelling.
- “The game has a great atmosphere of fear and unknown corners of the arctic station; lights and shadows are well done.”
- “Every moment is filled with tension and intrigue, while the hauntingly beautiful visuals enhance the eerie atmosphere.”
- “It delivers a compelling short story, an atmospheric horror experience, and high-quality visuals, immersing players in a dramatic and haunting environment.”
- “Unreal's bloat and poor performance means everything is shiny - there is no sense of atmosphere, danger or even anything remotely interesting.”
- “Not enough for story or even atmosphere.”
- “All the atmosphere of the setting is wasted if the world is not set up in a logical way or the people do not react logically to their surroundings.”
gameplay
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
74%
11%
The gameplay is primarily a linear walking simulator with very short playtime, typically around 10-15 minutes, featuring simple puzzles that are easy to solve. While the graphics and sound design are praised for their quality, many reviewers feel the gameplay lacks depth and complexity, making it feel more like a tech demo than a fully realized game. Overall, it offers a visually appealing experience but falls short in providing engaging gameplay or a compelling story.
- “The gameplay is simple, with basic puzzles and a linear story that’s engaging but not deeply complex.”
- “The gameplay itself is simple with very well 'fitted' puzzles here and there and shouldn't leave anyone 'without solving or seeking help', simple and effective.”
- “Great graphics and even better sound design, with a few easy puzzles to provide some gameplay.”
- “Of course the puzzles are braindead tutorial stuff and the walking speed is almost unacceptable, but I can live with both in a narrative-driven sci-fi walking sim that's more about audiovisual enchantment than actual gameplay.”
- “It captures the AAA visual audio experience well, but is somewhat lacking in the gameplay department and has a handful of flaws that stole my attention as a professional nit-picker.”
- “It is maybe fifteen minutes of gameplay, which is very short for a game at 2.6+ GB of storage.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
18%
64%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing inconsistent performance and requiring manual adjustments to settings for smoother gameplay. High settings can lead to significant lag, particularly on lower-end hardware, while some users noted that the game feels bloated and lacks atmospheric depth. Overall, while there are some positive aspects regarding performance on higher-end systems, the general consensus is that the game could benefit from further optimization.
- “I think the settings and game could be optimized.”
- “Will say decently optimized as far as this can run on RTX 4060 that I have, considering how it was packaged to me on my PC.”
- “The performance leaves a little bit to be desired, but it's mostly just because of the lumen reflections and the fact that my 3000 series doesn't support frame generation.”
- “The optimization is not the best; performance will be inconsistent and need tinkering in the settings, and quality levels are not set automatically as far as I can tell, outside of maybe Steam Deck.”
- “Having said that, the optimization seems really bad; performance kept on lagging a lot for me.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The music in the game is praised for its atmospheric quality and effective sound design, contributing significantly to the overall experience. Reviewers appreciate the high-quality composition, likening it to the iconic style of the Half-Life series, although some express concerns about the game's brevity and vague ending. Overall, the music enhances the game's immersive qualities, despite some criticisms of the development process.
- “Nice atmosphere, sound design, and music.”
- “Loved the atmosphere, the art direction, and the music!”
- “Fantastic short game with awesome visuals, amazing sound design, and the music is very much Half-Life coded.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional impact of the game is mixed, as players find the story intriguing but feel it concludes abruptly, leaving a sense of incompleteness after a pivotal moment.
- “The story, while interesting, feels incomplete for some, ending abruptly after touching an altar.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a humorous documentary about its development, which players recommend watching after completing the game for an added layer of entertainment.
- “There is also a small (and funny) documentary about the making of the game, which I recommend watching after playing.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers a brief but enjoyable experience with impressive atmosphere and visuals; however, its short length results in limited replayability.
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that the game demonstrates impressive stability, running smoothly even on less powerful hardware, such as laptops not specifically designed for gaming. The performance remains strong even at peak quality settings.
- “As someone who runs games on a laptop not specifically designed for gaming, the game looks amazingly beautiful and runs great, even at peak quality.”