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The Black Ice

The Black Ice Game Cover
67%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:atmosphere, story
Most mentioned negative aspects:optimization, stability
78% User Score Based on 37 reviews

Platforms

PCSteam DeckWindows
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The Black Ice Game Cover

About The Black Ice

The Black Ice is a single player survival shooter game with horror and mystery themes. It was developed by RED CRAB GAMES and was released on December 24, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

After receiving an SOS signal from the research complex "Vostok, " a brave polar explorer from the "Mirny" station rushes to the rescue. But what secrets are hidden behind the locked doors of this Antarctic base? Why did communication stop, and where did all the staff disappear? In "The Black Ice", the protagonist must uncover many mysteries, face dangerous enemies, and keep his sanity. The game i…

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The Black Ice screenshot
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Reviews

78%Audience ScoreBased on 37 reviews
atmosphere7 positive mentions
optimization3 negative mentions
  • The game has a strong atmospheric presence with excellent music and sound design that creates a tense, cold, and oppressive environment reminiscent of classic horror titles.
  • Gameplay elements like stealth mechanics, survival aspects, puzzles, and item management are appreciated, providing engaging and satisfying moments especially for fans of survival horror and sci-fi.
  • The narrative and setting offer an interesting blend of inspirations from The Thing, Resident Evil, and other horror classics, with well-executed voice acting and an intriguing story that encourages players to look forward to future updates.
  • The game currently feels incomplete with limited content, a short playtime, and an abrupt 'To Be Continued' ending, which many feel does not justify the price at this stage.
  • Technical issues such as bugs, frame rate stutters, poor enemy AI, inconsistent audio balancing, and control problems detract from the overall experience.
  • Some gameplay mechanics like enemy behavior, resource management, and lack of features like a map or adequate item stacking are frustrating, reducing immersion and playability.

  • atmosphere

    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    54% positive mentions, 46% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game’s atmosphere is consistently praised for its tense, creepy, and oppressive tone, effectively combining psychological horror with a dark, sci-fi Antarctic setting. Sound design and visuals contribute to a thick, immersive experience reminiscent of classic survival horror like "The Thing" and "Resident Evil." Overall, the atmosphere is a standout element, creating a suspenseful and chilling environment that keeps players on edge.

    • “The atmosphere is thick, cold, and oppressive in the best way — every hallway feels like it’s hiding something, and the sound design keeps you on edge the entire time.”
    • “The atmosphere is strong, the Antarctic setting works well, and it very much feels like it’s aiming for a Resident Evil / The Thing style survival horror experience in the Arctic, which I’m completely on board with.”
    • “If one enjoys stealth-oriented gameplay, dark and oppressive atmospheres, and the mystery of an unexplained event, realistic despite its fantastical elements, and without bling or fireworks, this is a very good game.”

  • story

    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 25% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions

    The story is engaging, well-constructed, and easy to follow, with strong horror elements and a great atmosphere. Players appreciate the promising narrative that unfolds in an intriguing setting, though many hope for further development and continuation through updates. Overall, it receives praise for its pacing, voice acting, and immersive plot.

    • “Great atmosphere, solid horror elements, and an interesting story.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, the gameplay is efficient and intuitive, the story is engaging, and the pacing is tight while still feeling relaxing.”
    • “The story is interesting; you start off playing as Oleg, who is responding to an SOS from the Vostok facility in Antarctica. He makes his way into a seemingly deserted base then finds himself in a bit of bother.”
    • “The problem is that the story and systems need more time to be properly fleshed out.”
    • “The story thus far comes to a close shortly after the first boss.”
    • “This really makes you feel like you're there, and the plot is well constructed.”

  • music

    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    63% positive mentions, 12% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for being superb, atmospheric, and fitting, often enhancing the overall experience. However, some users noted the inability to adjust or mute the music and found certain tracks, like during the second part or the first boss fight, less effective or repetitive.

    • “The music is superb and very fitting.”
    • “The idea, atmosphere and music are very good.”
    • “Music wise, it's really good with the exception of the first boss.”
    • “The audio worked fine, except you cannot turn the music down or off. In the second part of the game, I would rather listen to the dead silence of the environment than the music. It just didn't add anything to the game at that point.”
    • “I'm not sure if it's a bug or a placeholder, but the music playing during the boss fight was the same ambient track as when exploring the facility prior to the fight commencing.”

  • gameplay

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    43% positive mentions, 28% neutral mentions, 29% negative mentions

    The gameplay is generally described as intuitive, efficient, and engaging, with decent weapon mechanics and smooth controls, especially praised for its stealth elements and atmospheric pacing. While some find it polished and enjoyable with responsive aiming and movement, others consider the mechanics basic and less fun. Overall, it offers a solid, immersive experience with potential for further refinement.

    • “The graphics are beautiful, the gameplay is efficient and intuitive, the story is engaging, and the pacing is tight while still feeling relaxing.”
    • “If one enjoys stealth-oriented gameplay, dark and oppressive atmospheres, and the mystery of an unexplained event, realistic despite its fantastical elements, and without bling or fireworks, this is a very good game.”
    • “For gameplay, both characters move and interact with the environment nicely.”
    • “But the game mechanics are basic, not polished, and just not fun to play.”
    • “Good and easy to follow story, decent weapon mechanics, enemies that are guaranteed to piss you off.”

  • optimization

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    25% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 75% negative mentions

    The game's optimization is mixed, running smoothly overall with only minor stuttering in some parts, but some users report poor performance, rating it as low as 5/10. This inconsistency may affect the experience, making it a risky purchase for those sensitive to performance issues.

    • “Game runs smoothly and is well optimized.”
    • “Performance - 5/10 - bad”
    • “Buy at your own risk, I cannot recommend it because of the performance and lack of content.”
    • “I only had a little stuttering in the second chapter of the game but it was more than manageable.”

  • graphics

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Users generally praise the graphics for being visually appealing and effectively enhancing the game's spooky atmosphere and intensity. The visuals are noted as both beautiful and well-designed, contributing to an engaging and immersive experience.

    • “The graphics are beautiful, the gameplay is efficient and intuitive, the story is engaging, and the pacing is tight while still feeling relaxing.”
    • “The atmosphere is pretty spooky, the guns feel like they actually do something and the graphics are pretty good.”
    • “The graphics are nice and the game can be intense.”

  • stability

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game experiences occasional stability issues, such as glitches that cause certain interactions—like with safes—to disappear, forcing players to reload previous saves.

  • humor

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The humor in the game is subtle and situational, often arising from player frustrations like stutters and performance issues, which some find amusing despite impacting playability.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Black Ice is a survival shooter game with horror and mystery themes. Common tags for The Black Ice include psychological, psychological horror, early access, futuristic, realistic and others.

The Black Ice is available on PC, Steam Deck and Windows.

The Black Ice was released on December 24, 2025.

The Black Ice was developed by RED CRAB GAMES.

The Black Ice has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked The Black Ice for its atmosphere but disliked it for its optimization.

The Black Ice is a single player game.

Similar games include Beyond Hanwell, SCP: Fragmented Minds, Propagation: Paradise Hotel, Eternal Evil, Stygian: Outer Gods and others.