Andrew Cooper

“In the end, Arctic Awakening feels worthy of standing alongside the titans of the narrative-driven genre. It doesn’t reinvent the formula, but it refines it with sincerity and focus. With its emotional storytelling, immersive world, and memorable companion, it’s an experience that will stay with you long after the credits roll. For players who loved Firewatch or The Long Dark, this is a must-play. For everyone else, it’s still a story worth braving the cold for.”

“Despite its brevity – the game should take no more than one to two hours to complete – s.p.l.i.t offers a tightly woven narrative that instills a strong sense of dread and inevitability. You enter a world where victory feels almost impossible from the outset. The only real downside is the desire for more content.”

“I find myself very conflicted with rating this game. On one hand, Siren’s Rest has built one of the most convincing terrifying underwater playgrounds I have seen in years. It is bleak and beautiful in the same breath and really does an amazing job at bringing you back to the events of the first game in the most depressing way possible. On the flip side, the gameplay is relatively tame. I don’t mind an “on the rails” narrative adventure, and they do a great job at that aspect of the DLC, but the gameplay and lack of many of the horror elements present in the base game are bound to make fans drawn to it’s Lovecraftian undertones a little disappointed.”