Impact Winter

Release Date: May 23, 2017

Action, science fiction, post-apocalypse, isometric view, survival, action adventure, singleplayer

6.5

OpenCritic

41%

Steam

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A survival-themed action-adventure game developed by the British studio Mojo Bones. Impact Winter is set in 2018, when the Earth's atmosphere got polluted with a dense layer of dust, due to the planet's collision with a huge asteroid.

Plot
Mechanics

Impact Winter for PC, PS4 and XONE is a survival action game featuring RPG elements and created by Mojo Bones – a British developer popular mainly for mobile projects, such as the well-received The Curse or The Voyage.

Plot

Impact Winter is set in 2018 and the game's vision on the future world is far from positivity. The Earth's collision with a huge asteroid led to a global catastrophe – the atmosphere of the planet was polluted by a dense dust, which prevents sunlight from reaching the surface. As a result, temperatures went dramatically low on the entire planet, which's surface was covered with a thick layer of snow.

Jacob Solomon is the protagonist. Along with four other survivors, he must sustain his existence in these harsh conditions. At the beginning, Ako-Light (the protagonist's robot) receives a transmission with a message saying that help is on the way, but it will take 30 days for the rescue team to reach the place. The player's goal is to maintain the group of survivors alive for long enough to see them coming.

Mechanics

Impact Winter for PC, PS4 and XONE is an action-adventure game which focuses on survival-related elements. A church serves the role of the player's base here – the protagonist sets out for scavenging escapades (after food and supplies) from this place. The other four survivors never leave the shelter and their behaviour is controlled by the AI. Simultaneously, each of the characters has a set of unique abilities, thus making use of them regularly is crucial for survival.

Staying alive in Impact Winter is not easy. Jacob has to manage in low temperatures and deals constantly with the risks of dying of hunger, thirst, getting frostbites, as well as getting injured. The protagonist encounters dangerous animals on his way; although Jacob is not unarmed, fighting is challenging here and each bullet is priceless. Also, the player has to care about the group, because the survivors' morale can decrease.

The in-game crafting system makes it easier for the player to survive. Here, the skills of particular survivors are used for construction of new items. The player is capable of upgrading the base, as well as the robot, which is the protagonist's helping hand during the escapades. Impact Winter was designed in such a way that it dynamically generates another story with each playthrough - this consists of both the player's decisions and numerous random events.

Last updated on January 19, 2017

Videos and Screens

[1:28] Impact Winter PS4 & XOne version launch trailer

[1:30] Impact Winter launch trailer

6.5

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 28% of Critics. There are 31 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

GameSpace: 7.5 / 10 by Ed Orr

Between the narrative content, progression systems, and team management, Impact Winter is far more than a simple scavenging simulator. It still embraces the joy of exploration, but challenges players to balance a multitude of risks. Like many story driven games, replay value can feel somewhat limited by the adherence to a script and the game’s achievement system adds little to this. Despite these niggles, I adored wandering the wilds with Jacob. If you have a hankering for a survival game that has some depth to it and own a controller, then Impact Winter is a solid choice.

Full Review

PlayStation Universe: 6 / 10 by Neil Bolt

The initial setup for Impact Winter's frozen post-apocalyptic world is effectively haunting and grim. The trick does get repeated a little too often though, and the bleak situation you were previously invested in becomes too much of a chore and less about humanity struggling against nature.

Full Review

NEOsite: 6.5 / 10

Try to survive 30 days during a nuclear winter in hustile surroundings. A freedom in choosing your own playstyle is great, but the game lacks finishing touches.

Full Review

41%