Kholat

Kholat is an adventure horror game created by the Polish studio IMGN.pro.

The game’s storyline is based on a genuine event – the Dyatlov Pass incident, which took place in the winter of 1959, when a group of nine Russian climbers set out on a trek to the northern part of the Ural mountain range. The expedition had an extremely grim ending, the corpses of its participants were found on the slope of Cholat Sjakl, near an abandoned encampment. Most of the travelers died due to the extreme cold but the fact that their tent has been cut open from the inside, as if the alpinists had to immediately escape in the middle of the night, is what makes the cause of this tragedy a true mystery.

In terms of gameplay, Kholat offers a vast, open world, which the player experiences from the first person perspective. The action of the game takes place in a frozen forest during the night and it is up to the player to find the way to his target with a map and a compass at his disposal; however, using these accessories can be dangerous, as there is no active pause and it is impossible to pay attention to your surroundings whilst looking at the map. Your only hope for survival, if you are attacked, is to flee.

Kholat utilizes a game mechanic known as the “fear manager”. Its purpose is to adjust the factors responsible for the grim, frightening atmosphere to the actions of the player, making the game constantly change and allowing each individual playthrough to be unique in some aspects. The 3D graphics in Kholat were created using Unreal Engine 4.

Last updated on 31 May 2015