Kholat Review – Dyatlov Pass Revisited

<p><em>Kholat<&sol;em> is not necessarily original&period; It’s not a game changer&comma; it’s not unique&comma; it’s not surprising&period; What it is&comma; however&comma; is a spectacular addition to the wander-and-collect horror genre&period; Based off the unexplained phenomenon in the Ural Mountains&comma; the game follows the stories of several investigators&comma; scientists&comma; and explorers to uncover the secret of the events that transpired&period; &lpar;For background on the Dyatlov Pass Incident&comma; click <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;en&period;wikipedia&period;org&sol;wiki&sol;Dyatlov&lowbar;Pass&lowbar;incident">here<&sol;a>&period;&rpar;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The game’s greatest strength is atmosphere&comma; which is set immediately&period; Narration&comma; provided in part by Sean Bean&comma; sets a very solemn&comma; uneasy tone&comma; as an admittedly odd tutorial unfolds into the basis of the game&period; Your character wanders a gorgeous&comma; frozen landscape in the mountains&comma; where forests&comma; caves&comma; and trails must be traversed&period; An eerie&comma; piercing soundtrack accompanies howling wind and creaking wood to create fear&comma; even when there’s no obvious danger&period; Truly&comma; the combinations of audible elements are what set <em>Kholat<&sol;em> apart&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure style&equals;"width&colon; 1920px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;cdn&period;akamai&period;steamstatic&period;com&sol;steam&sol;apps&sol;343710&sol;ss&lowbar;c4fb4ef4557abad759a02ee9d13fdbc62d40b4c5&period;1920x1080&period;jpg&quest;t&equals;1447367480" alt&equals;"&lpar;&lt&semi;em&gt&semi;Kholat&lt&semi;&sol;em&gt&semi;&comma; IMGN&period;PRO&rpar;" width&equals;"1920" height&equals;"1080" &sol;><figcaption class&equals;"wp-caption-text">&lpar;<em>Kholat<&sol;em>&comma; IMGN&period;PRO&rpar;<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<p>Truly graphically beautiful&comma; <em>Kholat’s<&sol;em> frozen tundra is stunning and complex&period; Layers of mountainous terrain with large&comma; dead forests and tight&comma; wet caves create an entire Siberian world to explore&period; A full moon bathes snowy expanses in white light&comma; while simultaneously casting dark and threatening shadows&period; Wind and snow whip through the air&comma; blowing trees and freezing water&period; It is a perfect combination of ghastly and dazzling&comma; with heavy symbolism prevalent in each expanse&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Gameplay is fairly standard and unoriginal&period; It follows a very familiar pattern of sprinting until exhaustion&comma; using flashlights in dark surroundings&comma; and exploring tight&comma; blind corners in caves&comma; between trees&comma; and in derelict buildings and bunkers&period; However&comma; the game cannot be faulted for using a formula that has long been effective in setting a very real&comma; very desperate tone&period; The humanness that comes with an inability to do anything more than wander and run creates a feeling of helplessness that drives the desire to survive&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Panicky moments with well-timed jump scares drive forward movement and further discovery&period; The most unique element of the game comes in the form of learning to navigate your surroundings with a map&comma; compass&comma; and coordinates that reveal key positions and discoveries&period; The learning curve on this is steep&comma; because there is no previous instruction on how to read a map with a compass – if you don’t already know what you’re doing&comma; you’ll have to learn on the fly&comma; or die trying&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure style&equals;"width&colon; 1728px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;cdn&period;akamai&period;steamstatic&period;com&sol;steam&sol;apps&sol;343710&sol;ss&lowbar;d45f29f9fc27c78ea005a41bd7fdacfb3fd83260&period;1920x1080&period;jpg&quest;t&equals;1447367480" alt&equals;"&lpar;&lt&semi;em&gt&semi;Kholat&lt&semi;&sol;em&gt&semi;&comma; IMGN&period;PRO&rpar;" width&equals;"1728" height&equals;"1080" &sol;><figcaption class&equals;"wp-caption-text">&lpar;<em>Kholat<&sol;em>&comma; IMGN&period;PRO&rpar;<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<p>Camps can be discovered&comma; along with notes&comma; articles&comma; and journal entries from those who came before&comma; all which serve to uncover the story of the Kholat incident&period; The events of the game keep you guessing between science and the supernatural&comma; with documentation to back each side&period; Each entry read or news clipping discovered leads the legend down a different path&comma; making the story unbearably interesting&period; Fear is overpowered by intrigue&comma; leading the player to continue forward to solve the mystery&comma; despite the dangers they must face&period; With superb voice acting and enthralling narrative&comma; it is impossible to quit&comma; even with a pounding heart and a sinking stomach&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Beautifully written&comma; narrated&comma; and brought to life&comma; <em>Kholat<&sol;em> is distinctly interesting&period; A fine line between far-fetched and possible is perfectly balanced to create this wonderfully atmospheric adventure&period; While each ending can be either loved or hated &lpar;yes&comma; there are two endings&rpar;&comma; the journey itself is what makes for an enjoyable conspiracy&period; <em>Kholat<&sol;em> is chilling&comma; intriguing&comma; and worth every spine-tingling moment&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;