DarkWorks Studio made a strong entrance into the video game world by creating the fourth game in the popular Alone in the Dark series, titled Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare. The game was well-received by gamers and critics alike, and continues to be rated positively on Steam.
The studio then collaborated with Ubisoft to make another survival horror game called Cold Fear. Unfortunately, I believe the game faced a lot of difficulties. It was released too close to Resident Evil 4, which overshadowed it.
Capcom’s game was a huge success and really changed the gaming world, so *Cold Fear* didn’t have much of a chance when it came out just two months later. However, that doesn’t mean *Cold Fear* isn’t a good game worth checking out.
An unsolved mystery
The story of *Cold Fear* shares similarities with the film *Ghost Ship*. The game centers around Tom Hansen, a U.S. Coast Guard officer tasked with examining a wrecked Russian whaling ship found adrift in the Bering Sea. Upon boarding, Hansen discovers the crew has vanished, replaced by terrifying creatures. He then struggles to survive, eventually finding himself battling for his life on a monster-filled oil rig.
The game had an interesting starting idea, but the developers failed to create a believable and detailed world. Because of this, *Cold Fear* never explained the origins of the eerie, abandoned ship. With the story lacking depth, the game then relied heavily on its gameplay mechanics to keep players engaged.
Resident Evil on a “ghost ship”
Luckily, Cold Fear’s gameplay was much better than its story. The developers used a unique camera system that changed depending on what you were doing. While exploring, the game showed things from different, movie-like angles, but when you aimed a weapon, the view switched to a standard third-person perspective. The game also had a good variety of weapons, mostly guns – including a handgun, rifle, shotgun, submachine gun, and even a flamethrower.
Despite having access to lots of ammunition, the game also included close-combat weapons. Players, like Hansen, could defend against monsters by quickly completing on-screen prompts.
Monsters Inc.
The enemies in the game were largely monstrous creatures. Zombies were the most frequent opponents, and unlike typical zombies, these could sprint and even use firearms. Beyond zombies, players faced a variety of other monsters and aggressive humans.
Beyond enemy characters, we also faced challenges from the environment itself. The intense storm at sea wasn’t just visually impressive; it actively impacted how you played. While outdoors, the camera realistically rocked with the ship’s movements, and waves could buffet the main character, causing injuries or even knocking them into the water. This made the storm feel like a powerful antagonist in the game. Sadly, this immersive effect disappeared when the action moved to the oil rig.
More of a gory shooter than a survival horror
As we discussed before, *Cold Fear* had plenty of ammunition, which made the combat fairly easy. The game didn’t feature any complicated puzzles either; you mostly just needed to find items and use them when and where they were needed.
This shifted the game’s focus away from survival horror and more towards shooting, leaving both shooter and horror fans disappointed. Shooter players found the camera and speed too restrictive, while horror fans felt there was too much emphasis on action.
What really bothered me about *Cold Fear* wasn’t a major issue, but the amount of revisiting areas you had to do while exploring the ship and oil rig. Although constantly going back and forth could have become repetitive, the large and varied oil rig helped to alleviate this. The problem was made worse by the fact that the game didn’t include a map, leaving players to search for objectives without much guidance.
Despite the criticism, *Cold Fear* really stood out for its impressive graphics. The game still looks good today, and the detailed storm effects are particularly memorable. Its intense and violent gameplay was comparable to titles like *Resident Evil 4* and *Dead Space*.
What happened next?
The game *Cold Fear* came out in 2005 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC. While players and critics generally liked it, Ubisoft decided not to invest in a follow-up. The studio that made it, DarkWorks, attempted to create a new survival horror game called *Black Death* to keep the company going. Sadly, that project was never finished, and the team eventually stopped working in the gaming industry. But we’ll save that story for another time.
For a long time, Ubisoft owned the rights to this franchise. But in late August, it was announced that they had sold those rights to Atari. It remains to be seen what Atari will do with the franchise moving forward.
How to play Cold Fear today?
Cold Fearis still available on Steam. Without any sales, it can be bought for 9.99 USD.
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2025-09-20 22:05