Story
A calm, clean, working laboratory with nobody there — and research you never quite understand.
Cold Trial
Hardcore winter survival in the deep Russian backcountry.
The game
No zombies. No apocalypse. Just winter.
Escape is the goal, but nothing forces it: you can overstay for as long as you survive. Nothing scales to you — you grow stronger while the winter independently grows harsher and wears down your margin.
Every way out is systemic: a radio rescue, a vehicle, the railway, a frozen river, walking out or waiting for spring. Near-rescues and reversals come from weather, infrastructure and logistics, never from a script.
Survival
A winter that keeps getting worse
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Storms
From inconvenience to resource drain, structural damage, changed routes and failed shelters.
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Shelter
Powerful but never permanently safe: fuel, damage, wildlife and maintenance debt accumulate.
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Wildlife
Grows dangerous because the ecology deteriorates, never through stat buffs.
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Progression
Better skis, stove, rifle, vehicle and knowledge — and every upgrade brings new dependencies.
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Navigation
No minimap: paper maps, a compass, landmarks, notes, the sun, the stars and the radio.
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Perception
You know only what your character can feel or measure; health shows as symptoms, not percentages.
Game modes
Pick how you face the cold
Primitive
Start with almost nothing and earn every capability the hard way.
Sandbox
The open backcountry and its winter, on your own terms.
Each mode keeps its own save game. Death deletes it.