Arctic Awakening Review (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Linux, PC, & MacOS)

I love games like Arctic Awakening that are clear about what they are and what they aren’t. That way, you know exactly what you’re getting into. It promises a compelling mystery that will pull you into wanting to find out more. It promises a solid narrative between the protagonist and their court-appointed drone therapist. Above all, it promises scenic routes and immersive exploration through the icy terrain of the Arctic Circle –but with a unique twist. 

With that in mind, you head into Arctic Awakening looking for all three. And when there aren’t any clever puzzles to solve or tenacious enemies to fight off, it doesn’t come as a surprise. So, then, how worthwhile it is to actually play through the game should be based on the execution of its mystery-solving, narrative-driven, and exploration adventure. And depiction of character development, visuals, and performance for good measure. 

Well, then, tag along while we explore all that you can expect in our Arctic Awakening review below.

The Color of Winter

You’re making a supply drop to Alaska, just as you always do, alongside your co-pilot and court-appointed drone therapist. Chatting away about the next meal and all mundane-type conversations, when suddenly, your plane is cut in half, sending you nose-diving into the Arctic. Amid the chaos, your co-pilot is thrust into the other side of the Arctic, while you’re fortunate to remain in proximity to your drone. Who knows what might become of you without them by your side?

The protagonist, Kai, is an ex-Navy pilot, certainly with curious bones buried in his backyard that he doesn’t want to talk about. It’s revealed later on why he might be in need of a therapist, and his connection to his co-pilot, whom he’s in desperate need of locating. All you have is a radio to communicate with Donovan, your co-pilot, which immediately brings to mind Firewatch. Indeed, the Arctic in Arctic Awakening looks a lot like Firewatch: the art style, I mean. So intriguing with its breathtaking color palette and stunning design. 

You can tell Arctic Awakening’s visual development team really put in a lot of work, ensuring you’re in awe every step of the journey ahead. Environments soon diversify, from woodsy areas to lived-in buildings and sci-fi remnants. This isn’t your typical Arctic wilderness of the real world, clearly influenced by some kind of technological evolution. But even with the hints of humanity once living here, there seems to be no one in sight. 

Out of Curiosity

Hence, your curiosity to learn more continues to peak. The mystery gradually begins to build up, with entangled threads you’ll feel compelled to unravel. What is Kai hiding about his past? How do you find your way home? Certainly, with Donovan’s help, who’s stranded in some unknown place. But also, something seems off about the wilderness you find yourself in. A dark mystery looms in the background that intertwines with your journey and evolves into a most captivating story. 

That’s the idea, I presume the development team must have had for the rest of your journey. A continuous build-up of mystery and inquiry into the world around you, a yearning to delve deeper and reach a satisfying end. And for the most part, you do enjoy that climactic build-up of a truly captivating tale. The premise certainly sets a high bar for anticipation and a desire to learn more. But the follow-up doesn’t quite hit a home run. 

Starting with the characters, who, in some points, act convincingly. Their plight resonates at times and tugs at the heartstrings. And you grow to care for them to certain lengths. But never quite reaches the level that elicits a memorable experience. Some responses from the characters fail to hit home, despite the acting being decent. The protagonist can be dull, which is disappointing given the past traumas I presume he must have gone through to be in need of a court-appointed drone therapist.

Ah, the drone. I suppose it’s inevitable that drone companions will annoy you, constantly chattering away. And not always saying anything of value. Companions are often great for filling in the silence. But not at the expense of repetition and redundancy. Yet, all of my gripes with the acting and performance are remedied by the strong writing. 

Danger Ahead

As a result of the narrative imbalance, the story’s emotional impact and memorability end up paying the price. Endings that should have been huge pay-offs fall flat on their face. Meanwhile, climactic story moments don’t hit as hard when you can predict them. It’s certainly great potential for the narrative squandered, perhaps by rushing the development and creative process. Much of that TLC seems to have been poured into the visuals and music score, instead.

You’ll definitely fall prey to the soundtrack of Arctic Awakening. It’s deeply instrumental, evoking the feeling of being in the actual Arctic, with the unsettling cold, but also the alluring beauty of naked nature. Inhaling the fresh air, as the moody atmosphere brings it all together. And if you’re one to love the sounds of nature, you’ll appreciate the silent moments filled only by the whistling of the wind and the crunching of the snow under your feet. 

It would have been a complete package, I’ll say, leaving Arctic Awakening at this juncture. But the game takes one step ahead to include survival elements. It’s nothing intense or needing meticulous scavenging and crafting. All you need to sustain your protagonist’s health is food and mental well-being. Collecting food and drinks along your journey, and consuming them, should cater to the former, while resting should tend to the latter. It’s all straightforward, but mental well-being does come with its interesting twist.

Free Will

You’ll need to keep an eye out for a pile of rocks where you can lay your head down. Or meditate, both of which are pretty serene ways you can apply to your own schedule. Not practically lie your head on a pile of rocks, but take those intermediate moments in your daily routine to meditate, perform breathing exercises, or downright rest. 

Now, whether these actually influence your personal journey in the game is anyone’s guess. You barely talk about the effects getting lost in the Arctic wilderness is having on you or whether the coping strategies are actually of help, which feels like a missed opportunity to address mature themes of mental health.

Even aspects like the sci-fi influence on the world, or the very drone therapist appointed by the court accompanying you, feel shallowly explored. The juxtaposition between the dangers of AI and our actual reliance on it could have been an interesting topic to explore. 

At least you do enjoy making choices that have a significant impact on the story. Some do have satisfying pay-offs, although I’m not quite sure about the motivation to tread back in for another run, discovering what alternate choices might result in. Arctic Awakening’s replayability is low, with one run being more than enough to learn and discover all you need to. 

Beware also that you might run into some bugs and glitches. Your journey won’t be without its technical issues, but these have been made aware to the developers and will hopefully be promptly fixed. 

Verdict

Arctic Awakening isn’t for everyone. It’s certainly in its unique niche of narrative-driven adventures, without any intense battles or puzzles to solve. While you do engage with survival gameplay elements, they are pretty straightforward. This leaves the quality and strength of the story to determine whether it’s worth your time. 

On the one hand, you have a compelling premise that draws you into a most breathtaking and unsettling Arctic wilderness. There’s certainly intrigue, wanting to piece together the puzzles that make up your characters’ past lives, their connection to one another, and the captivating world they find themselves stranded in. 

But the execution and delivery isn’t always perfect. Some pay-offs could have had a bigger emotional impact if the character performances were impactful. Although you make dialogue choices that influence the story’s outcome, they aren’t always satisfying to unravel. Arctic Awakening feels like a mixed bag, which is quite unfortunate given its potential for a truly unforgettable experience.

And so, should you play Arctic Awakening? I’ll say, for gamers looking to escape into a breathtaking and unsettling Arctic world dripping in atmosphere and occasional captivating mystery, one hundred percent. You certainly won’t regret it, with the minor technical and narrative issues easily cast aside by the evocative soundtrack and beautiful world. 

Still, this is the kind of game where one playthrough is more than enough to get all you need from the world and its characters. Even with dialogue choices and multiple endings, there’s little motivation to head back into the game for more runs, as you’ll have learned all you need to know about the mystery behind the characters’ past and relationships, and overall Arctic world with sci-fi elements in which they find themselves stranded.