Ophelia Payne

Nova Antarctica, by RexLabo and PARCO GAMES, is an indie gem that places you in the winter wonderlands of Antarctica in a distant future Earth that has long faded into desolation. The South Pole remains a beacon of hope, and a signal under the ice hints of possible resources still there. A 3D, third-person experience with 360 camera control and stamina-based movement, this story-based survival game was nothing like I expected when I first saw the trailer. Somehow, it was both more basic and deeper at the same time.

You are an unnamed person of small stature (are you a child?); your past is a mystery. Your tiny footsteps in the snow deplete your stamina with every step. Storms dwindle your health and stamina as well. You can gather resources and craft items to help replenish both, and it is a constant battle to find balance.

This is a game with very subtle storytelling, offering only glimpses through cutscenes, allowing you to slowly piece it together. Atmosphere and discovery are more prevalent than spoken dialogue. Ofte,n these types of games diminish my immersion into a game, but a part of me felt truly connected to this child. Whether they stumbled or tried to befriend an animal, I was invested and rooting for them.

Without an obvious story, the gameplay naturally takes center stage. What appeared to be a simple premise in the first moments of the game quickly humbled me. I failed a lot. This is a game of learning to adapt, and just when you think you know what you need to do, you’re proven wrong and must start the level again. Preparation is everything, and each stage becomes a question of whether you brought the right tools, materials etc. forward with you. Would you find yourself in a material-rich environment? Would you be isolated in the storm? Each time I restarted, I was determined to make it further than the last time. I would make it to the South Pole…wouldn’t I?

Not knowing what you would need made it difficult to know what you could afford to discard to leave behind. You could easily become overencumbered. As you move through the levels, you will discover blueprints and each of those meant you had to be selective in what you scavenged to make sure you would be prepared. These blueprints are automatically saved, meaning you can craft the items in them at any time (provided you have the materials to do so). Blueprints don’t have names, however, (so you need to read them carefully) and aren’t labelled on your radial wheel. I also found the radial wheel not particularly user-friendly, and never truly felt comfortable with it. I played the game with an Xbox controller, which I found much easier than playing with keyboard and mouse, as it’s what I am more familiar with and comfortable with.

The blueprints are found from scanning objects and give you the ability to craft health and stamina, shelter, tools, and backpack fuel. Running out of backpack fuel will end your run early, and it’s devastating knowing it could have been easily prevented if you had been paying attention. Every time you die, you start back at the beginning of the level, and even though you don’t have your inventory completely wiped, you will lose everything you gathered in that level. This is a frustrating process, and although I wished for more checkpoints, I appreciate the reasoning and feeling behind doing so. Take what you’ve learned and do better with that information. I won’t lie, though, the urge to rage quit surfaced frequently.

While not completely an open-world game, Nova Antarctica gives you lots of space to wander and discover. Whether this is while looking for resources or finding hidden story moments, you have quite a bit of freedom.

I spoke about atmosphere and environment dictating the feeling, but it’s also the primary combat. While you don’t have the traditional enemies that you would find in a survival game, the weather is one of your biggest battles. Blizzards, radiation storms, dense fog. Each one creates a new situation to overcome. These all blur the screen, require you to find a way to survive them and bounce back after they clear. These also add to making this a game of patience, something I struggle with at times. Some storms lasted so long I briefly thought it may be bugged, or I quickly checked my social media, waiting for it to pass. You can prepare for the weather changes by referencing your HUD, which will give you warnings for upcoming storms.

The weather and environment were harsh but also beautiful and picturesque. I found myself looking off into the distance at times, fully mesmerized by the surroundings as well as the calm and beautiful soundtrack.

Just when you thought the solitude might be too much, you find some animals. Some you meet for a moment, some will even join you. You can choose to leave them to their own fate or help them. Perhaps if you help them, they might return the favour. Each one has their own stories as well. A mother cat searching for her kitten, a hungry penguin, a lone wolf. The interactions gave me just a glimmer of hope and made me feel like I wasn’t truly alone out there. Spoiler, the wolf riding mechanic added a new layer to movement in the game and gave a sense of emotional connection as well.

The replay value is also evident here. Each time you try something new, take a different path etc., you have a unique experience. There are also multiple endings. You could spend a lot of time in Nova Antarctica.

I would like to see some accessibility settings for the game, specifically those for colour vision deficiencies. The game does rely on things glowing certain colour,s and this could be problematic for some gamers.

Nova Antarctica is all about patience, determination, and grit. Learning to slow down when everything in your body makes you want to speed up to outrace the blizzard or radiation storm. AS long as you stay prepared, you can enjoy your journey. As mentioned previously, I felt the urge to rage quit a few times, but when I finally reached the South Pole, every setback, every restart felt like it was worth it.

**Review code graciously provided through Press Engine and reviews on PC**