Project Winter
Project Winter is a multiplayer social game, where a small group of people are stranded in the wilderness, trying to activate a distress signal to be rescued and survive the brutal winter cold. Meanwhile, along with winter storms, wild animals, and a ticking clock, there is a traitor among the group, trying to stop the group from escaping. Collect supplies, gather food, and build items that aid with the group's survival, while trying to avoid being picked off by the traitor, who has a variety of ways of stopping and/or slowing down the rescue attempt. Play as the traitor and try to avoid detection while you hamper the group's escape. A randomized map each game helps make each game different. It's a fun, simple game that has multiple layers of intrigue.
Gameplay: Controls, level design, combat systems, etc.
7
Simplistic gameplay. Playing with your typical directional keyboard buttons, combat can be a bit clunky for the uninitiated, but controls are intuitive. There aren't very many different actions to perform, so it's easy for beginners to pick up.
Narrative: Dialogue, plot, ending, etc.
9
The basic premise of the game is simple, yet brilliant. Survive to win, the clock is the ticking, and there's someone trying to hinder and/or stop you, one way or another.
Graphics: Aesthetics, fidelity, animations, etc. 8
Graphics are fine. They really don't need to be much more than they are. The characters can be customized, the maps are randomized each game, and their features are clearly displayed.
Technical: Performance, bugs, physics, etc.
8
The only knock I have is the physics of when your playing gets caught in a storm. I understand the need for the storm to hinder or confuse your character, but it can really be frustrating when you know where you want to go and your player keeps jumping back and forth to sort of simulate disorientation. I get why they do it this way, but it does not make it any less frustrating.
Audio: Voice acting, music, sound effects, etc. 5
There isn't much audio. There doesn't need to be. The important audio is the voice chat.
Social: Multiplayer offerings, sharing with friends, etc.
7.5
This is a social game. You can't play anything other than multiplayer. And therein lies the problem. You need to find times when people are online playing, or organize groups to meetup. There is a Discord channel for the game to coordinate, but sometimes, you just want to fire up the game and play, and there just are not people there to do it with. As the game spreads, hopefully, the community will as well. It obviously helps to play with people who are speaking a language you understand as well. At least while you are waiting for a game to start, you can have a fun "snowball fight" with your fellow players in the lobby.
Value: Price, DLC, breadth of content, etc.
9
The game is simple. The DLC adds some different varieties to it, but you don't want to limit yourself too much, as the playing community is still rather small, and you want to be able to get games. The pricepoint is great. I was able to get this game off of a Steam sale for the cost of a decent lunch, yet the hours of gameplay it has provided have long outlasted its nutritional counterpart.
