Kholat

09.06.2015

Critic 66/100

Users 60/100

Genre: Adventure Indie

Kholat is a game developed by independent studio IMGN.PRO, inspired by true events known as the "Dyatlov Pass Incident". We follow the path of a group of Russian students, that went for an expedition in the northern Ural Mountains. The team does not reach its goal, the entire crew dies in mysterious circumstances. Player is thrown into the area where the tragedy occurred, years after the actual event, with a chance to discover the real course of the tragedy. Atmosphere of anxiety and dread is created by fear management system. It is responsible for precise dosing of fear and uncertainty, based on what the player is doing, making each gameplay a unique experience.

Inspired by the real-life Dyatlov Pass Incident, the story sends the player deep into the frozen Ural Mountains to retrace the final steps of nine Russian students who vanished on Kholat Syakhl, a peak whose name means "Dead Mountain." Guided by a narrator who recounts the details of the tragedy, the protagonist arrives by train in the town of Ivdel and sets out on foot along the doomed party's route. As the weather turns and darkness gathers, strange phenomena begin to appear: glowing orange footprints in the snow, eerie lights, and shadowy humanoid figures. Venturing across a vast and desolate wilderness, the lone traveler must gather scattered notes and coordinates that hint at what truly happened on the mountain, all while avoiding the hostile presences that stalk its slopes.