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Prisoner of Ice
--Mysterious and cruel beings are thought to have ruled over the Arctic plains in times past. A cursed city, enclosed by massive walls, is believed to stand to this day. It contains fabulous treasures and is inhabited by the degenerate descendants of those who instilled centuries of terror in the hearts of the people....These people, naturally placid, are seized with rage and horror at the very mention of the ‘Prisoners of the Ice'. Were these dreadful captives to be freed from their frozen cells, they would reap a horrifying tribute of human flesh.
Prisoner of Ice was the last genuinely Lovecraftian game to be derived from the masterwork Alone in the Dark. Like Shadow of the Comet before it, this is an adventure game with a relatively conventional interface and gameplay. Unlike SotC, however, Prisoner of Ice strikes off in a bold new direction for its historical setting-one which I feel should be more thoroughly explored by all creators working in the Mythos.
The game takes place during the dire struggle of World War II. The action revolves around a secret Nazi base in the Antarctic, a division of scientists reputedly performing extensive research into black magic and the occult. The player takes on the role of Lieutenant Ryan, a young American intelligence officer, stationed aboard a British submarine in the opening scenes.
Graphics, animation, sound and music on this title were good for their time, but seriously dated now. The interface was interesting, if not terribly intuitive; experienced gamers will get through it without a problem, but this is not the game I’d start a friend out on, if given a choice. But the one thing I’d most like to say about this game, which had so many small failings, is that it had a genuinely great premise!
The combination of Nazis and Yog-Sotherie is a natural, so far as I’m concerned: they’re two great evils that go great together. Although this game wasn’t anywhere near as well-written as a more cerebral Lovecraftian title like Shadow of the Comet, the sweeping pulp quality of the adventure appealed to me. There are big, nasty monsters in this one, and you get to see them right away! No beating around the bush! In the first five minutes of the game, the hatch bursts open, the monstrous Prisoner of Ice steps out into the light, you know they weren’t kidding.
I can’t honestly recommend this game unless you simply want to check it out for research purposes, to see what ideas they tried to use. On the other hand, I see the skeleton of a truly great story or game in Prisoner of Ice; it’s a shame no one on the design team had the talent to flesh it out.
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