
This initial introduction to the world is compelling. Exploring the station will turn up keys for opening doors to new areas of the station and cranks for operating elevators. With the goal of restoring power to the base, you’ll venture out into to the chilly blasts of an impressively oppressive Antarctica. You’ll spend your time picking up documents that begin to paint a picture of the crew’s mission.

Squint as you explore the base and you’ll be forgiven for thinking that you’re playing a new combat-less BioShock game. In its early moments, Conarium puts its best foot forward. He begins exploring the base, attempting to find clues about their disappearance. Frank wakes up alone in the crew’s base, and can’t remember what has become of his teammates.

Players assume the role of Frank Gilman, a scientist on an Antarctic expedition that has stumbled upon evidence of an ancient race of cosmic beings that lived beneath the surface of the continent. Instead, the puzzles that inhibit progress adhere to a kind of rationale that will often leave players grasping for answers. That isn’t to say that there are dark and dangerous truths lurking in the hallways of Zoetrope’s dimly lit Antarctic base. Over the course of my seven hours with Conarium, I often found myself relating to their plight. As they grasp for knowledge, they are confronted with far more than they bargained for. Lovecraft are often driven to madness as they attempt to comprehend the reality of the cosmic beings that lurk beyond their ken.
