Cryofall: A Slow Burn That Tests Your Patience (And Your Seed-Finding Skills)

TL;DR: The Quick and Dirty

What's good, beautiful humans? Josh here from 2tonwaffle.com, and boy do I have a doozy of a game to talk about today. If you caught last week's stream (moved to Wednesday because your boy was too tired from doing actual yard work like some kind of responsible adult), you witnessed me dive headfirst into Cryofall – a survival crafting game that immediately tested every ounce of patience I thought I had.

Let me be real with you right off the bat: this game is the definition of a slow burn. Like, molasses-in-January slow. But stick with me here, because there's actually some interesting stuff buried beneath all that methodical resource gathering.

First Impressions: Tutorial? What Tutorial?

Cryofall throws you into what I can generously call a "tutorial," but it's really more like someone handing you a manual and saying "figure it out, chief." Now, I'm the kind of player who likes their hand held a little bit – sue me. I want to learn by doing, not by reading walls of text about crop fertilizers and cybernetic implants before I've even figured out how to swing an axe.

The game dumps a ton of information on you upfront about farming, mining, electricity systems, and character customization, but then just... leaves you to figure out how any of it actually works. It's like being given a cookbook written in a foreign language and being told to make dinner. Sure, you'll eventually figure it out, but you're gonna burn a lot of food in the process.

The Art Style: Familiar Territory

Visually, Cryofall sits comfortably in that 32-bit isometric style that'll feel familiar if you've spent any time with Stardew Valley or similar games. The art does its job – it's clean, readable, and manages to differentiate between biomes pretty effectively. You'll go from barren desert areas to lush green plains to rocky mountain regions, and each feels distinct enough that you understand you're in a different place with different resources.

The character customization is pretty bare-bones (11 hair options, really?), but hey, at least you can change your appearance later in the equipment menu if you're not happy with your initial choices. I went with the Galactic Republic origin because it seemed the most balanced stat-wise, though honestly, the differences between factions felt pretty minimal in practice.

Audio: The Sound of Silence

Here's where things get rough – the audio design is practically non-existent. You'll get the occasional underlying musical score, but it pops up randomly and then disappears again like it's playing hide and seek. Most of your time is spent in near-silence, with only the occasional wind rustling through trees or animal sounds to break the monotony.

The sound effects that do exist are... fine? Bears sound similar to wolves, so don't expect much variety in the audio cues that warn you about incoming danger. If you're planning to play this for any extended period, I'd seriously recommend having some background music ready, because the game sure won't provide it for you.

Gameplay: Survival with Extra Steps

The core loop is pretty standard survival fare – gather resources, craft tools, build shelter, try not to die. What sets Cryofall apart is its technology tree system and the sheer complexity of crafting chains. Want to build a simple workbench? Well, first you need wood planks. To make wood planks, you need logs. To efficiently get logs, you need a better axe. To make a better axe... you get the idea.

The land claim system is where things get interesting but also frustrating. You can't build permanent structures without claiming land first, which requires 100 wood planks for a single claim beacon. That's a significant early-game investment, and if you place it wrong (like I did), you're stuck with it. The tutorial doesn't really prepare you for this, so expect some trial and error.

The Great Seed Hunt (AKA My Personal Hell)

Let me tell you about the most frustrating quest in gaming history: "Plant any seeds." Sounds simple, right? The game tells you that seeds can be found "randomly while simply collecting grass." What it doesn't tell you is that finding these mythical seeds is like trying to find a unicorn in a field of regular horses.

I spent probably 30 minutes of my two-hour session just wandering around looking for seeds. Any seeds. Carrot seeds, specifically, but honestly I would have taken dandelion seeds at that point. The game expects you to find carrots to get carrot seeds, but WHERE ARE THE CARROTS? It's like some kind of agricultural Catch-22.

This is where the game's biggest weakness shows – it gives you objectives without proper guidance on how to achieve them. Sure, experienced players probably know exactly where to look, but for newcomers, it's an exercise in frustration that could easily turn people away from the game entirely.

Combat: Death by Boar

Combat is... well, calling it combat is generous. You craft a knife (eventually), approach enemy wildlife, and hope for the best. The healing system revolves around herbal remedies and food, but good luck figuring out which herbs do what without extensive trial and error.

I died twice during my session – once to a boar that jumped me while I was innocently gathering twigs (very embarrassing), and once to wolves while exploring. The death penalty leaves you weakened for 10 minutes, which is actually pretty reasonable as far as survival game punishments go. At least you keep your items, unlike some games that make you run back to your corpse like you're playing some medieval version of tag.

Base Building: Patience Required

The building system has potential but suffers from some UI quirks. The game tells you to "place a blueprint" but doesn't explain that you need to hold down the mouse button to actually construct anything. It's not intuitive, and I spent way too long clicking and wondering why nothing was happening.

Once you figure out the mechanics, building becomes satisfying enough. The variety of structures and crafting stations gives you plenty to work toward, and the progression feels meaningful when you finally unlock that next tier of technology. Just be prepared for a lot of resource grinding to get there.

Multiplayer: Population Zero

While Cryofall offers multiplayer servers, the player base seems pretty sparse. During my check, even the featured 300-player server was completely empty. The official American PvE server had six people out of 350 slots.

This might be a time-of-day thing, or it might reflect the game's niche status. The last major update was in February 2022, which doesn't exactly scream "thriving community." If you're looking for a bustling multiplayer experience, you might want to look elsewhere.

The Verdict: Potential Hampered by Pacing

Cryofall has the bones of a good survival crafting game. The technology progression is satisfying when it works, the world is large and varied, and there's clearly a lot of depth for players willing to dig into it. The problem is that the game seems actively hostile to newcomers, with obtuse tutorials, unclear objectives, and pacing that would make a glacier feel impatient.

This is the kind of game where you really need to be in the right mood. If you're looking for action and immediate gratification, look elsewhere. If you're in the headspace for a slow, methodical experience where progress is measured in small increments over long periods, Cryofall might scratch that itch.

The game feels like it's targeting fans of extremely detailed survival sims who don't mind spending 20 minutes looking for seeds or figuring out complex crafting chains through trial and error. If that's you, you'll probably find something to love here. If you're expecting Stardew Valley with better graphics, you're going to be disappointed.

Final Thoughts

Would I play Cryofall again? Probably, but it wouldn't be my first choice for a quick gaming session. It's the kind of game you play when you want to zone out and just exist in a world for a while, consequences and efficiency be damned.

If the developers ever decide to make the new player experience more friendly (maybe with actual tutorials instead of walls of text), and if they can inject some life back into the community, Cryofall could be something special. As it stands, it's a niche game for patient players who don't mind learning through frustration.

For now, I'm giving it 6 out of 10 waffles. It's good enough to recommend to the right audience, but it has enough rough edges to keep it from being great.

That's all for this week's dive into my Steam backlog. Next week we're looking at Cultist Simulator, which should be... interesting. Join me live at https://twitch.tv/2tonwaffle if you want to watch me figure out how to summon eldritch horrors in real time.

Until then, keep gaming, you beautiful humans, and remember – sometimes the real treasure isn't the seeds you find, but the friends you make while searching for seeds. (Just kidding, I never found any seeds. Still bitter about that.)

Later taters,
Josh

Want to catch the full First Two Hours stream? Head over to our Discord or check out the VOD on our channel. All my social links are at 2tonwaffle.me – come hang out and tell me where the hell those carrot seeds were hiding.

FAQ: Everything You Need to Know About Cryofall

Q: Is Cryofall beginner-friendly?
A: Not really. The game dumps information on you upfront but doesn't actually teach you how to play. Expect a lot of trial and error, especially with basic objectives like finding seeds or understanding the building system.

Q: How's the multiplayer community?
A: Pretty sparse. Most servers are empty or have very few players. The game's last major update was in 2022, and it shows in the player count. Don't expect a bustling online experience.

Q: What's the gameplay pace like?
A: Extremely slow. This is a methodical, resource-gathering experience where progress happens in small increments. If you're looking for action or quick gratification, this isn't your game.

Q: Are there controller support options?
A: Nope. Keyboard and mouse only, which is disappointing for a game that would work well with controller support.

Q: How long does it take to get established in the game?
A: Based on the stream, expect several hours just to get basic shelter and tools figured out. The land claiming system alone requires significant resource investment early on.

Q: Is the audio design good?
A: No, it's practically non-existent. Music appears randomly and disappears just as quickly. You'll want background music if you plan to play for extended periods.

Q: What's the building system like?
A: It works but has some unintuitive elements. You place blueprints and then hold down the mouse button to build, which isn't clearly explained. Once you figure it out, it's satisfying enough.

Q: How does combat work?
A: Very basically. You craft simple weapons like knives and hope for the best against wildlife. Death leaves you weakened for 10 minutes but you keep your items, which is reasonable.

Q: Can you play solo effectively?
A: Yes, the game offers local single-player modes where you can adjust spawn rates and difficulty. Most of the review was based on solo play, and it works fine for that purpose.

Q: Would Josh recommend this game?
A: Only to very specific players. If you love slow, methodical survival crafting games and have patience for unclear objectives and minimal guidance, maybe. For most people, there are better options available.