Welcome to Amaluuk research station, we hope your stay is a productive and pleasant one.
This mod definitely deserves praise for capturing an unique feel. This is on the few mods where I felt like I wasn't playing a mod, let alone an Half-Life 2 mod. That really is a tricky thing to do so kudos to the makers.
The games atmosphere and gameplay is very similar the Penumbra series, specifically Black Plague. Which I personally don't really mind, I loved that game.
Just like the penumbra series there is no real way to fight enemies. The only real enemy in Black Snow is a dark cloud who stalks you in the dark. It's such a simple monster yet it ticks all the boxes of being one scary-*** ************. The tapping of it chasing you where you can here him coming closer while running in the dark definitely brings a feeling of panic over you.
The game is heavily based around puzzles. The game however misses a lack of direction. I had to wonder the grounds and building more then once before I could find out what I was supposed to do. It was just not clear sometimes what you'd actually need for the puzzles and what props were just there for show.
The sound of the game is great, voice acting is only in the intro. Which may I add was an amazing intro. The moment they walked in the snow to the main building, looked amazing and I was amazed at how good it looked, I didn't think the source engine could do that.
But sound is most important for the atmosphere. And the tapping of the monster, the music of the chase, the simple noises of the snowstorm, they are all perfectly balanced and they just give the game that extra little something.
The graphics of the game are top-notch, combined with the excellent gameplay I never felt like I was playing an Half-Life mod. The game most of the times is a little too dark for me. And the maps and the puzzles can be confusing enough to make you wonder in that darkness.
the story of the game is decent, I would've liked a better ending. I had really high hopes for the ending. I won't give any spoilers. You'll find out yourself.