The Fidelio Incident (PC)

The Fidelio Incident, from indie developers Act3 Games, is a "walking simulator" with some minor adventure elements, set on a below-freezing island. The only living creature you ever encounter (save for some stinging jellyfish that just stay put in order to keep you on the path) is yourself. It includes a lovely immersive atmosphere – grand music, solid voice acting, and even the snow/wind/etc effects contribute to the feel of the game.

When the story begins, you (Stanley) and your dear love, Leonore, are flying in a small plane when you suddenly crash on a deserted, frigid island. Both of you are on the run from your past, and now your wife is trapped in the plane's wreckage up on the top of a nearby mountain. To add insult to injury, her diary has been taken by the four winds and spread out all across the isle. You need to stay alive (and warm) – often running from a steam vent to a flaming bit of wreckage, or vice versa, just to stave off the deadly cold for a few more seconds. Crank open steam vents to create a safe space, and seek out Leonore's diary entries so that you can both get off of the island alive, and with no-one else the wiser.

The Fidelio Incident can accomodate both a controller or WASD keyboard controls, though the devs themselves recommed using a controller. The controls are simple, straightforward, and streamlined. There's no inventory to bother with; items you find are needed pretty much immediately and used automatically. The game tracks diary entries in the pause menu, and there's nothing else to worry about. Press E to grab items, left-shift to “sprint” (the effects of which range from decent down to almost unnoticeable, depending on the local terrain, aside from blurring your vision a bit).

The game's graphics boast grand vistas with lots of attention to detail – even if they are of ice, snow, and half-frozen bunkers for much of the game. Some parts feel same-y quickly, but that just drives your need to move quickly and get to a new, warm area in order to survive. That being said, the environs are convincing and well-executed, even if there is a whole lot of white-on-white.

Now the sound is absolutely gorgeous. The game's plot was inspired by Beethoven's one and only opera, named Fidelio, and the music in the game does not disappoint. The soundtrack is free with purchase of the game, and is more than worth listening to on its own. The sound effects are spot-on too – your boots crunch scrumptiously in the snow, flames crackle with life, and rusty levers groan as you force them to do their jobs.