Make sure he’s dead
Cold Shot is a free action video game wherein you must survive an assassination job gone wrong. Developed by Albert “skydrow” Ortiz, this 3D first-person pixelated game is a short indie adventure that offers an atmospheric survival horror experience similar to PS1 retro-style horror games.
Like ASKE, Cold Shot features first-person shooter gameplay against strange creatures that keep respawning to hunt you down. You’ll also encounter small puzzles that must be solved in order to progress through the map and the story. While the game is short, its plot still has quite a twist in store.
The last mission
The story of Cold Shot begins with you arriving at your target’s location. You work as a contract killer and this is your last job before starting a new life. The first task is simple: aim your sniper rifle and eliminate the target. The next task requires you to make sure he’s dead by entering the house. However, this is where the night starts to take a weird turn.
When starting the game, there’s no tutorial for the controls but it’s using classic keybindings for PC anyways. Movement is assigned to the WASD keys. You need to press E whenever you come near an item of interest. To shoot, click your left mouse button. To zoom in on the rifle, use the right mouse button. Then press R to reload—although keep in mind that you’ll discard the whole magazine.
The gameplay itself is challenging enough despite the short length. This is mostly because your ammo is limited—you need to collect them around the house—and the enemies spawn continuously after you as the aim is to escape and not just kill them all. The horror elements are well done, however, and the graphics really capture the creepy atmosphere of a retro game.
A short but harrowing experience
Overall, Cold Shot is a great game to try out for any fans of short indie horror games with FPS gameplay mechanics. While it’s pretty short and linear in its plot, it still has enough content to keep you immersed in its strange survival horror story. However, it could still benefit from an in-game tutorial on what the controls are.
