Hibernation

Hibernation, also titled Hibernation - Frozen Dreams, is a survival game set in a frozen dream. Summoned there by a mysterious force, you find a desolate, cold landscape filled with ruins and enigmatic stone statues. The statues say you were brought there by mistake and urge you to leave because the place is dangerous and you do not belong. As you explore, you can piece together the world’s hidden truth by speaking with the statues and examining items.

Survive the cold

You need to monitor your health, stamina, hunger, coldness and magic power. Collect supplies, cook food and obtain medicine to stay alive. Critical hunger prevents automatic health and magic regeneration; at extreme hunger, you cannot run or attack effectively, and your health keeps falling. In extreme cold, warming medicine or a bonfire can protect you from freezing, which restricts movement, worsens hunger and rapidly drains stamina. Falling from a high place can also be fatal.

Equipment and magic

You can find equipment in the wilderness or forge gear to improve attributes and adapt to the environment. Some areas require particular attributes to pass, but defeating a boss is not always necessary: you may be able to forge suitable equipment or find special gear nearby. You can also learn spells to fight creatures in the dream. Magical skills have proficiency levels and grow more powerful with use.

Exploration without saves

The game cannot be saved, so death can erase the progress you have made during a run. You can try to finish quickly without fighting, or gradually improve your abilities and challenge the bosses, taking on the risk of losing your efforts if you die. Reaching the end is described as easier than understanding the game in depth.

The game uses the idea of a dream that feels real but disappears on waking to explore dreams and existence. Its opening passage refers to Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am,” and the game presents itself as a philosophical experience.