The Black Ice News

[p]Friends, we are happy to announce the early access of our game The Black Ice on Steam. Let our release be a small gift for you for the New Year holidays. This is the time when atmospheric stories, cold weather, and complete immersion are especially welcome.[/p][p][/p][h2]Description:[/h2][p]The Black Ice is an atmospheric horror game set in the abandoned Antarctic station Vostok, cut off from the world by ice, silence, and uncertainty. [/p][p]A brave agent is sent to the station after a distress signal. He must find out why communication has been lost, where the staff has gone, and what lies behind the locked doors. The game's title refers to a rare natural phenomenon—black ice, which contains foreign, possibly extraterrestrial particles buried under the Antarctic cold millions of years ago.[/p][p][/p][p]The game was developed over a year and a half by Antelus Games in collaboration with St. Petersburg-based Red Crab Games. The project has come a long way during this time, and players now have access to about 3–4 hours of gameplay in early access. And, of course, the story is just beginning, with future updates bringing new locations, a continuation of the plot, and a gradual expansion of the world.[/p][p][/p][h2]What awaits players?[/h2]

• [p]A Russian-made Resident Evil.[/p]
• [p]Focus on loneliness, survival, and exploration.[/p]
• [p]An atmospheric horror game with an emphasis on solo survival and exploration of an abandoned station, where your every action matters.[/p]
• [p]As many requested, the main character (Evgeny Topa) now wears a cap when he is outside. [/p]
• [p]Professional voice acting from GamesVoice with full Russian and English versions.[/p]
• [p]Localization on Steam in 11 languages:[/p]

1. [p]Russian[/p]
2. [p]Chinese[/p]
3. [p]English[/p]
4. [p]French[/p]
5. [p]German[/p]
6. [p]Italian[/p]
7. [p]Japanese[/p]
8. [p]Polish[/p]
9. [p]Portuguese (Brazil)[/p]
10. [p]Spanish[/p]
11. [p]Turkish[/p]

[p][/p][p]A huge number of bugs have been fixed in the game, and lighting and environmental details have been improved. The visual effects and atmosphere of the complex have been significantly reworked in terms of art design, adding even more atmosphere and immersion.[/p][p]Early access is the starting point for the game's active development. The Black Ice will be refined based on player feedback, gradually expanding the content and deepening the story of the abandoned station.[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you to everyone who waited, supported, and believed in the project![/p][p]See you at Vostok Station. [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]
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[p]We're heading to the Tokyo Game Show and can't do without adding Japanese. We want players in Tokyo to fully and comfortably immerse themselves in the mysterious story of the Vostok research complex.[/p][p] [/p][h2]What's changed in the new demo version?[/h2]

1. [p]Locations have been expanded.[/p]
2. [p]A new playable character and main character of the full version, Evgeny Topa, has been added.[/p]
3. [p]Shooting mechanics have been adjusted, and impact has been added.[/p]
4. [p]Enemies now have upgraded artificial intelligence.[/p]
5. [p]Additional cutscenes have been added.[/p]
6. [p]New phrases have been added to the Russian and English voiceovers.[/p]
7. [p]Japanese localization has been added.[/p]

[p][/p][p]This is the final demo version, and we won't be changing it anymore. So now is the time to play if you haven't already![/p][p]
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[p]We have already shared with you the inner workings of The Black Ice development—we talked about mechanics, the save system, and optimization. But today we want to shift the focus a little and show you the people behind the game.[/p][p]A total of seven people are involved in The Black Ice project. We will tell you about three key figures.[/p][p]Meet two members of the Red Crab Games team (which has become part of the Antelus Games family) and a narrative designer from Antelus Games.[/p][p]We asked them about how they got started in game development, what they love about their work, why they believe The Black Ice will find its audience, and what it's like to work at Antelus Games.[/p][p][/p][h2]Mikhail Muzhailo[/h2][h3]Game designer, co-founder of Red Crab Games[/h3][p]At the dawn of the project, I was everything at once — a game designer, a scriptwriter, and a programmer. Practically everything you see (or don't see) in The Black Ice was created by me personally. Now that the team has grown, I have more time to focus on game design and technical aspects.[/p][p]For me, The Black Ice is a Russian mix of Resident Evil, Dead Space, and Anabiosis. Maxim and I, both engineers who assemble 3D printers, decided at the end of 2023 to quit everything and do what we really love. Namely, games. In our free time, we came up with the core of the game. The game of our dreams, the one we would like to play ourselves. We came up with the plot, the location, the setting, and the mechanics. First, we wrote it down on paper, and then we learned from scratch, without mentors or courses. Now the project has grown significantly, and we believe it will be a hit — because we are investing not only our time, energy, and resources, but also our hearts and souls! We work conscientiously to proudly defend the honor of domestic game development.[/p][p]We are extremely passionate about what we do. Thank you to everyone who supports us. Whether it's a kind word, a repost, a penny, a subscription, or adding our game to your wish list — it doesn't matter, we appreciate everyone's contribution! Without you, none of this would be possible![/p][p]What I like about Antelus Games is the close-knit team, the pleasant atmosphere, and the responsible approach to work.[/p][p]

[/p][h2]Maxim Kulibaba[/h2][h3]Game designer, 3D artist, level designer, co-founder of Red Crab Games[/h3][p][/p][p]Most of the objects in the game — from buildings to characters — were created by me. I am self-taught, just like Misha. We had to learn everything ourselves, step by step.[/p][p]In 2023, we rented an office and started learning the engine and writing the story together. Then, based on the game world we had created, we smoothly transitioned to the technical side, and here we are today. At that point, we immediately decided that I would be in charge of visuals, and Misha would be in charge of technical aspects. After that, we each honed our skills in our respective fields, learning from our mistakes and relying solely on our own experience, as there were no mentors or people around who could give us advice.[/p][p]I like the atmosphere at Antelus Games — a kind, creative team that I enjoy working with.[/p][p]We want to create the game of our dreams. A game that will touch the hearts of players. One that players will enjoy, just like in the good old days.[/p][p][/p][h2]Alexander Lapaev[/h2][h3]Screenwriter, narrative designer at Antelus Games[/h3][p]I was the last to join the team and received a huge, well-developed base from Anton and the guys at Red Crab Games to describe and translate this onto paper. My job is everything related to the story: from lore and dialogue to the notes that the player finds. I am responsible for the atmosphere, mood, and how the player perceives the world.[/p][p]The Black Ice is our take on survival horror, but with its own story, partly based on real events. We are trying to breathe new life into the genre, bring back forgotten mechanics, and add new ones.[/p][p]Why do I believe the game will be a hit? Because it will have a good story, interesting gameplay, and powerful presentation. And also because we are passionate about what we do. You can feel it even from a distance: we have never met in person, but we work as one.[/p][p]Antelus Games is a team! Everyone has a passion for what they do. It energizes us and helps us move forward. And, of course, the desire to create an excellent product that will resonate with players![/p][p][/p][p]If you are interested in taking a look behind the scenes of all our projects, subscribe and add The Black Ice to your favorites. We will continue to tell you about those who work behind the scenes of game development, share ideas, write lines of code, and select the right emotions for facial animations.[/p][p]
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[p]Evgeny TOPa from Utopia show will be the main character and face of our project The Black Ice, which we are developing in collaboration with Red Crab Games and with voice acting by GamesVoice.[/p][p][/p][p]Add the game to your wishlist and follow its development. Early access is coming soon![/p][p]
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On March 17, we released The Black Ice demo on Steam, and it quickly took the second place in the list of popular demos on the platform! It was a real gift for us.

The demo is already available with voice acting in two languages - Russian and English. It became possible thanks to our cooperation with the coolest studio GamesVoice!

Working with GamesVoice is a separate story that we want to share with you. Our main characters are voiced by real professionals, each of which you've probably already heard.


[h2]English voiceover[/h2]
Sergey Ponomarev - his memorable voice is spoken by dozens of famous characters, such as Geralt of Rivia in the series “The Witcher”, Captain Titus from “Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2”, Pathfinder from “Apex Legends” and many others.

Jordan Worsley is a master of his craft, a theater and voice actor who gives characters incredible charisma. He is known as a blogger and host of a language channel for learning English.

Christina Sherman - her melodic voice speaks Alice and Polina in the visual novel “Bunny”, Vasilisa in “Black Book”, the Twins in “Atomic Heart” and more.


[h2]Russian voiceover[/h2]
Kirill Radtsig is a talented theater artist and presenter whose voice has already become a legend in the gaming industry. You have definitely heard him in the voice of the cult “Dr. House”, Commander Alexei Stukov from “StarCraft”, Hank Anderson in “Detroit: Become Human” and many others.

Ivan Litvinov is a real professional, a famous narrator, in the voice of which you probably listened to audiobooks, watched TV series, and can even recognize his charismatic timbre in many games. For example, Ratatoskr in God of War curses with his voice!

Vasily Dakhnenko - theater and film actor, whose voice charms from the very first words. Known for such projects as: “Supernatural”, ‘Gothic’, ‘Detroit: Become Human’ and not only.

Ekaterina Vdovik - her timbre of voice fits perfectly into the atmosphere of the cold and dangerous Arctic station. It is he who will accompany the main character in the gloomy and mysterious corridors of the complex.

When working on The Black Ice voice acting, we wanted the environment and the sound to match each other, so we decided to keep the Russian accent in the English speech. It turned out to be very atmospheric and believable - you can listen to it for yourself!

Cooperation with Games Voice was a real discovery for us. Let us share a secret with you: this is not the only project we are working on together. This is just the beginning of our journey, and there is much more to come!