Project M: Cold Fusion review

Mostly real-world here which I must admit is a favourite of mine. Scouring websites, social media accounts for clues etc. is something I’m particularly fond of. For me, anything that helps you forget that you’re playing a game is a welcome addition, games aren’t just about the puzzles but the immersion. You want a story you can get lost in and when a game can do that in a natural way like using existing websites to seed clues and hints, it’s all the better for it. The latter parts of the game didn’t entirely drop this but introduced more conventional elements. I understand this from the perspective of offering variety, but these were my least favourite moments. However, much of the game took the real-world approach, so it mostly felt like you were genuinely a part of this story.

This is the most detailed story and scene building I’ve ever seen in an online puzzle game. An email from a solicitors leads you to a complex web of intrigue, deceit and secrets. There’s a wealth of content to discover, unlock and investigate, including multiple websites, people, conversations, videos and social media profiles. They’ve even added materials that seem to only be there for scene setting. They are not exaggerating when they say the line between reality and fantasy will become blurred! Fictional characters and companies are mixed with real ones and you start doubting what is real. The whole experience felt very real with clues hidden in plain sight and no hand holding.

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As you can infer from above, the puzzles, especially at the beginning of the game, were mostly centered around deciphering the breadcrumb trail the characters had left for you around the internet. On reflection, they were sometimes simpler than they initially seemed, but they’re presented in such a way that you need to pay attention to the little details and rationally think them through. We sometimes got caught up in the moment and I think sometimes our experience with escape rooms got in the way somewhat. For example, there was one problem that we encountered and assumed that we needed another part to solve it, wasting a bit of time searching for something that didn’t exist. That’s my one bit of advice – don’t overthink things!

Cold Fusion involves a lot of complex internet sleuthing and cipher solving. One of the ciphers we hadn’t seen before. It was very tough and even after researching the instructions, we still struggled to crack it. You’ll need good observation as you could easily miss something that is crucial to progress. At one point we must have skipped a section as we found ourselves getting sent back to something we had already done. Unlike every other puzzle game that we’ve played, there is no real clueing system here. This adds to the realism, but it means you’re on you’re own and must persevere if you get stuck. The logic was fine throughout, but the complexity means getting stumped is a real possibility.

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As mentioned earlier and in many other reviews, I have a particular predilection towards games that take the story into the wider world. You want an experience that is more than just a procession of puzzles – you can go and buy a puzzle book for that! Whether it is good physical theming in a room or a well-crafted story, being able to immerse yourself and forget that you’re playing a game is the feeling I personally chase. And in Cold Fusion, everything is here. The puzzling is natural, and the game is teeming with story, providing a fully immersive experience that you can completely lose yourself in.

Project M are playing a dangerous game by leaving you to your own devices with no real signposting or help. Some will love this realism, but many will struggle and give up deflated. We got stuck at one point, spending an hour going nowhere. Frustrated, and with nowhere to get immediate help, I was close to giving up. But then we made a breakthrough after doing something that we wasn’t sure if we was supposed to do. Things then began flowing nicely and I started to really enjoy Cold Fusion. We finally finished at 2:30am as we stupidly decided to complete it in one session while the information was fresh in our minds. Despite the time, I left on a real high. If we could have taken a clue, we definitely would have. So being forced to work it out for ourselves was very satisfying… eventually!

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At £25, this is one of the higher-priced games out there. That said, though I’m not aware of an expected completion duration, you’re given a week to complete it and it took us over five hours so it isn’t a game I think you can expect to crack in an hour or two. We played it at about 9pm expecting an hour-long experience and were still playing at 2am so we maybe weren’t so fresh at that point so mileage may vary. So, there’s a value there in the length that isn’t present in other games. I would personally recommend this one, especially if you’re looking for a different type of virtual game.

Cold Fusion is a tough game to score as your experience will vary wildly depending whether you manage to complete it or not. You could be left feeling very rewarded, or very frustrated! I wouldn’t recommend this unless you have prior experience of playing this type of game, as well as a lot of patience! However I ended up loving it. There’s a highly detailed and immersive story that is full of depth, with many layers. It’s an epic adventure with tonnes of content including videos, podcasts, photos, messages and more. The main issue is the lack of clues which will make or break your experience. But if you’re up for the challenge, £25 is a decent price considering what you get. Note that you need a Facebook account to play this.

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