Since its release (march 2005) cold fear was sold to more than 535 000 copies worldwide.
(X-Box, Playstation 2 and PC versions)

More informations about the game and crew : imdb.com and mobygames.com

Thierry Th Desseaux : Using one of Marilyn Manson's song in Cold Fear was something of an evidence as the twisted and tortured universe of the rockstar was close to the one of the game.
As for the choice of the track, beyond the obvious violent and disturbing feelings we were looking for, the title itself "use your fist and not your mouth" was totally in adequation with the action and horror of Cold Fear... like an instruction tagline for players to complete the game.

Meeting with Benjamin Carré and Aleksi Briclot, the designers of the video game and famous illustrators, as well as with Thierry Desseaux, member of the band low distortion unit, which created sound effects and supervised the musical creations of Cold Fear.

Here you will find some extracts of the game as well as two videos more directed on the sound design and the methods to create realistic sound effects in real-time for the game.
Click on the [+] to have more information while the video is playing.

Cold Fear manages to install a fear beyond the horror. A success !

As with the visuals, the audio in Cold Fear certainly sets the scene and builds the tension in all of the right places, with the main menu music eerie to say the least, but it's the sound of the ship that especially helped to immerse you into the world of Tom Hansen. Waves crashing, rain hitting the decks, and the odd crack of thunder all help to create the audible impression of the perfect storm (which slightly off track the developers cited as being one of the inspirational films when planning the game), with the character voices all suiting the models nicely, even though the Russian accent is a little overplayed from time to time.

The sound is equally impressive - every creek of the boat, every crashing wave and every swinging rope is picked up and is thrown out of your speakers with such elegance you should pick this up as a surround sound demo disc if you don't fancy the game.

Similar to the game's visuals, the audio in Cold Fear sets the scene and builds the tension in all the right places, making for a terrifying experience along the way.
The sound effects in Cold Fear are on a par and especially help to immerse gamers into the world of Tom Hansen. Waves crashing, rain hitting the decks, the old cracks on the floorboards all help to create the audible impressions of the perfect storm.

Aurally Cold Fear truly excels in many areas. The sound effects fit the atmosphere perfectly, and the industrial soundtrack couldn't be better presented. The surround sound is expertly implemented, with sounds coming from nearby vents drawing players attentions, for example. The zombies sound exactly what zombies should sound like, but the real creepy sounds are provided by their actions – the sounds of the undead pounding their heads against glass jail cells, or breaking through doors, sound fantastic and will definitely send chills down any player's spine. Moments of stress will be accompanied by a heart pounding soundtrack that any gamer should appreciate.
When it comes to great sound in a game, Cold Fear does everything right and accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do – it scares the hell out of the player.

You begin the adventure while Tom's ship approaches the Russian whaler in perdition with the aim to lend him assistance. The storm rages around you and elements burst out to hinder your progress on the deck of the sinister ship which rocks under the ceaseless shock of the swell. The result in the screen is visually impressive, waves run aground with force against the hull of the ship and the oscillations of the boat would be enough almost to give the seasickness. In other words, the atmosphere is perfectly made, a success insofar as it is necessary to move carefully to avoid be taken by waves or to be knocked out by a pulley. The game abounds moreover in sound effects and in effects of any kind which enrich all the more these dynamic environments : the rain which crashes into the screen, the blood which spatters in streams, the unexpected power cuts or the flames near the walls threatening you with sudden death if you approach it too much. We are really afraid for our life !

Using with a sadistic enjoyment of the alarming atmosphere of this ship lost in high tide, Darkworks also has appeal to some subtleties become classic in the survival horror to play with our fragile nerves. We are scared by the slightest light bulb which burst, we are frightened as soon as a small grating is listened.

From the first minutes of game, we realize that the atmosphere of Cold Fear is certainly one of the key points of the title developed by Darkworks. The storm is perfectly retranscribed and contributes to this atmosphere so particular.

Besides being visually attractive, Cold Fear enjoys an impeccable sound atmosphere. We know it, sounds in a survival-horror game play an essential role for the atmosphere and those of Cold Fear do not betray the intentions of developers. The shots are hard-hitting, the screams of the various creatures make your blood run cold, quite as the effects of atmosphere, gratings, bangings, explosions, were perfectly reproduced. The soundtrack is effective too and support the atmosphere in the perfection.

A big part of the "fear" you'll experience playing Cold Fear is related to the robust array of ambient sound and noises. They'll stand out, because for the most part, there's no music playing unless you're fighting multiple enemies. Whispered voices will echo through the ship's treacherous hallways, and tiny creaks can be heard from the bowels. One nice effect is, if you're walking through a room or area full of corpses, you can hear Tom's heart-rate speed up, and the controller will vibrate in time with it. This feature alone would successfully creep me out, most of the time. All of the game's weapons sound authentic, offering loud bursts and crackling flames.

The sound design is perfectly in the tone, with noise of waves and other sound effects appropriate for the life in sea. An extraordinary atmosphere, already frightening, while the enemy has not shown himself yet.

The sound atmosphere is of a big quality and turns out to be admirably measured according to the intensity of the events. The screams of monsters will accompany the creaking noises of metal, the whole in an atmosphere of ceaseless storm. You will have understood it, at the level of its sound realization, Cold Fear realizes almost one without fault and does not have to blush in front of his Japanese competitors.

As far as sound is concerned Cold Fear is great. Here also the weather effects will make you feel as if you are really there. Inside the vessel you hear the typical creaks of a ship adrift in the sea all around you.

The music, if it is present, makes often discreet, leaving the beautiful part in sound effects and atmosphere, contributing to increase your blood pressure and your nervousness. It will happen frequently that in the bend of a corridor or in a dark room, the beatings of heart of your character accelerate, sign of an imminent danger.

Where the game makes strong, it is about the level of the sound atmosphere: the work realized by DarkWorks is a really marvellous ! It had been for a very long time since a game had reached such a level; even the Capcom's work of art is exceeded on this point there, it is to say ! Furthermore, if you possess a compatible ampli Dolby Digital 5.1, you will be in the seventh heaven.

As with all survival horror games, there are times of uncomfortable quiet and, during these, the sound effects do not disappoint. Frenetic gunfire, blood curdling screams, the fury of the rain, and the groaning of a ship under siege from the elements, all contribute to a fittingly unnerving soundtrack.

Sonically, the game is a treat for the ears with wind and thunder claps howling through the speakers hard enough to cause a shiver down the spine. The pinging, clanging and groaning of metal of both the ship and the oil rig that makes up the second half of the game give a real sense of man-made structures being battered by the full weight of nature.

On a whole, the sounds were wonderful and really added to the effect of actually being on the Russian ship in that storm. Loud, vibrant sounds of winds blowing, waves crashing, squeaky floors, and the roaring thunder and the pitter-patter of the rain all make for a good setting. Sound designer Thierry Desseaux also thought it best to include a Marylin Manson song "Use Your Fist," which really goes well with the game and is probably its high point, since you really get a chance to hear it after beating the game.

The atmosphere's major saving grace is the music and sound effects. The music is dramatic and very flexible, changing with the mood as necessary. Although a couple of the tracks get repetitive and even slightly grating, for the most part the music does nothing but help the game. Likewise, the sound effects are appropriasse to the environment, including the harsh crevaison of the metal boat and the constant splashing of the waves upon the deck.

The developers of Cold Fear also added some good music and ambient sounds to the game as well. First is the music, which is few and far between. Not much music in this game. But Survival Horror games mostly tend to concentrate on ambiance, which Cold Fear does. The sounds of the weather, sirens sounding, cursing Russian Soldiers and many more things will be heard. Sadly nothing like Dolby is supported, but the game still does great on a monster sound system. My suggestion is as always, turn down the lights and pump the sound up as high as possible to experience the full effect of the game. Overall, a very solid effort on the sound and music.

Players can distract themselves for a while by enjoying the sights and sounds. The simple storm sounds and echoing ambiance of the ship and oil rig work quite well, setting a downbeat tone.

Sound is fairly typical for the genre, largely consisting of suitably dramatic, sometimes creepy, orchestral pieces mixed with a surprising amount of rock, which has a tendency to insert itself over some of the more frenetic combat sequences. As with all survival horror games, there are times of uncomfortable quiet and, during these, the sound effects do not disappoint either. Frenetic gunfire, blood curdling screams, the fury of the rain, and the groaning of a ship under siege from the elements, all contribute to a fittingly unnerving soundtrack.

Wow ! Ok, so the sound on this title is pretty good. It's so good that when you have it on surround sound you may well find yourself looking around the room at times as you hear yet another eery noise from someplace on the ship. The rain belting against the side of you and the ship is also very authentic and the waves crashing serve as a constant reminder of the fact you're all alone at sea and it sure aint summer. There are some fantastic sound effects in this game and the zombies and other baddies are scary in their own right but couple this with the dramatic music and you're in for a movie like experience.