Prisoner of Ice is a 1995 Infogrames adventure horror game set in the same universe as their 1993 release Shadow of the Comet. The game was released for PC and Macintosh in 1995, and exclusively in Japan, for the Sega Saturn and Playstation in 1997.
27 years have passed since journalist John Parker visited the village of Illsmouth and foiled the plot of the sorcerer Narachamus and his cult to bring the Great Old Ones to Earth, saving all of humanity in the process. It is now 1937, the world stands on the brink of a second world war, and in the Antarctic, a young U.S intelligence officer named Lt. Ryan has been assigned to the British submarine Victoria for a secret assignment. The submarine has just picked up a Norwegian prisoner who has fled a secret German base, alongside two mysterious cargo crates...
Prisoner Of Ice contains examples of:
- Antagonist Title: The Prisoners of Ice creatures serve as the game's primary threat, at least until you stumble upon the Nazis.
- Big Bad: Commander Dietrich, the German officer in charge of Schlossadler Base.
- The Dragon: Narachmus returns, once again trying to summon the Old Ones and assisting Dietrich in his efforts
- Face–Heel Turn: Captain Sears, the officer in charge of Edwards Base, is part of the cult. Not only that, he's actually Shelton, the man sent into the past alongside an infant Ryan by Howard Philips Parker. The experience drove him insane, leading Shelton to abandon Ryan in London and begin worshipping the Great Old Ones, eventually being recruited by Dietrich and Narachamus.
- Multiple Endings: The game has two different endings, "The Survivor Of Time", and "The One Who Never Was". In one ending, Ryan erases himself from existence, in the other, he survives.
- Orphan's Plot Trinket: Ryan doesn't know who his real parents were, having been abandoned by them as an infant. The only connection he has with his past is a metal plate with the name "Ryan" on it. It's actually only half of the plate, the other part having been lost when Ryan's father, Howard Philips Parker, sent him into the past from 1989. His real name is Parker Yan
- Previous Player-Character Cameo: John Parker is held prisoner by the Nazis in Schlossadler Base in Antarctica. He's also Ryan's grandfather.
- Ret-Gone: If the player choses The One Who Never Was ending, Parker Yan saves humanity, but in return, he's erased from history due to changing the timeline, as John Parker never fathers a child under the same circumstances
- Stable Time Loop: This is the true twist of the game - Ryan is actually Parker Yan, John Parker's grandson from the future. Sent back in time as an infant, Ryan's actions would allow John Parker to escape from Schlossadler, eventually marrying and having a child, ensuring Ryan's existence. The climax of the game leads to Dietrich being flung into the past, where he'd eventually set himself up as god-king of the Ayameras, the South American civilization that founded the cult, ensuring its existence in the future.
- Unusable Enemy Equipment: When you knock out a Nazi guard while escaping from your prison cell in the Schlossadler Base, you are unable to take his gun. Clearly, the designers didn't want you just shooting your way out of the base, à la Wolfenstein 3-D.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: The Prisoners of Ice turn out to be able to Kill and Replace humans.
- The End of the World as We Know It: Dietrich's actions eventually lead to the Great Old Ones overrunning Earth by the late 20th century and bringing down humanity.
- Those Wacky Nazis: The main antagonists this time around, fitting considering the time period.
