Every year in October I try and play a “scary” game. This years pick was not quite on the horror side of things but I think it fit the theme well enough.

I’m a fan of Call of Cthulhu so getting to play a video game that is pulling from the table top game sounded like a fun time. Unfortunately the game is a bit of a mixed bag. I thought the story was solid, the mystery kept me invested but by the end it kinda fell apart a bit for me. I enjoyed the skill upgrades even though I wish they were used more in the game.

Gameplay wise some chapters I really enjoyed, like ones where you’re exploring an area and solving puzzles. There are some stealth segments that were hit and miss. Then there were some parts that were an absolute slog to get through.

I also have to say the game doesn’t look the best. Locations look alright and the character models are okay but the lack of proper lip syncing is very noticeable and kinda comical almost. Overall not terrible but not great.

It’s too bad cause it feels like one of those games that after you finish they want you to play again to see what you could do different. Yet it doesn’t have the quality to be a game I want to start up any time soon

This game started out slow but started to pick up moment after a couple of hours. I would've finished this game the same day I started it, if I wouldnt have gotten the plague tale syndrome.
You read that right, apparently when you get halfway through mission 13 (second to last mission), by failing a lockpick sequence locks you out of the game completely. Only way to fix it, is a fresh run. Absolute stupidity and i will not be reattempting. this game can rot in my library.
EDIT: Figured out how to proceed. Finished the game

The so-far best Lovecraft game I’ve played, this time a RPG venture. That being understood, it’s not without its share of jank. Occasional clipping, cheesy dialogue, and choppy movement are no strangers here on the island of Darkwater. Yet instead of annoyance I found it made the game more charming. A common theme of the game for me. Besides that if there’s one I can commend the game on it's making the game feel a lot bigger than it really is. For how restrictive the locations and interactions are, the settings and puzzles work quite nice. Granted The Call of Cthulhu is a far cry from the arena of larger epics, but rarely does it blatantly feel like it. On the flipside it made it all the more disappointing when I wanted to get more in depth than the game would let me. Most areas are only open a single time and you can’t go back and converse with other characters again.

As for the RPG elements, they were…. there. You’ve got your strength, investigation, eloquence, psychology, and so on. Your standard fare. The problem is, they’re never really explained beyond basic blurbs and you never feel their importance. They unfortunately come across as more cosmetic changes than anything. For it being an indie game I almost reckon they should have just forgone those RPG elements entirely. Again, the game is quite restrictive. Cozy, but restrictive. Having a fully-realized upgrade system is hard to make rewarding in any game, let alone a moderately long indie one with a linear story. They definitely should have waited for when they could make a larger story, where they could have given these mechanics the attention they deserve.

The absolute apex of the game has got to be near the ending, which gives us the best visual of the game. When Cthulhu’s silhouette can be seen across a tempestuous expanse of overcast clouds, heavy fog, and rocky waves. It’s absolutely stunning, and also leads up to one of the four different endings, all of which are tragic to some extent. Though it’s an impressive amount of endings I find it hard to believe you’ll get a specific one without random chance or purposefully trying to get an ending by looking up the requirements. Thankfully the standard ending is the best so I wouldn’t put too much thought into it.

At the end of the day Call of Cthulhu is a good Lovecraft game, but I’m still waiting for a fantastic Lovecraft game. In the meantime, I’ll commend what team Cyanide was able to accomplish in a woefully underutilized subgenre, even if they bit off more than they could chew.

Call of Cthulhu was inspired by the tabletop RPG, set in 1924 and featuring a rather sullen private investigator. I swear, this game was made for people like me who go nuts for the Cthulhu Mythos. It was far from perfect with some poor character models / animations as well as some jank systems, but it ticked a lot of boxes: the atmosphere, the visuals, the cult shenanigans and sanity loss.

Any form of combat was minimal, instead it mostly consisted of stealth alongside its detective work of questioning various characters and searching for clues. While some sections were frustrating, I really appreciated the story and had more fun than expected.

A part investigation, part stealth, mostly walking simulator Lovecraftian game. You are private eye type man who shows up to town to solve some mysterious deaths only to find that the townsfolk are at like stage 9 of their 10 step Eldritch God plan. This game does a good job with setting up the typical Lovecraftian visuals and establishing a backstory for the town and its characters. If you're familiar with Lovecraft at all, you'll see the plot of this game coming from a mile away, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I would say this game reminds me most of Amnesia, if you removed 90% of the monster encounters. Some of the sections drag on for a bit too long, and the very end was a bit of a let down, but it was better than I was expecting.

Fantastic atmosphere. Great usage of Lovecraftian themes, familiar but with some some fresh ideas in the mix. Story is concise and easy to understand.
The eldrich entity in the room is of course the graphics, particularly the models, which are mediocre at best and downright bad most of the time. The stealth gameplay is also not quite good. I put a lot of value in a game's atmosphere and vibes, so it sucks to give Call of Chtulhu such a low score, but gosh dang if it wouldn't have been a much better experience if they just cut out all the gameplay, put those development hours into the visual fidelity, and launched an amazing walking sim rather than a just barely above OK full fledged game.

Loving AA european games is something one is born with, and this game's atmosphere and pacing delivered for me where everything else tended to go the opposite way. The writing and performance are a step higher than the usual and the delivery of climactic moments (except for the ending) is well built enough to be satisfactory and engaging, with honorable mention to the framing of certain shots in the cutscenes.

The "madness" sections are irregular and sometimes feel underdeveloped, but they make it up with the sheer amount of "vibes" it brings to the table. Didn't thought I would care about some of the characters but again, a welcome surprise to be found here.

Nothing revolutionary but an enyojable 8 hour linear game with choices, nice visuals and a well rounded plot.