Cyanide Studios Show That They Understand Lovecraft with Call of Cthulhu

Lovecraft is a tricky thing to nail. The nature of the stories make for cool monsters in video games, but make for a much harder direct translation. A lot of games are inspired by Lovecraft, but few dare to attempt direct adaptations. Cyanide Studios took on the difficult endeavor with Call of Cthulhu.

This game is actually licensed from the Call of Cthulhu pen-and-paper RPG, instead of using Lovecraft’s stories themselves. Despite being a massive fan of the written works of H.P. Lovecraft, I’ve never delved into the RPG. Seems like it makes the translation to video game a little simpler for this creepy world.

Into the Mountains of Madness

You’ll begin the game by choosing your stats, which will carry with you for the rest of the game much like the pen-and-paper game. This will affect your ability as a private detective, affecting attributes like investigation or coercion. Each playthrough aims to present multiple ways of seeing investigations, allowing for numerous outcomes.

Investigations are the name of the game here, as our main character Edward Pierce pieces together crime scenes. Complete with hard-boiled private eye narration, of course. These look like a lot of fun to figure out, as did the conversation that occurred afterwards. What you’ve discovered opens up different options for conversation, as does your standing relationship with the character being spoken to. What struck me the most about this demo was the many routes laid before you.

The demo ended with a chase scene following a foe that no one else saw. It also ended on a fantastic cliffhanger, as a secret room revealed more mystery. The painter you’re investigating has done a portrait of your character, despite having never seen them before. What followed was some brief glimpses of many Lovecraftian things (maybe Nyarlethotep?!). It seems to be going deep into the well.

Horrors No Mortal Should Ever Face

I mentioned that Call of Cthulhu understands Lovecraft stories, and this is very true. You can never confront the creatures directly, which Lovecraft games always get wrong. These monstrosities are beyond human comprehension. Any direct confrontation should leave men and women utterly broken.

Sanity also plays a key role. The developers said the choices you make will affect your level of insanity, and therefore your endings and routes. The key is that you will always go insane. There should be no happy endings when dealing with cosmic horrors.

Look for this spooky game in 2019. In the meantime, hear what else I had to say in our E3 Day 1 Recap, beginning at 1:04:54.