Call of Cthulhu®

Call of Cthulhu® is a slow-burn, atmospheric RPG that plunges you into the dark world of H.P. Lovecraft's mythos. Set in the 1920s, you play as private investigator Edward Pierce, tasked with uncovering the truth behind a mysterious death in a coastal town, only to uncover something far more sinister. The game excels at creating a constant sense of unease, with eerie environments, subtle sound design, and a creeping narrative that builds tension. The investigative gameplay, which involves gathering clues and piecing together stories, is engaging, though it can feel a bit repetitive at times. The sanity mechanic is one of the game's highlights, as it alters the protagonist's perception of reality, adding layers of complexity to the narrative. However, the combat mechanics are weak and can feel clunky, making it clear that this is more about exploration and story than action. Call of Cthulhu® isn't for everyone—it’s a slow game that demands patience, but it’s rewarding for fans of Lovecraftian horror. The story is gripping, and the atmosphere is dense, making it a standout for anyone looking for a chilling, narrative-driven experience.

So I will not be making many Lovecraft reviews, but this particular title requires some feedback.
I paid during the sale (which is important to remember because of a few things).

First thing is I do in fact recommend it despite my lead here. There are a few older Lovecraft titles on Steam now. I'm expecting a few technical glitches every now then. This title as far as I can find has no technical issues. It does have a few other interesting things that I think maybe should be included in the description. For example, a warning about the "maze chapter" as it has been nicknamed. It includes plenty of tips and a mostly straightforward puzzle. Like many of the other "puzzles" things like the paper should have come first before activating the entire painting fiasco. I'm sure many will jump on my review and claim I'm just being salty. Maybe read a few things other people did before smashing your lighter. It was very obvious where everything had been placed. The enemies have biased logic that can see better than you can.

Another big mix of paint is the sum of the entire title. It's ambitious enough to lovedump everything you're going to expect from the Cthulhu chapter. It even includes "destiny" which so far seems to be a choices matter option. The issue with the amount of content in this title's class is that it's not an FPS. The extra information was a bit stuffy. It's basically this short action movie with Cthulhu being an extra (focus on the cult perspective). There's not enough time to admire or digest information with no bearing on your adventure. If the writers (or anyone else who imposed this questionable directing) had waited to include studying much later (post chapter 8), the information you collect would be useful to the detective. It wouldn't have just been this trophy filler.

That brings me to my more concise thoughts about the skill and player. The skill usefulness is filler. It's just stuffing to seem useful in interactions with your very short investigation into pretty much nothing half way through. There are times when the skill pains the player every now and then. It really isn't applicable in a transparent way. I'm open to suggestion, but I didn't feel skill added anything for me. It's NOT an open world title.
Just so many things it could leave out or change.
It's an old title now. Those are just my thoughts on it.

Будто играешь в бету.

Не рекомендую покупать игру, пока она не будет на 50% скидке и больше.

Вот почему:

- Сюжет: "Начали за здравие, закончили за упокой". Он слабый, нет никакого ветвления\вариации (если только концовки). Куски сюжета часто непонятно как связаны. И это обосновывается безумием. Но безумие на пустом месте, словно (как выразились в одном отзыве) "паразитирование на трудах Лавкрафта". По началу игра завлекает, но к середине разнообразие жанров, впихнутых в игру без какого-то нормального оформления, противодействует восприятию сюжета. А в конце выясняется, что это все сон собаки...

- Персонажи: Клишированные и глупые. Диалоги прямолинейные и слабые. Персонажи не раскрываются от слова совсем.

- Геймплей: Никакого survival horror тут нет. Есть отдельные jumpscare (дешевая пугалка), общая темнота на некоторых уровнях, да и всё.. Сам геймплей представляет бродилку по коридорному уровню с прокликиванием диалога. Ну и иногда поиском предметов на уровне и решения средних загадок (их мало)

- Удобность игры: Она плохая. Прыгать нельзя, бегать можно. Персонажи ведут себя неествественно во время диалогов (размахивание руками), мимика, если и есть, то не соотносится с тем, что говорит персонаж. Древо прокачки есть, но влияние на игру вообще не заметно (за всю игру только 2 раза можно было проверить вкачанный навык психологии)

- Мир, визуал: Этот аспект как минимум хороший, но деталей в мире мало, наполненность низкая. Но цветовая палитка и те крохи, что есть, позволяют как-нибудь почувствовать этот мир

- Нет возможности настроить FOV, из-за этого восприятие игры ухудшается

There is no gameplay at all, the game wants to seem non-linear, but it is super linear. But it is good for its atmosphere and plot. In addition, there are two screamers, one of which can be skipped if you do not take a cop with you to the mansion.

Solid entry in the HP Lovecraft genre. Great story line and plenty of well crafted scares. A few iritating sequences which required numerous attempts to complete, but nothing to diminish a very worthwhile gaming experience.

game plays like a choose your own adventure novel in video game form, whats here is a great story, and beautifully eerie areas, beat game in 10 hours though, so with that in mind i would not pay more than 20 bucks for the experience.

Runs pretty good on steam deck, and is a decent game overall

This is one of those rare games that I think could have actually been improved by adding more dedicated combat systems. The stealth sections are HORRIFIC and almost caused me to quit playing-- so watch out for that. Other than that, it's a pretty standard Lovecraft inspired tale.

The game crashes the moment I try to start a game. Turns out there are a LOT of threads about this issue. I'm going to have to return it unfortunately since there is limited options for fixes... too bad as it looks like a cool game.

Decent and laid back first-person puzzle game with a straightforward story. Was pretty engaged while playing.

Overall 8.5/10.

The good:
+ Really focused progression and not open-world and so provides a tighter narrative and less unfinished feel
+ Looking for clues and solving puzzles is pretty fun
+ Didn't feel repetitive at all and provided a solid amount of play time
+ Action sequences aren't the focal point but are decent enough
+ RPG elements and character skills matter and so provides some replayability
+ Alright soundtrack, kept me on edge

The bad:
- Graphics aren't too great and look outdated, but fortunately don't get in the way of a good experience
- No manual saves or quick saves, and there are huge sections you have to redo if you fail which can be quite tiring (though I understood why they did this, which is to keep even triggers fresh and prevent game locking)
- Some bugs when you alt-tab while in-game, leading to loss of control

this is a great game for cthulu fans. simple fun fps with good story and great atmosphere. the only downside to this game is just one weird and annoying puzzle at the later part of the game.

Really good game if you like lovecraftian horror. The atmosphere and mood is done well, especially the descend into madness.

If you like the Mythos then it's good to play, however don't expect anything wonderful. The graphics are okay, OST is great. Story is good but not the best out there for Lovecraftian stuff.

7/10

jogo de custo bem baixo e com alguns puzzles/investigações bem fáceis, mas excelente pra se jogar caso queira revivenciar uma história de H.P Lovecraft ou até mesmo se introduzir no universo

Don't waste your money, it crashes every time I try to open it. Not worth buying even at a discount.

I got this game 10/20/2020 at the time it was a good game for the most part. i play for about an hour or so. Fast forward to 4/12/2025 I decided to finish the game. Problem is the game crashes before I can even play for 3 minutes. I tried re-installing the game, new save files and other things to troubleshoot. Nothing helped. To be blunt, I requested a refund, that is how bad the crashes are. Save yourself time and money. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME.

If you love mystery then try this game. But don't expect too much from it. It is a 20 dollar horror game with good graphics and systems and story. It is far above many horror games of the same price. It does have issues however, such as a bad intro, heavy handed story that hurts the mystery of the game, and poor collision.

This is a great horror game, but it loses a lot of what makes it interesting on future playthroughs. Still, It's worth checking out.

As close as you can get to the original TTRPG Call of Cthulhu, a game I played and enjoyed in the 90:s.

Currently it's one of the best lovecraftian games. The story is pretty linear but you may receive different results depending on your character's abilities. This game has unique atmosphere of despair and madness, and this is a good tale to be told.

A very nice mystery detective game with a horror vibe. Definitely recommend it if this is your genre.
However, I didn't get the story completely in the end, especially what the role of the protagonist was in all of it.
There is one annoying action passage in the game that needs to be finished by using a specific item that can be overlooked easily. Otherwise, the game is easy to finish.

Good game! for the H.P. Lovecraft lovers, this game will be a blast!

Solid game, good story, and fun mechanics. Felt a little too short, but I also binge games so that's almost certainly on me. Highly reccommend.

A fun and interesting games built on Eldritch Horror by Lovecraft. Well done!

strong start, but gets a bit weak halfway through with continuously stiff characters and empty dialogue. also entire mechanic changes in the middle of the game and (for a choices matter game) unnecessarily big content leaps due to certain choices. life's too short to finish a game just for the sake of finishing it, so i'm leaving it as it is, but in spite of everything i think passionate lovecraftians would still enjoy the game!

More like an interactive graphic novel than a game, but an enjoyable experience. I've read all H.P. Lovecraft's work and this manages to pull off a pretty good atmospheric Cthulhu style tale. Voice acting is good, animation a bit uncanny valley but otherwise quite immersive. Seems to be based on the role playing game but there is little in the way of game mechanics, other than searching, running away and dialog choices. Ending is a bit meh and at less than 10hrs it's quite short.

Long loadtimes, long cutscenes, few choices - you're definitly led about by the nose. Very disappointing , especially after being in a very immersive, interactive world like in fallout 4, which is great example of what's possible in a game.

Terrific game beautifully thought out and very immersive. Easily one of my favorites for this genre. There is also a guide to follow and it shows some of the language used in this beautiful effort. I truly recommend it for fans of H.P. Lovecraft and Cthulhu who sleeps in his city.

Despite small problems in the narrative I think this is the best Lovecraft game I've played that is true to lore. Also unlike dark corners it actually has the titular character in the game.

It masterfully blends cosmic horror with immersive storytelling, drawing you into a Lovecraftian world filled with unsettling mysteries. The investigation mechanics keep you engaged, while the psychological tension steadily builds, leaving you constantly on edge. A must-play for fans of dark, atmospheric games. 8/10

Great atmosphere and just what you expect this lovecraftian game to be. Thumbs up for the setting, music and style.

Facial & character animations are the real horrific part of this game... Just close your eyes and listen to the voice acting instead ! The other downside I see might come from the linear aspect of the game. But they are a few key choices that will indeed influence the very end.

Overall, an enjoyable experience for a bit more of 10h play. For any true believer, you must answer the call of Cthulhu... !

I want to begin with saying that to me, this game was mediocre. It was not terrible, nor was it great. I am giving it a thumbs down because there is no option to say "meh".
The reason I think that this game is not very great is because I have tried to play this multiple times. Once on XBOX, and twice on the PC. I've gotten further into the story each time, but as of right now, I have not completed the game, and while I may revisit trying it again, at this point I am satisfied with leaving it as is.
By default, I like Lovecraftian/cosmic horror as a genre. I've read and played many different versions, and kinds of these and I definitely appreciate the work put into this game. It has all of the hallmarks of the stories I love. But it's execution really frustrates me. It's a very clunky game to play on both console and PC, and that's probably my main point against it because it's bad enough that it detracts from the whole experience itself for me. Unlike Skyrim and The Sinking City (with glitches that almost make it endearing or laughable), this alone makes every attempt to play frustrating.
I also don't really get sucked into the story like I have in other games, certainly not to the point where I feel like the glitches are worth putting up with. There's a lot of lore, mystery, and worldbuilding in this game, and yet I don't feel compelled to move the story along nearly as much as I have in other games. There is also something odd about this game in that it really makes me anxious; whether that's from the glitches and clunkiness or simply the background sounds I have no idea. It's simply another reason I don't find myself wanting to play.
If you enjoy this genre of games, and you don't mind the potential for glitches or the frustration of working with the mechanics, I would say this game is worth buying at full price, and if you see it on sale, it would be worth it to try.

More of an investigation game and less horror but very very good game!

I really like the setting and story and all that but it just feels so perfunctory where you don't actually have to SOLVE anything you just follow the path laid out for you. Entertaining but doesn't have enough puzzle/detective work in it to justify a recommendation.

TLDR; this is a 7/10 game.

It didn't make the best first impression. I'm not a fan of stat-based games with %-to-succeed tests because A) you just save scum until you pass that 10% chance to win situation or B) you get frustrated because you missed that 95% chance to hit shot. You can't save scum in this game, but you need to be able to finish it even if you fail every test, so all you get is some extras. This both softens the blow of your failures, but also cheapens the tests themselves. As a save-scummer that constantly reloads in search of the best outcome, this game forced me to roll with it, which I think is a positive thing. Still, I'd like a NG+ where I can see everything that's locked behind those pesky tests.

Visually this looks like a 2000s game. Wolfenstein (2009) came to mind often both in visual style, graphics 'look' and occult themes. The outdated look isn't a detritement in my opinion, on the contrary! I dig the aesthetic! And it looks beautiful and striking in places, though I must say the paintings, being so central to the game, look weak to me.

The overall story is interesting, but uneven. There's plenty of stupid moments, continuity breaks (Oh, I shot my last bullet to justify a forced stealth section? Oh, I just SHOT a cultist to escape in a cutscene minutes later? Ok.) and dialogues that flow weirdly. Games with very similar premises did a much better job: The Sinking City and Sherlock Holmes - The Awakened. There were some interesting angles the game could have explored, but they had to justify the Call of Cthulhu title.

As for gameplay, it's fine. Even the stealth sections, which considering this studio made a few stealth-based games, was almost obligatory. But one specific stealth section annoyed me and kinda soured me a bit on the whole game. Some parts are repetitive and annoying as well, adding little to the game and feeling like irritating waste of time.

If I sound overly negative, consider that I'm explaining why I detracted those 3 points. It's still a 7/10 with all that entails: most people will find this mid and some will really like it. 7/10s for me symbolize unachieved potential, which is a fitting description of this game. It's still worth playing if you have a Lovecraftian thirst, but it's light on the detective side.

Starts well, with a good premise and mood, but from around halfway the story and dialogues start getting weaker and weaker. No real gameplay, as it's just a slighly interactive story. Choices presented during the game aren't real either as they amount to no tangible change. All in all I still recommend it for those that like narrative driven games. It's almost 10 hours of decent entertainment based on Lovecraft's legacy. 6/10

wow would run, hobbled and half blind, from scary collapsing cultist tunnel again.... amazing pacing and i suggest you just play it, accept any failed tests, (although you do have option of reloading from last checkpoint, it has a single rolling save) as you will find out, doing things in certain orders and with different skills make big differences to story and options, some choices are timed and can change story drastically, so replay-ability is real, i was already wondering if things would have been different if i had entered a certain place before i did something else that got me beat up xD

and the sound! my old Astro A40 and optical Mixamp mk1 jived!

Walking simulator with good atmosphere. 7/10

Some dialogue lines are badly written and the progression isn't really smooth because of that.
Shandler part is just a bad game design. Monster knows where you are even if it doesn't hear or see you. Also there are no clues what to do in this part of the game.

great hp lovecraft , also a detective game , story 9/10 gameplay 9/10
the endings couldv been better thooo

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The game takes place in a bizarre and grotesque world where H.P. Lovecraft’s creations come to life. I enjoyed the interactions with the characters and the ability to play from their points of view. I loved the monster designs; they were so cool! I got two bad endings, although I could’ve achieved a “good” one had I not lost too many sanity points. All in all, I had a good time playing this game! ᯓᡣ𐭩
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I can see why this game was not well-received when it came out.

It is visually uninspired.
The characters are awfully bland.
The acting isn’t great.
The story is, as a whole, something that could have worked, but the way it was told and the way it escalates isn’t really stellar – and the ending(s) are hilariously awful.
Gameplay-wise, it is boring. It makes you feel like you are going to play an RPG-like detective game, but the detective part is “find note, find note, find another note” and the RPG/stats elements unlock a few things, but that is about it.
I also got really tired of all the “passing out” sequences.

It is far from the worst game I have played and the question remains if it is a good Lovecraft(ian) game?
I am not sure. It does feel like it belong in the universe and it does play on a lot of the Lovecraftian tropes and themes, so it may be a rather good inspiration from Lovecraft, but not a good game in its own right.

I feel like I wasted my time and I can’t recommend it. Not even when on sale.

Not bad at all

Great game based on the Cthulhu myth, some scary moments and different endings base on your choises during the game.
For me it's a 7.5/ 10

I’ll start by admitting I wasn’t familiar at all with the Lovecraftian genre of games; also, I’m not a fan of intensely dark, bloody or gory horror games, or ones that involve a lot of combat. So, I was not sure what was in store for me in Call of Cthulhu.

Having said all that, I was very surprised at how quickly I was pulled into the story and even though some of the scenes made me wince, I was hooked enough to just wince and keep playing.

What drew me in was that you have to invest some thought in building your version of private investigator Edward Pierce; how you allocate your character points determines the options that are available to you later on in the game and whether you choose to break free of the cult or surrender to it.

The game’s graphics are pretty good, it is from 2018 after all, and do a good job of creating a grim and foreboding atmosphere. I thought it was good enough to spend quite a bit of time taking screenshots. The main human characters and some of the cult beings were graphically well developed and looked pretty good; some of the others, not so much. The voice acting was also pretty good.

Thankfully, for me, there was not any intense combat. You experience several encounters with “the Shambler” creature that involves either running and hiding from it or luring it to a place where it can be ‘neutralized’. There are also some stealth encounters in the hospital/asylum and later in the village; I found these the most annoying. You have to avoid the ‘enemy’ while you’re trying to figure out where to go and what to do to complete the next task. If you’re caught, “Game Over”, and you reload from the last checkpoint. The devs were merciful however, and game saves are frequent.

There are four possible endings, and depending on how you allocated your character points, they can all be accomplished by replaying the last chapter of the game. But, there is also replay value; and depending on some of the choices you make during the game, a full replay may be necessary to snag all the achievements.

I really enjoyed this game and recommend it; especially if you’re like me and are timid about this genre of horror game. It really is fairly tame on the gruesomeness and combat scale. It’s worth a try.

10/10
The characters' premise fits my needs of perspective.
This might not mean anything, and I apologize if this isn't misleading.
I don't leave bad reviews, all efforts are a perfect score.

Great story, dark and creepy, genuine jump scares, good ties to source materials.

not bad of a game

Looks very nice, love the visual design, but:
* None of the choices you make really matter.
* The stats system was interesting, but barely affects the game.
* For a detective game, you never really get to do any mystery solving. Most of the mysteries just get revealed to you through visions and such.

Also, the requirements on getting different endings seem very unclear, and looking online it seems like no one really knows how they work.

Yeah, I really can't in all good conscience recommend this game. It's very bare bones tbh.
This is one of those very "Unreal Engine" games, I don't know how to properly explain it, but you might get the idea; mechanics that go nowhere or that are barely used, atmospheric but with awful character models and lack of facial animations, etc. This is supposed to be a first person investigative type mystery with some RPG elements I guess, but the game just leads you on to the point where I really wonder if there's really any type of different outcome, or if I can lose even, it is very easy.
Obviously the story is where the richer side is, and I guess it's okay, I mean, if you are that starved for your Lovecraftian fix then maybe this might take the edge off for a few hours, but that's all you are gonna get. There's just so very little gameplay other than a couple of puzzles or going from point A to point B, or even worse: fetch quests. That I even doubt if you can call this a game.

COC might have a moment or two you know, I give it credit for trying but it's such a messy mish mash of unused mechanics, bad dialogue and worse voice acting that it's just, you know, not good man.

2/5