Call of Cthulhu®

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

Just finished this game and what I can say is it is definitely better than Dark Corners of the Earth for the simple fact its playable and not filled with all the bugs that crash or prevent completion. However Dark Corners of the Earth certainly has a creepier and more atmospheric town in its opening chapters. This game goes all the way in on the occult, cosmic horror, demonic rituals, etc... It's Lovecraft no doubt but truth is the game is a walking simulator but it does not break immersion and it does not overstay its welcome. The multiple endings and choice options aren't much of a real factor therefore replay value is minimal; but Call of Cthulhu is certainly good for one silent night.

Call of Cthulhu is definitely not a game for graphics junkies. The graphics are old, the animations and characters are wooden, 4k resolution only works under a certain condition and then I constantly had a bug where mouse clicks no longer worked.

Call of Cthulhu is more of a game for people who value detective work, investigation, puzzles, conversations and decisions, with horror elements. Nevertheless, there are also a few sneaking passages, escapes and a shooting scene, but they are all kept simple and rudimentary. This is probably primarily intended to provide variety. The story is good with a few twists, but starts slowly. The atmosphere and soundtrack are atmospheric. And elements of the Cthulhu Mythos have been well implemented, including the madness and panic. Even if I would have liked a little more presence of Cthulhu and all the creatures of the Mythos.

Call of Cthulhu is a game I would recommend but it has its downsides and it's not for everyone.

This game is not something extraodrinary and out-of-bounds in terms of creativity or gameplay. Plot-wise, it's following pretty much all of the cliches of Lovecraftian adaptations: the main character is a gloomy cinic detective who gets an untypical case to solve. As he follows the case, he discovers unsettling small town built near the gloomy sea with very murky waters and twisted history. Going to the roots of the town's mystery descends him deeper into the madness, and in the end you are free to either try to conquer it and break the circle of insanity, or obey the god fully and condemn the whole world into violence and destruction. That's... Lovecraft, yes, very much like it, the game follows the story it's adapting really close.

I would also add that it's a really safe game in terms of how the Lovecraftian adaptation can look like. I already mentioned how story-wise it's like a classic horror movie divided into three acts, and even the hallucination sequences are pretty... established. You've seen that before, the game is not going to open something new and never known for you here. Gameplay-wise, it's also pretty common. The only interesting thing about the gameplay is, that you are given several perks to level up in whatever order you want (although 'Spot hidden' and 'Investigation' are the only ones that actually matter for the story and endings). Such perks as Occultism and Medicine can be levelled up only if you find special details and things within the actual game, and I think that it's really clever (especially the way Occultism levels up).

The weakest part of the game is its human models. God they are ugly lol, even when they are still, uhm, humans and not Lovecraftian beings. I know that a lot of people critisize the game for being 'out of fashion', especially in terms of graphics, and yeah, I can kind of see that. But on the other hand, I found the environment really beautiful and eerie, so when I was not forced to look into any of the character's faces, I found the game really visually pleasing.

Despite being pretty safe and 'canonical', I enjoyed this game and its story a lot. You already know how the journey ends, but I personally loved the process anyway. It felt like 'In the Mouth of Madness' but in the videogame form, and the great voice acting also added to the cinematic experience. I also really appreciate the fact that you can get all the achievements and 4 endings in just one playthrough (just back up the save for chapter 10).

Отличный концентрированный Лавкрафт в игровом виде. Видно, что игра крайне бюджетная, но сделано с любовью. Местами прям очень хорошо, а местами откровенно слабовато. Не хорррор, но скорее симулятор ходьбы с эпизодическими элементами иммёрсив-сима, простенькими детективными расследованиями и локальной вариативностью. Не напрягает, но очень даже развлекает.
Интересный сюжет, постоянная динамика и разнообразие, нажористая атмосфера, жестокость, отсылки к другим произведениям классика и небольшая продолжительность (неспешно пройдено за 10 часов) вытягивают игру из болота "ещё одна игра по лавкрафтовским ужастикам" и делают её достойной скрасить пару вечеров. А ещё тут довольно легко делаются ачивки.
8 символов безумия из 10 культистов в масках.

I have a problem with this game, it gets into the game but after two minutes it immediately kicks me out. Does anyone know a solution to this problem?

Great game, atmosphere is super nice. Don't expect any combat save for one little instance, this is more about stealth and story. Took me a little over 10 hrs to beat, felt like the perfect length.

The game features a compelling storyline with a distinctive HP Lovecraftian atmosphere It is not overly frightening, yet presents a fair challenge when it comes to solving the puzzles.
For example, sending the monster back into the painting for the first time proved to be quite difficult.

The game is not excessively long for a single playthrough, but as its replay value is significant, depending on the choices made by player, there's plenty to enjoy.

Overall, it is a commendable game.

very good, i was in a lantern puzzle, saw the monster far away, pressed alt f4 and didnt play again, would really recomend

There's just a lot going on and I don't like it

it's boring and not good.

very fun, i got spooked a few times already

One of my frustrations with some contemporary games is that they throw in a new mechanic half-way through the game in order to shake things up. The problem is, I liked the game *without* the new mechanic: the first few hours were an intriguing, creepy detective story with some atmospheric graphics and decent gameplay. It was chill and non-stressful. But then there's an Assassins-Creed-like stealth segment in a maze-like building that I found frustrating and un-fun, and not what I thought I'd signed up for. So: if you're OK with some shifts in gameplay, I guess I can recommend, but I generally like my games to do one thing well, not three things OK.

To start off, I liked the first part with the Shambler. Also, the story was good. Those are the major points I liked about the game.

I didn't like the gameplay, except for the part with the Shambler. Most of what you do in the game is walk around and click to inspect the environment, which gets boring after a while. The skill tree didn't seem that helpful, it only affected how you progressed through the level short term (I think). Maybe there was an ending or something that you need to level up your character for, but I don't think so. On another note, the cutscenes in this game sometimes looked worse than the game itself. Some of them were blurry and the audio wasn't synced up.

Anyways, this game is probably worth it if you are into lovecraftian stuff.

The game is good but has some issudes on windows 11 but runs perfect on Steam deck

It's hard to describe this game. It's not a good game, not at all, but it fits in that very specific category of games that finds its charm on being bad. The story is good, not amazing or surprising, but good. The graphics look like a 2009 game. The mechanics are simple, it's pretty much a click and walk. But well... somehow all of this still makes the game worth playing, and therefore I would give it a positive review if they didn't mess up so hard in the endings.

The endings are terrible, and I don't mean in a "Lovecraft unhappy ending" terrible, but in a "why the fuck did I waste my time for this?" terrible. You don't even get to really enjoy the consequences of your acts, you don't get good final cinematics, just some really short cutscenes that are just... bad. After you finish the game, you have the impression of wasted time, not satisfaction, a problem that could be avoided if they just opened a little bit more their creativity in the final moments of the game, dared more, even showing us 10 seconds more of Cthullhu instead of a 2 seconds glance would be enough.

An average journey, a bad destination. I give it a 6/10.

Great adventure and interesting story!

I love Lovecraftian horror, and this game doesn't disappoint from what I've seen so far. Lots of mystery to keep you wanting to play and figure out what's going on in the story. Some of the controls feel a little clunky, but it's nothing that detracts from the overall experience. If you like mystery, horror, or anything Lovecraftian, this game is for you!

I deeply enjoyed many aspects of this game. The setting of much of the story is delightfully dank and eerie, creating a real atmosphere of foreboding.

And the character development via skill point allocation gave a feeling of agency in terms of how your adventure would unfold thereafter. I'd like to think that had I invested my points in drastically different skills, other options may have presented themselves to me as the story unfolded - but I'll need a second playthrough to verify that.

There are unfortunately a couple of areas where the game falls down for me, largely in sections where it inserts new/temporary mechanics that don't feel quite right in an investigative game of this type.

On the whole, I'd say this one's worth a play - but probably best picked up in a sale.

Crashes right after the beginning of the game. Very disappointing.

It has a great atmosphere and story that feels like a mixture of bioshock and the evil within to me, but the pacing of the story is so bad and it gets so stale near the end that I was just waiting for it to be over.

I don't know the original story about Cthulhu, didn't even read Lovecraft's story, but many works from today are inspired by this creation. This game has a good story, it isn't horror, but have some moments of it, likewise with detective elements, nevertheless this one have good soundtracks, amazing ambient sounds, memorable characters and a decent, even good atmosphere. I recommend this game to catch when there are discounts and play it, because it's good, sadly short videogame.

Great adventure game set in the Lovecraftian world. Simple puzzles, more of a walking simulator. But it has a Lovecraftian vibes, dark and engaging.

I will be honest, at the beginning it was very slow, but they knew how to increase the pace as the story goes. The mystery, the atmosphere, the characters, all of the aspects gives justice to the Lovecraft lore. Of course the game has not a lot of investment, but if you want to chill and play something without so much appeal in graphics and wants to enjoy a storytelling game this is one of them.

Spooky and atmospheric mystery that really lives up to the lovecraftian mythos and genre.

This is the first time a game has genuinely made me feel like I was losing my sanity, and I mean that in the best way possible. 10/10, amazing story, great visuals, and absolutely terrifying at times. It made me feel so small, which is honestly perfect for anything Lovecraftian or Eldritch themed. Will be hard to find a game that invokes that same feeling in me.

Creepy, but very cool. Enjoying so far.

Call of Cthulhu is a dark ride through a mad, cosmic horror nightmare with a paranormal detective story as your vehicle. the sense of place I got from each new area was immediate and impactful. The sounds populating these spaces are just as good. rest assured, it’s trippy, frightening, and asks as many questions as it answers.

I have to confess, I am a bit of a graphics snob and lately I have been more inclined to buy AAA or high profile games because they tend to mean high production values and nice graphics. I also have to confess that I will sometimes start a game and if it looks bad graphically I will give it less than 5 minutes before I will probably close it and never touch it again.

Right away I noticed the graphics look more like it came out a decade before it actually came out and the first character I met looked very scuffed. His animations were awkward and somewhat odd and like all characters his mouth partially disintegrated in the corners when he talked, something I had to ignore during all dialogue parts as it was very distracting for me.

Yet I kept playing.

Despite the low quality graphics these guys still manage to create a distinctively immersive gloomy ambience and environment you would expect from this genre and that is an important quality for me.

The voice acting is (mostly) great and despite the poor quality graphics and animations the story was immediately engrossing and I found myself wanting to keep playing to find out what was going to happen next. I even exhausted all dialogue options when talking to characters, which is rare for me.

The characters are mostly well done with meaningful dialogue that appears to change how the story will end for you, depending on your choices of course. Though in fairness I can't really say how meaningful each choice is, as I only finished it once and I have no intention of playing it all again for different endings.

Of course this is a slow paced detective meets Lovecraftian horror type story, so don't expect any fast paced combat or takedowns etc. However if you like this genre and can look past the bad graphics and animations I do think this game is mostly an enjoyable experience. There were a couple of annoying little puzzle sections and some deaths that were just time wasting as you really cannot avoid them until you trial and error your escape path or what you need to do next. But I can forgive minor irritations as the majority of the experience is positive.

Overall I am glad I gave this game a try and while not the best game I have ever played, it was a pleasant surprise overall and made me consider that I probably have many gems in my library that I should give another chance.

The game truly captures the Lovecraftian theme, and takes you into the Cthulhu world. It's one of the best, if not best, narrative based lovecraftian game.

The atmosphere and environment of the game pulls you in. My heart was pounding at stealth scenes. Great characters and voice acting. Especially the lead. Definitely a game to enjoy with headsets.

My only major complain is for some reason at some scenes (including the last game scene), sounds seem to disappear completely for some time. I saw the cutscene online and audio was there.

This game is the definition of it's good enough to satisfy. I enjoyed my time with this game, but it all feels so surface level, there's almost no depth to anything, with the only background information pertaining to the main plot and nothing else, and even that is just about good enough.

There are several characters where you wish you found out more about them, and while the main plot points are executed well enough, there really is a lack of substance beyond it that makes this story driven game fall short. Even the endings are mediocre, and while they deliver what you would expect, they do nothing beyond that to make you feel like there's any closure to anything.

It's also far too slow in certain parts of the game (particularly the last few chapters), it honestly feels like the developers purposefully dragged out certain sequences to the detriment of the game and the player. It's your typical 6-7 out of 10 type of game, and it's worth it if you can get it cheap, if not, don't bother.