Call of Cthulhu Review

by Dylan Blight (PS4)

Synopsis: 1924. Private Investigator Pierce is sent to look into the tragic death of the Hawkins family. Plunge into a world of creeping madness and cosmic horror. Cryptic clues, shadowy figures, and pure terror bar your way as you fight to retain your sanity and solve an otherworldly mystery.

The works of H.P Lovecraft have seen something of a resurgence of late and not just inspiring games like Bloodborne, but more direct adaptations as well. Call of Cthulhu is a video game adaptation of the board game more than the book of the same name directly, but the Cthulhu mythos created by Lovecraft is everywhere.

Edward Pierce, a private investigator, awakens a hungover mess having just experienced a vivid and terrifying dream involving the occult and monsters deep in some caves. Springing to life at his desk to a client banging at his office door, Edward jumps to the welcome surprise of a client, a happy sight given work has dried up for the war veteran who struggles to deal with what he’s seen in battle. But the case he’s presented with, that of the Hawkins and their Mansion going up in flames mysteriously, along with the fact Sarah Hawkins has painted very vivid, creepy paintings that ring out to Edward is enough to send him on a boat to Darkwater Island to investigate the case.

Call of Cthulhu gameplay still — **Prologue Gameplay**

Your arrival in Darkwater and the beginnings of the investigation in the Hawkins are some of the best parts of Call of Cthulhu. You’re given a small open-town to explore, talk to inhabitants and take in the 1920’s post-war era and it feels like the conversation choices you’re making — talking to the shipping master, police and local gang leader — are all going to make a difference down the line in what happens to not only Edward, but also the island itself…

Call of Cthulhu is at its best when it makes you feel like a true detective; talking to potential suspects; discovering clues and, of course, using some sort of detective vision to reconstruct scenes while trying to work out what happened. All of this makes the game’s first couple hours and more open structure much more enjoyable, but also feeling like a different game to the later sections.

The weirdest system chucked in last minute is when a gun is placed in Edward’s hands for a short section. You don’t even aim like a normal FPS, you just press a button and the game either hits or doesn’t…

For the most part, the writing and performances in Call of Cthulhu are good, only being let down by some bad lip-syncing and animation at times… Detailed environments help bring Darkwater to life and make it feel like a real place; the creepy small island with a secret society beneath.

With all that said, however, I enjoyed my time with Call of Cthulhu. It has issues and it definitely could have used much more development time, but it’s still the highest quality straight-up Cthulhu game you can play…

Call of Cthulhu doesn’t want to talk about any of H.P Lovecraft’s racist or misogynistic history… Telling Lovecraft’s stories without bringing anything new or interesting to the conversation begs the question about how relevant the works of H.P Lovecraft are right now outside of inspiring other creations.

Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game had me engrossed start to finish, even if its ending was predictable. Unfortunately it is held back by not having a unique story direction or a commitment to more consistent and fulfilling gameplay mechanics. It’s undercooked but an easily digestible Cthulhu adventure for fans of the genre. A fun Saturday afternoon in a psychological horror show.