![]() ![]() Noire and SOMA comparisons earlier weren’t just random examples. It was the moment I sadly suspected that everything would be downhill from here.Īnd indeed, things did go downhill. It’s such a jarring shift in genres, moving straight into Outlast territory. And about four chapters into the game, it became sadly obvious why this was.Īfter a few chapters of talking to people around town and investigating the crime scene, we follow a cultist down a hidden passage, which led to a rockslide that knocks Pierce out, which winds him up in an asylum where he’s held against his will until a female doctor lets us loose and encourages us to escape, and so TAH-DAAAHHHH!!! Forced stealth section time!! One where you can’t knock out any guards and immediately die if they catch you! And just to pile on the helplessness, the game discourages hiding because it creates claustrophobia, decreasing your sanity meter. You may have noticed, however, that in neither of those previews were we shown anything outside of the investigations. Of course, if you’ve read any of our previews, that doesn’t come as a shocker. So the investigation aspects in Call of Cthulhu are well-crafted and fun. When mixed together, it all enhances the mystery, especially when it works with the murky, moody island of Darkwater, where green palettes dominate and you get the feeling that bizarre horrors are constantly watching you. We also have reconstructions of crime scenes that utilize Pierce’s detective skills, walking around past moments and trying to successfully create an image of what went down. It helps that the the story is mostly intriguing, so there’s interesting stuff to discuss. ![]() It’s simple Fallout-style skill checks, but it still works. These investigation aspects naturally carry over to the dialogue as well. It seems like a simple touch, but it does contribute greatly to the level of immersion, really bringing out the role-playing elements. ![]() A high level means he can identify them and theorize how they fit into the current case. A low level of medicine means Pierce may just notice a bottle of pills. How this affects things is that your skill level in one area determines what Pierce figures out. These range from knowledge of the occult and psychology to even being able to spot hidden objects. Players begin by filling out Pierce’s character sheet, adding character points to one of seven areas that determine his abilities. The investigation segments are the meat of Call of Cthulhu’s gameplay and rightfully so. Oh, and there’s the monstrous creature known as The Shambler that emerges from this. So now not only does Pierce have to solve the case through various investigations, he also has to deal with bizarre visions and voices that come from Sarah’s work, as well as a cult that demands it as well. Unluckily for him, it appears Sarah specialized in painting certain horrors that were not meant to be seen. Luckily for him, he’s called to investigate the circumstances between the death of artist Sarah Hawkins and her family on the mysterious Darkwater Island. Set in 1924, the story involves private eye Edward Pierce, a WWI veteran desperately in need of a case. No, Call of Cthulhu sadly ends up being less of a descent into madness and more into sheer mediocrity. Noire’s detective work and SOMA’s horror from the depths and beyond? Sign me up! I could do with a good descent into madness!…Which, unfortunately, I didn’t get. Even moreso when this intrigue led me to learn more about the game. But then a friend started talking about how they were highly anticipating the video game adaptation, and I was intrigued. Let alone the Call of Cthulhu tabletop RPG. I know of it and its influences, but I have yet to truly experience any notable works involving it. One of the perks of a job such as this is the opportunity to explore different genres and franchises outside of your comfort zone. ![]()
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