For all you non cultists out there, the Cthulhu Mythos is chock full of horror, death, nightmares, insanity, and everything else scary. The developers at Bethesda Softworks are doing their damnedest to transport that world into a shockingly horrific first person experience. Call of Cthulhu ? Dark Corners of the Earth will let you feel what it?s like to deal with the intense psychological torture that is rife in all of H.P. Lovecraft?s work.
Call of Cthulhu is based on the Cthulhu stories by the twentieth century?s greatest purveyor of horror, H.P. Lovecraft. Though the game is taking place during the 1920?s, it will encompass many different aspects of great fictional writing. Horror, science fiction, fantasy, and all things macabre will be thrown your way as you travel and suffer through some of the more interesting locations in and around the town of Innsmouth.
As this is an unconventional first person shooter, the locations do a lot to convey the feeling of uniqueness. The locales encompass a wide range of looks. Cultist houses, strange laboratories, ships, alleys, dungeons, and alien lairs? You?ll have to wait to find out exactly where your strange journey will lead.
The antagonist of the story is one Jack Walters. You won?t find him in any of Lovecraft?s pieces, as the developers have free reign over the story with no restrictions from rights, since it is not entirely certain as to who owns the rights of the works. It is this fact that allows the developers, who have learned the Cthulhu Mythos down to the last detail, to continue the story even after the creator has died. This is evident in the character development of Mr. Walters, as he has the same traits that run through most of Lovecraft?s main characters.
Devout fans of Lovecraft need not worry about the developers doing to Cthulhu what recent books have done to our old favorite science fiction stories. The plot will be instantly familiar to fans, but it will be something new so as to attract both veterans and newcomers alike. Many of the creatures in the game can be found in Lovecraft?s books, which will either make you feel at home or sick to your stomach.
Speaking of the creatures, they?re not quite like anything you?ve seen recently. Huge sea monsters to lumbering land-dwelling beasts will haunt your vision, as well as your mind. The intense fear these monsters convey isn?t just for looks alone. The gameplay incorporates Jack?s insanity as a type of health bar. The more screwed up and crazy things he experiences, the more psychologically detrimental the effects he will suffer from. For instance, your vision may blur, or you may start to hallucinate. If things get really bad, Jack will get suicidal and if you?re unfortunate enough to be holding a gun in your hand, he may decide to turn it on himself.
The weapons in Call of Cthulhu, though deadly to both you and your enemies, will not be focused on as much as in action based first person shooters. In this game you will want to use your head more than your arsenal. Sneaking around cult members is better than shooting one and getting the whole lot after you at the same time. Interacting with the environment is also a crucial part of the game, and the developers promise that this ability will serve more of a purpose than just opening doors.
Call of Cthulhu is looking better every year. The graphics are gritty, but in a good way, and the gameplay is something quite different than what we?ve seen recently. Call of Cthulhu will be launching simultaneously on the Xbox and PC this October, so you?ve only got a few more months to wait before you can truly experience the strange world of the Cthulhu Mythos.