Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones

Sadly, I thought this game would be more like how Lovecraft reads rather than how Arkham Horror board game plays. Thankfully it's short, otherwise I would have been tempted not to finish it. I was initially drawn in because of the art style, if you are a die hard fan of the setting then check it out. Otherwise, investigate before you commit.

Half of the game if there but it is worth it !

(English isn't my first language) Look, I love Lovecraft's mythos and I can talk about it for hours, but I'd usually start with "Lovecraft's not the best novelist around" and that's why I think is important to discern if something is "Lovecraftian" or cosmic horror. The latter is about themes and even though the game tries to play that note, I didn't feel really crushed by the futility of existence or whatever. And that's actually a good thing, because I think that wouldn't make a good RPG game. The game isn't "Lovecraftian" either, since it doesn't really add anything new or original to the way Lovecraft wrote his works. And that's a good thing, too. The game is just a loveletter and should be seen as such - I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't know its source material because its streghts lies in constant callbacks, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone who's enamored with Lovecraft's (pun very much intended) works uncritically. BUT! If you're just a little more than a casual fan of the Mythos, this is perfect for you. The game never feels bloated, because it's actually short for its genre and offers a lot of nice role-playing opportunities. I felt almost always motivated to do stuff so I could buy stuff to do more. To learn more. But then the last act happens and the game loses its momentum and... well, that's the one star down.

It gives a major puzzle but end abruptly half way. Also got quest that leads to infinite human enemies to force bad end route....

A few hours in and I can safely say that this is the best Lovecraft game in years, on par with Dark Corners of the Earth. In the same way Dark Corners of the Earth is not the best FPS - Stygian may not be the best RPG from pure gameplay perspective (especially if you're looking for satisfying combat). BUT. If you want to go full lovecraftian you HAVE to be somewhat awkward and unfriendly and this game does it just right. Combat may become a bit tedious after some time, however you'll never get tired of good dialogues and opportunities to roleplay exactly like you want. There are quite a few Lovecraft inspired games out there nowadays, but most of them fail either in gameplay or atmosphere (or both). So if you want to have a legit Lovecraft RPG experience, this definitely is a must-have. P.S. I didn't experience any bugs as for now.