In the North the moredhel Are vicious to a man Get too close they'll run you through Any way they can! But know at night the Kingdom's safe With 'Warden at the pass, But count your piggies by the dawn The soldiers lose 'em fast. They squeal with joy and oink delight These piggies of the realm But count 'em up head and all The soldiers lose 'em fast.
It is indeed short, but the world is evocative and feels alive. There's little bit of back-and-forth fetch puzzling but not too extreme, and it doesn't feel like a waste of time. The game is charming, surprisingly spooky/moody, and puzzles are just interesting enough to fit a short playtime window without feeling too easy.
If you're not a TTRPG die-hard, and you like the original Lovecraft stories, give this game a shot. I get that some TTRPG fans feel this game did not live up to their hopes and dreams, but as someone who has not played the TTRPG — but has played many other Lovecraftian games that fell far short of the vibes and intrigue of the stories — I thought this game was great. That's probably all the more frustrating for TTRPG players since they maybe SHOULD be the target market... But I'll add that I'm now interested to explore the TTRPG *and* I'm fine knowing that it'll probably be "better" in many ways. Why this worked for me: I play games like this for the storytelling and atmosphere, on an easier setting. It did great played like that. No mechanical aspect of the game is totally original, but all done well enough (like the memory mechanic) that it was engaging and didn't feel like it was getting in the way. And it wowed at the end. I think first-person is a great way to communicate the cosmic horror/dread in Lovecraft's work and for me, and the way that the set and music and story came together at the end passed my requirements! I saw stuff finally in-game that I've always wanted to see. I admit that the pace of the plot and movement from one set/plot point to the next did feel a little rushed, not in the sense of any one of them being poorly done, but in the sense that it was a bit of a whirlwind. I could've spent more time in some spots before going on.
