It´s a good video game this Call of Cthulhu, I really enjoyed because it´s not difficult to advance, it´s an easy game overall and maintains the thrill, for me have good graphics and sound and game play, I see a lot of bad reviews, well, I played a lot of video games in my 46 years in this world and this one is entertaining me, that´s all I want. I recommend It.
I won't spoil anything about the story.
Graphics are really good even when I first played it a year ago. At times are approaching almost photorealistic levels.
The sound is really good too, it doesn't get in the way and it supplements the gameplay as it should.
Gameplay is mostly a first person adventure game, free moving like a FPS, without the shooting part. You can take your time and explore all the areas that are available to you in a semi open world, at least the area you are in. Some parts might not be accessible for story reasons, but it still doesn't feel confined.
There is some inventory, but mostly a matter of finding things which progress the story, not inventory puzzles.
There is some very limited first person shooting taking place, but it's only a tiny part of the game.
There are times you need to play stealthy and not be detected. That's when timing is obviously important. There are also times when there is the "hunted/survival-horror" element, but nothing that takes too much over the pure adventuring.
There is a level up scheme, where you can develop your character as he is acquiring experience. It's not as detailed as a good RPG, but it is there and it does affect gameplay and how you notice things and how you react to things, including dialogue choices.
The game has multiple endings too, though they are not so much affected by much other than your last few choices in the ending part of the game. What the various choices and leveling up trees allow you is how you are going to play most of the game, the "trip", and not the destination.
I streamed it a year ago and I enjoyed it a lot. There are a couple of parts that frustrated me, but that's because I am terrible at both adventure games and the (few) horror survival parts.
If you are interested in ADVENTURE games, this is a must.
I am uploading my old vods on my secondary YT channel.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6-jDyxfn0ArKRXWu1bjlmmZ0N0VLs05P
So by the look of this game you should already have an understanding what to expect, namely, an atmospheric lovecraftian horror story with good atmosphere.
And in that sense, it delivers. While the graphics arent that good to be honest, the art design works well enough that you dont notice it. Sound is done pretty well, but the voice acting is kind of hit and miss, with some characters performances leaving a lot to be desired.
Storywise, its almost a bit cliche at this point, but you start out as a troubled detective and must investigate a crime in an isolated town. And from there the fun starts. While its nothing new, the pacing and presentation of events is pretty good, so in that sense you get what you ask for.
Gameplay is pretty baren. It boils down to picking up clues and talking to characters for the most part. There are some stealth segments throughout the game, but theyre nothing special. You also have a perk system in game, which effects how you can interact with some things, but its a bit underwhelming in terms of its effects and vague in terms of progression. Also, in the game you have a one way sanity meter, because its just goes down if you do things that "destabilise" you. But whats the point of playing such a game if you are going to avoid these events?
All of this wouldnt be that big of an issue if it werent for one thing - autosaves. You dont get to save any point of progress, thre are only autosaves. Meaning, if you want somewhat of a different playthrough, you have to start from scratch. Also, if you picked a wrong decision or didnt react to something in time (like me) and it autosaved, you are stuck with that decision. And have to go along with that playthrough.
I try to be forgiving to games for their faults and enjoy the things they are good at, instead of focusing on the bad stuff. But here it falls short too many times to be ignored. If you like adventures, Lovecraft, mysteries - you will probably get your moneys worth. Otherwise - skip.
It's not your typical horror-action like most games are today, since it's more about detective work and player progression. The lure of the series is felt as the story grabs hold of you and keeps you playing. I'm glad I gave the game a chance to see it through till the end. One thing is for sure, it's definfitely not a shooting gallery like most survival horror games are nonawdays.
- No one acts like a real person in these scenarios. Makes it hard to feel invested.
- Too much handholding with the detective work
- Scene recreation makes impossible inferences and the clues are sometimes not even there outside of the detective mode.
- Audio is really nice
- Graphics are ugly
- Cutscene graphics are worse than gameplay graphics, and yet all the action happens in cutscenes, which definitely ruins immersion. The game would feel a lot more tense if all the big moments didn't happen in a controlled cutscene.
- Logistics of the island don't make sense. So many cultists for a tiny island that looks like it has maybe 50 people on it.
- Seems weird that stats can be upgraded in a game that takes place over a few days at most. Should be an array of stat choices at the start which remain fixed.
- Probability based skill checks are a bad idea for a game this short with so few checks. A master psychologist fails to understand basic symbology??
- The plot feels confused and like it wants to do multiple different things. Just like gameplay.
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