Call of Cthulhu

you know the game is good when it constantly crashes, has an alcoholic white guy trying to solve a case and is filled with eldritch horrors

Story: 8/10
Atmosphere: 10/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Lovecraft Authenticity: 9/10
Overall: 8/10
I dont care what anyone says, the game is great and despite some flaws and clunky animations this game stays true to Lovecraft's spirit and cosmic horror
(don't know about bugs/crashing issues, haven't encountered any)

This game is not about fighting.
It's dark, mysterious, investigative....and I can't really explain it....but it somehow gets inside your head.
Lovecraftian at it's best.
Choices matter and I really liked the main protagonist and the detective work he was doing.
I finished the game and never got bored. There is so much to discover and investigate making this a truly immersive game.
Give it a try if you like these types of games or if you just want to take a break from the gaming slop they serve us these days.
Not perfect but it's a classic and different endings and choices make it very replayable.

This is what the Dark Corners of the Earth should have been.
It's not perfect in any single aspect but it's a decent walking sim in Lovecraftian setting.
My only problem with it is that it's a type of game that could be played from a couch but the text is too small and there's no UI scale option.

all of Cthulhu is one of those games that relies more on atmosphere than anything else. The game nails the dark island setting, the strange rituals, and that slow-burn feeling of paranoia. If you’re into Lovecraft’s universe, this one hits the tone perfectly.
The story is solid, the investigations are engaging enough, and the RPG-style skills give you some variety in dialogue and choices. The psychological tension is definitely the strongest part of the experience.
But keep in mind: this is not a gameplay-heavy title. There’s almost no action, stealth is very basic, and the visuals aren’t top-tier. It’s a linear, one-time playthrough kind of game.

This game is... weird. There's something about it - I can't explain it, but I like it, and don't like it at the same time. It feels both high quality, and very unpolished simultaneously. The story is both very interesting, and messy, and the graphics are gorgeous in some aspects and hideous in others. Go figure.
But what this game does have for sure is atmosphere. The environments are accompanied by very unsettling ambience, so you kind of feel uneasy all the time - which is very good for a Lovecraftian game.
Speaking of Lovecraftian, the duality of good/bad qualities of Call of Cthulhu are actually quite poetic for the media made based on the works by H.P. Lovecraft, as these are the same feelings I experience when reading his books - I can't say most of his stories are very interesting/exciting for me, but the way he manages to create the atmosphere in his works, perfectly resembles how the developers of this game managed to create it in theirs. And if you enjoy Cthulhu mythos and if you can look past the laughably bad face animations, clunky action sequences and less than stellar story, I am pretty sure the game will be surprisingly enjoyable.

Overview
Hmm, hard to get started after being forced to play the game through 3(!!!) times to get all the endings and achievements to 100% it, I'm not sure how to go on with my review of this game.
The game, Call of Cthulhu (CoC for short from now on), is a first-person adventure/detective game played in the Lovecraftian universe, with its setting the early 1920's of America. Detecitve Edward Pierce accepts a new job to find out the truth about the tragic death of his daughter's (the Hawkins) family, and swiftly sets of to a small island on the west coast of the US, Darkwater Isle.
Once a bustling port of activity and trade for whale hunters, now a desolate and nearly forgotten piece of history. During his journey, Pierce will come in contact with increasingly strange events somehow linked together pushing further and further into the occult. The case gradually turns more and more complex as we gradually descend into the inevitable madness.
Final Rating: 86/100
Impressive: 85-94 (85-94%)
The story is roughly around 9-10 hours long where your choices do shape the the ending your will get from the 4 possible ones.
Whilst the gameplay and storytelling is excellent, I do have to prefice that in 2025, on a high-mid configuration and on Windows 11, the crash after trying to start a New Game without any meaningful log message to go on. To fix this you will need to set a global environmental variable in your system. The fix can be found here .
You can also just check this Steam Workshop Guide to fix this issue.
After that, I had no issues whatsoever.
Keep this in mind if you are thinking of buying it.
Strongly Recommended
Detailed Scoring (for those interested)
Gameplay Experience (25/25)
Intuitive Controls - Easy to use.
☐ Very Difficult (+1)
☐ Difficult (+2)
☐ Moderate (+3)
☐ Easy (+4)
☑ Very Easy (+5)
Balanced Gameplay - Fair and equal.
☐ Poorly Balanced (+1)
☐ Somewhat Balanced (+2)
☐ Moderately Balanced (+3)
☐ Well Balanced (+4)
☑ Perfectly Balanced (+5)
Player Engagement - Involving and captivating.
☐ Not at all (+1)
☐ Slightly (+2)
☐ Moderately (+3)
☐ Very (+4)
☑ Extremely (+5)
Decision Relevance - Meaningful choices.
☐ Meaningless (+1)
☐ Not Meaningful (+2)
☐ Somewhat Meaningful (+3)
☐ Quite Meaningful (+4)
☑ Highly Meaningful (+5)
Rewarding Progression - Satisfying advancement.
☐ Very Unsatisfying (+1)
☐ Unsatisfying (+2)
☐ Neutral (+3)
☐ Satisfying (+4)
☑ Very Satisfying (+5)
Presentation & Immersion (19/25)
Compelling Storyline - Engaging narrative.
☐ Not Interesting (+1)
☐ Slightly Interesting (+2)
☐ Moderately Interesting (+3)
☑ Very Interesting (+4)
☐ Extremely Interesting (+5)
Immersive Atmosphere - Captivating environment.
☐ Not Immersive (+1)
☐ Slightly Immersive(+2)
☐ Moderately Immersive (+3)
☑ Very Immersive (+4)
☐ Completely Immersive (+5)
Visual Aesthetics - Stunning graphics.
☐ Not Appealing (+1)
☐ Slightly Appealing (+2)
☐ Moderately Appealing (+3)
☑ Very Appealing (+4)
☐ Extremely Appealing (+5)
Audio Quality - High-quality sound.
☐ Not Engaging (+1)
☐ Slightly Engaging (+2)
☐ Moderately Engaging (+3)
☑ Very Engaging (+4)
☐ Extremely Engaging (+5)
Polished HUD - Clean and functional interface.
☐ Very Unfriendly (+1)
☐ Unfriendly (+2)
☑ Neutral (+3)
☐ Friendly (+4)
☐ Very Friendly (+5)
Design & Technical Aspects (20/25)
Game Design - Well-crafted mechanics.
☐ Poorly Designed (+1)
☐ Somewhat Designed (+2)
☐ Moderately Designed (+3)
☑ Well Designed (+4)
☐ Excellently Designed (+5)
Content Quality - Rich and diverse.
☐ Poor Content (+1)
☐ Limited Content (+2)
☐ Moderate Content (+3)
☑ Extensive Content (+4)
☐ Abundant Content (+5)
AI Behavior - Intelligent and realistic.
☐ Very Poor (+1)
☐ Poor (+2)
☐ Average (+3)
☑ Good (+4)
☐ Excellent (+5)
Settings - Flexible and customizable.
☐ Very Limited (+1)
☐ Limited (+2)
☐ Moderate (+3)
☐ Flexible (+4)
☑ Highly Flexible (+5)
Technical Issues - Minimal or no problems.
☐ Numerous (+1)
☐ Moderate (+2)
☑ Limited (+3)
☐ Minor (+4)
☐ None (+5)
Final Considerations (22/25)
Overall Satisfaction - General enjoyment level.
☐ Very Dissatisfied (+1)
☐ Dissatisfied (+2)
☐ Neutral (+3)
☑ Satisfied (+4)
☐ Very Satisfied (+5)
Microtransactions - In-game purchases.
☐ Extensive (+1)
☐ Substantial (+2)
☐ Moderate (+3)
☐ Minimal (+4)
☑ None (+5)
Replay Value - Longevity and replayability.
☐ Very Low (+1)
☐ Low (+2)
☑ Moderate (+3)
☐ High (+4)
☐ Very High (+5)
Cost-to-Play Ratio - Money spent vs hours played.
☐ Overpriced (+1)
☐ Poor Value (+2)
☐ Fair Value (+3)
☐ Good Value (+4)
☑ Excellent Value (+5)
Recommendation.
☐ No (+0)
☑ Yes (+5)