Call of Cthulhu

Incredibly atmospheric and with a decent story but very, very linear. RPG mechanics are mostly fluff. They don't change much throughout the game but some choices do have significant impact on the ending. All in all it's not a bad experience for the money if you view it as a simple point and click adventure game rather than an RPG. 
Steam Deck
Runs incredibly efficient and looks really well on the small screen. Definitely one to consider playing on deck. 
(review time is from two full playthroughs)

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.

Recently, I have played up to 3 games, where their ‘Mostly Positive’ reviews score doesn’t really capture the game’s content or range. Call of Cthulhu is wholeheartedly a victim of such ill-treatment, in my opinion. Even though I am almost a decade late, being late is better than never, I’m not sure what bothered people to such an extent.



“Us, men of the sea, are superstitious folks.” Damp, isolated, and seemingly plunged into eternal rain and darkness, this island, with residents of myriad sorts and profiles, is where the “Call” summons you.

There’s horror… and then, there’s Lovecraft. I feel like it would take a lot to explain why it’s so captivating and scary… scary in more than just dread and terror, maybe in an appealing way. And even if I tried to explain it, I would still come short. This is one of the many reasons that make it just so abhorrently great, and to experience it in a visual and auditory medium is greater.



I think the greatest achievement in this game is the voice acting, which is supported by fantastic atmosphere, a completely deranged plot, and a set of events. The protagonist has more courage than I, for if I were in his shoes, I would have been long gone. The protagonist goes through multiple breakdowns and anxiety attacks which are a staple of the genre, however, the way they are displayed is what really drives them through: the protagonist’s-no, YOUR hair goes all sideways and your eyes widen but your vision tightens, your helpless heart pounds… and pounds and pounds, till you can hear nothing else, and then, when you gather enough courage to merely try to look up, at that… that thing which shan’t be named, is where you shake and collapse.

As always, the mark of a great Lovecraftian experience is to be so utterly done with what’s happening and just want out, by death or whatever means, and so was I by the end.



I beseech the reader, if he is a fan of the Old and Original inventor of these here dreams, Lovecraft, not to be dismayed by the reviews of this game and to play it himself, for this game is not only accurate to the lore it's based on, but it also presents it in a most mesmerizing way with a story and characters worth beholding.

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.

I first played Call of Cthulhu in 2020, and came back to it nearly 6 years later to replay it, looking for missing achievements and alternate endings. For games of a Lovecraftian horror nature, nothing I've played comes close to the greatness of this game.

This game fits several niches I enjoy in video games: detective/puzzle, choices matter, and Lovecraftian storytelling. The puzzles are presented in a way that you could fail one and still progress the narrative in a different way, which leans into the choices matter aspect. If you elect to solve or progress a certain way, it will have lasting repercussions upon characters and narrative. All of the characters in the story have compelling beats and good backgrounding to them (except for Roy, he just kinda exists a couple times). As the storytelling and worldbuilding goes, it's a dream for any Lovecraft enthusiasts as the character and environmental designs are just some of the most morose, decrepit, god-forsaken and forlorn elements you could render visually in a videogame.

The actual story itself offers so much depth, ultimately branching into four possible endings based on how you play through the game and what choices you make along the way. There's many clues, occult items, and character conversations that you could find in one playthrough and then find yet more of it in a different one.

If anything I've described above intrigues you, I cannot encourage you more to pick up Call of Cthulhu, on a sale or not, as it is one of my favorite games I've played. I would also strongly encourage you to play through the game without any guides or walkthroughs to fully immerse yourself and truly experience the story for yourself and allow yourself to make decisions you want to make, then if you want to find more endings/achievements resort to guides on a second playthrough. This game will always receive a strong positive recommendation from me any day of the week.