Call of Cthulhu Dark Corners of the Earth – Review

For those of us who are avid Cthulhu fans, this title couldn’t come fast enough and that was never going to be a problem as it slipped like a Deep One out of Innesmouth bay. There came a point when I actually thought this was never going to see the light of day, but finally it arrived, albeit to some sort of hushed Lovecraftian milieu.

Call of Cthulhu Dark corners of the Earth is a first person action adventure title based on the Cthulhu Mythos by turn of the century horror author H. P. Lovecraft. For those of you unfamiliar with the Mythos, here’s a teaser. The Cthulhu Mythos centers around a race of ancient deities that once ruled the Earth. It is said, that when the stars are right these deities will return from their slumber and wreak havoc upon the Earth, they essentially are fairly indifferent towards humanity, so humanity is therefore in a spot of bother. There is FAR more to it than that, but I won’t bore non Cthulhu fans with the finer details of Cthulhu philosophies, suffice to say they are all badasses.

You play Jack Walters, a private detective investigating a missing person case. Things take a dramatic turn from the offset, but I truly do not want to spoil any of the story for you as this is pivotal in your overall enjoyment of the game. Needless to say, given the world it’s set in, there are twists and turns aplenty and your sanity is in peril. This is one of the reasons Dark Corners of the Earth differs from other run of the mill FPS titles, not only is it story driven and fairly slow in places because of this, it also plays with your mind and this is reflected in the gaming environment. Insanity is your enemy and there are things everywhere that will ensure you head down the path of despair. Labored breathing and warped vision are only two of the in-game occurrences to let you know you’re in bother. There’s no HUD system here, everything is intricately entwined in the visual and audible structure of the game, thus making it unique. A negative aspect of this title is that there are points in game when you will be at a loss just how to proceed. Even for an avid Cthulhu fan like me, some sections became overtly frustrating because I had missed a specific person to speak to, or a small piece of information. Taking this into account, this title is therefore not for the more gung-ho gamer as it will lead them to utter frustration.

The game is graphically true to the overall Cthulhu mythos, it’s dark and gritty and obviously set in the 1920’s for the most part. This era adds a new dimension because there are no futuristic weapons to be found, adding to the terror overall. Character models are fairly solid, they’re not the best you’re ever going to see on the Xbox but they do a nice job of relaying a spooky story as do the environments. The sound is well done, the noir narration of the main character may seem cheesy to some, but I liked it. Voice acting isn’t stupendous, but like the graphics the sound, does well to relay the dark ambiance of the story, specifically the inconsequential sounds that are everywhere; people chatting, strange creepy noises and various other things. All this adds to the daunting feeling. Deaf gamers are going to miss out on the overall eeriness of this title, but it’s still playable given the game has subtitles and many visual cues.

Female Gamers are going to like this title if they’re Cthulhu fans (as I am) or want something a little more noir for the Xbox. Needless to say the playable character is a man, heroic male ‘Dick’ as it were, there’s no option to choose a cool V I Warshawski type female investigator. No surprise really, given the 1920’s era and the fully narrated story. Ahh well, maybe one day we’ll get the choice, for now, suck it up like a lady and crack on.

As a huge Cthulhu fan it was somewhat of a blessing to get to review this title. Having played the tabletop version of the game for some years though, I’m not sure if this has helped or hindered me in my overall review if the game, perhaps a little of both. I loved Dark Corners for its game mechanic and immersion, but feel that the modern gamer is going to find the investigation aspects carried over from the tabletop RPG to be a little stagnant. There’s a world of difference between sitting in a room full of friends investigating something run by a human GM, to sitting in your games room, alone and stuck on a frustrating section of a one player game.

All in all though I must err on the side of the positive and say that the developers at least have tried something different, rather than sticking to the usual FPS, blast everything in sight style of gameplay. This is a slow, yet far more visceral attempt at FPS gameplay and it works. Yes it does have its problems and it isn’t going to be for everyone, but for those of you who enjoy this approach to gaming you’re going to enjoy this title very much. For the rest of you, sleep tight and don’t let the Nyarlathotep bite.

Review by Angela

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