"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents."
-H.P Lovecraft
Developers: Headfirst productions
Publishers: Bethesda Soft works & 2K Games
Engines: Xbox & PC
Genre: Survival Horror, FPS
Well with all the video game reviews popping up in the VGAT I decided that I might as well post one for the hell of it. I will review a game that I feel is much underrated: Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. Based on the works of the best horror & science fiction author of all time (Not opinion, FACT.): H.P Lovecraft, this game remains to be one of the scariest games I have played in recent times and keep you guessing throughout. Though there are very few of them, I see this game as one of the best book to game adaptations ever. The company that made this game went under after it was released and it was published by Bethesda. Pretty upsetting because there was a planned sequel. It was one of those games that even though it had slight glitches, people were lucky to even get it. I will review this game in 5 different aspects: Plot, Characters, Atmosphere & Graphics, Gameplay and Personal opinion.
Plot
Actually based on the Lovecraft short story The Shadow over Innsmouth the game begins with an eerie cutscene of an asylum that doesnt make much sense until the end of the game. You play as Jack Walters, a detective who is sent to an intimidating, decrepit manor that sits on top of a hill and has seemingly been involved in dangerous cult worship. As you make your way into the house the inhabitants seem to know you and claim to have been waiting for you. Before you can get anymore out of these nut jobs they are either killed by police outside shooting at them or shoot themselves. Upon finding your way in the basement of their house there seems to be eerie sacrifices made to some sort of cult being (Supposedly Dagon but never explained.). After an experience with a strange being after pulling a switch you find out that you were found mentally unstable in the basement and were institutionalised in Arkham Asylum (An iconic locality in the Lovecraft Mythos) for 7 years which apparently have only felt like 6 months in the eyes of the protagonist. Soon you are called back to the line of work to look into the disappearance of a shopkeeper. This place and one of the many places you and Jack will go (And where most of the game takes place) in Call of Cthulhu is Innsmouth, a locale created by Lovecraft. Upon investigating the town you find that all is not right in the town and eventually get mixed up with more cult worship whose bizarre rituals to timeless rancorous gods who wish to wipe out mankind, monsters, and even real world figures like famous FBI Agent J. Edgar Hoover. Overall the plot is quite scary and found it hard to find a part of it I didnt like. The plot is the reason I got into the game having read the book and is obviously one of my favourite features of it. I highly recommend that if you cant get the game then find the story and read it because it is really a compelling story.
Total Score: 17/20
Characters
Look aside the Leonardo DiCaprio looks of Jack and his character are pretty endearing. Its the little things about his character that shines. For one its the fact that he seems to give people the benefit of the doubt especially in Innsmouth. Jack also has actual remorse, fears and guilt for what happens in the game. For instance in one very memorable moment in the game, Jack is looking for a shop keep that may have some information on the whereabouts of the missing individual but theres a problem: He isnt home yet. His 9 year old daughter, Roberta, is in and she says that you can wait inside. Great opportunity to investigate right? Right. Roberta seems vague when talking about her mother, saying stuff like shes been naughty and how shes in the basement. You investigate the basement and some gigantic green thing jumps out passed you. Once you come downstairs you find that Roberta has been ripped to shreds by the thing formerly known as her mother. From the rest of the game Jack is haunted by ghosts of Roberta. The fear system is another thing that makes Jack more realistic. Jack has vertigo, paranoia and Teratophobia. The representation of Cultists in the game in comparison to those of Innsmouth who dont worship the Cult of Dagon. Those who worship the reptile thing known as Dagon are shown to be half fish like things with a gargling like motion while the people of Innsmouth who dont worship Dagon are shown to be regular people with no abnormalities. Theres even a recurring character called Mackey who looks a lot like a certain author of this story. All in all the characters suit their purposes and while some are quite annoying, others stand out well and voice acting is impeccable.
Total Score: 14/20
Atmosphere & Graphics
One of my favourite features of this game is its atmosphere and graphics. A game that tackles subject matter such as this requires atmosphere. With timeless looking graphics that include gloomy architecture, darkened environments and gritty textures, the stage is set for shock and awe. To further immerse you in the atmosphere the developers have done away with any onscreen indicators. There are no meters for health or ammo and no maps or radar systems of any kind. Just an inventory system that you can call up. Your character will begin to slow down when injured and will grunt and groan as he limps along. You'll even hear the sound of bone-against-bone as his broken leg grinds when walking. Blood splattered on the camera will also give you an indication of just how bad you're doing health-wise. With its brilliantly done atmospheric lighting and dynamic shadows also benefits it. From the get-go the game has a very creepy atmosphere to it (As horror games should.) and it there is always a sense of Jack being an unwelcome person everywhere he goes. There are also random flashes to Jack memories in the asylum where you walk slowly towards an open asylum door but every time you make even a little bit of progress these phantasms ends abruptly.
The suspicious atmosphere of the game ends halfway through in one of my favourite points of the game where the entire town effectively turns against you and tries to kill you in a hotel. Your assumed suspicion that the town is against you is now fact and the chase is heart pounding. The graphics have a timeless quality about them. They are dark, grainy and full of atmosphere. The monsters are truly horrific looking. Sound is also beautifully done with great emotion and chilling sounds incorporated.
Total Score: 18/20
Gameplay
When compared to the average of games using as their core one these styles. Puzzles unintuitive or strangely easy (you are done and do not realize it); shooter erratic and with an infinite amount of respawns; stealth with unreadable patrols to almost render this nice possibility unfeasible. Anyway in most cases the game pulls through and no matter how frustrating it could become, and how close to real insanity it may push you towards, you very soon forget and forgive, since it has the virtue of truly making you curious of what is yonder the next, very dark, corner. For the first part of the game you will be exploring the town. The people can be downright hostile towards you so you'll find that it's best to avoid them when necessary. You'll be sneaking around in stealth mode, crawling through sewers, hiding behind walls and moving about under cover of darkness. You will have to talk to some characters to get more information but you have to be careful because it's easy to make enemies in this town since they seem to be hiding something. It's up to you to find out what. Things begin to pick up when you manage to get your hands on some weapons. At this point you will encounter hostile enemies and monsters that really rev up the action causing you to run-and-gun. I did find the second half of the game to be not as exciting as the first half which remains to be terrifying even when replaying the game, its one mistake and you are fucked. If there was any kind of complaint to make then it would be that often you'll find yourself in situations where there is only one solution. This will cause you to replay some sections over and over until you figure out where to go and what to do. Some of these solutions are arbitrary and don't follow any particular logic. When running away from an enemy for instance, you will find that only one specific hiding spot will grant you a safe haven. There is nothing to suggest that any particular place is better than any other. This is trail and error at it worse. At least if we knew that the enemy was confounded by electricity or metal, we would be able to locate areas where these elements were abundant. The game is still great and though the second half of the game is a bit diminishing but goes back to the stealth of the first half several times and anyhow, the first half of the game is what makes me love it most.
Total Score: 17/20
Personal Opinion
As a huge fan of the HP Lovecraft series I cant give this section a bad grade. Ive already noted that I love a whole lot of this game but there are two features of the game that stand out most for me is the health system and the sanity system. What is the 'Sanity' system? The 'Sanity' system is a representation of Jack's sanity in the game. This can be unbalanced by what Jack sees, hears and reads as he explores Innsmouth, and can be restored through finding areas of sanctuary or destroying evil creatures. You are always in danger of losing your mind. There is no meter for your sanity but it will be represented by your perspective in the game. Depending on your level of insanity you will defiantly notice. A loss of sanity can be represented in many ways -- such as hearing mysterious voices, hallucinating or suffering visual impairments (double vision and inability to focus). What is so special about the health system? The health system represents accurately the physical state of Jack Walters. The health system is much more advanced than a standard health meter. Jack can suffer injuries that will genuinely affect the gameplay. Break a leg and Jack will limp as he walks, wincing with each footstep. Break an arm and Jack will find it very hard to shoot accurately. Poison will sap Jack's stamina, and bleeding wounds must be tended to before Jack bleeds to death. Even getting wet and staying in a cold area will see Jack shivering from hypothermia. Luckily, there are many 1920s medical devices in the game, each with a real function, and Jack will be able to make use of these to heal most injuries.
The presence of Lovecraft lore in this game from other stories such as the cute little Dagon is something that would attract devoted Lovecraft readers (Like me.). Overall the game was nothing but pure enjoyment for me and I recommend it.
Total Score: 20/20
Overall Score: 86/100.
A great game overall. Little things like glitches and puzzles being too easy take away from its satisfaction but it is still brilliant and I find it to be a hugely underrated game and it is defiantly worth a try.
