4 stars (Something wicked this way comes. . .) - There's something brilliantly terrifying about an evil that is so powerful that mankind ultimately stands no chance of defeating it, and yet so sly and so subtle that it could walk up to you and shake your hand without you being any the wiser.
Welcome to the Cthullu mythos.
H.P. Lovecraft's seminal world of myth and madness has been criminally underused, especially in the video game industry. Aside from echoes of his style found in horror titles like Silent Hill or (even moreso) Eternal Darkness, most of the survival horror genre tends to toward the more plebian and campy nature of the Resident Evil games. However, Cthullu gurus now finally have a game straight from the source to sate their horror appetite with Call of Cthullu: Dark Corners of the Earth.
And hey, it's actually pretty darn good too.
Dark Corners of the Earth is primarily a first-person action/adventure game, mixing mind-bendingly fun puzzles, spine tingling suspense/horror, and skin-crawling action for a unique and (if it's your bad) very entertaining gaming experience. The story, an adaptation of Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Insmouth, is a very well-paced, well-presented, and overall engrossing tale of one man's struggle against terror and insanity. Speaking of which, insanity has visible effects in the game, much like Eternal Darkness's Sanity Meter. The more horrifying things you witness, the more slippery your grasp on reality becomes.
Which will make you start physically looking over your shoulder when the creepy really starts to get to you, mostly because this game's middle name is "immersion." The first-person perspective puts you in the middle of everything, providing the kind of constant "in the world" feel that games like Half-Life 2 excel at. However, Dark Corners goes the extra mile, providing a "HUDless" screen, further pushing the player into the game's whispering and macabre world. Along with the game's stylized graphics (which do a solid job overall) and tremendous use of sound (for music as well as both for voices and. . . well, other stuff; you'll find out), the game has enough enticing scares to have you soiling your britches within the first hour of play.
Which isn't to say that the actual game is perfect. While the graphics are very solid, the textures also suffer from some sameness and lack of detail in places, especially compared to some of the XBOX's premier lookers like Half-Life 2 and Chaos Theory. Additionally, there are times When manipulating objects for the game's myriad of puzzles proves a little problematic (let's face it, consoles still don't quite have that aspect of adventure games down pat).
However, even with these minor shortcomings, the game is easily one of the most unique and enjoyable horror experiences available on consoles. It's not the kind of fast-paced brain candy scare/action adrenaline rush that you'll find in titles like Resident Evil 4, but if you're looking for a dark, smart tale of terror dripping with atmosphere, you couldn't go wrong with this one.
5 stars (This is not a review) - Does anybody know what the combination is to the safe in the variety store? If you do, please type it in.
4 stars (The Innsmouth Look) - I've been waiting for this game for several years. I watched in dismay as what was originally going to be a multiplyer PC game shrank into a single player adventure. Finally, I thought it would never come out. That made me sad, as there have been too few Call of Cthulhu computer games (The last great one being Shadow of the Comet). Thankfully, this one was worth the wait.
The Shadow Over Innsmouth was one of HPL's more creepy and claustrophic tales and it is so wonderful to see it translated so well into a game. Seemless plot and some real pulse-pounding moments make this game a must-buy for Lovecraft fans and anyone else who likes the horror genre. Forget Silent Hill and Resident Evil, this is the real deal. Like the pen & pencil game of the same name, this one relies on brain more than brawn but doesn't present any really obtuse puzzles.
I hope this is the first of many CoC-related computer games for the 21st Century. Howard himself would be proud of the dedication that went into visualizing his creation. |
