The new Call of Cthulhu game seemed promising. The impressive gameplay demos and trailers looked like it could produce one of the most remarkable games in 2018, especially when it was released near Halloween. However, if you are someone that is searching for a good scare, the game doesn’t manage to live up to its expectations, unfortunately.
Call of Cthulhu Is A Confused Game
Call of Cthulhu is essentially a very confused game that doesn’t really know what it truly wants to be, resulting in a series of half-baked thoughts that never truly developed or fleshed out in a major way. Most times, it offers a detective type game where players will need to analyse crime scenes, collect clues, and interview several witnesses.
However, sometimes it comes across as an RPG, much like Dues EX, where players will need to overcome various challenges. Then there are even times when the game acts like a poorly-made walking simulator. Players will notice that a few stealth sections have been added for good measure. However, as the game is on the short end when it comes to completing the game, most of the mechanics can only be experienced a limited number of times which makes it feel shallow and tacked-on.
The Call of Cthulhu Detective Elements
The detective portions of the game are undoubtably the strongest aspect of the game, as they provide more light on the overall story, which is the only redeeming quality of the game. It’s very entertaining to interact with people that are located in Darkwater, as players will learn each of their backstories and will be able to discover more about the mysterious island. Another aspect that doesn’t hurt is the Lovecraftian backdrop, as well as the core mystery which is quite interesting, allowing players to see the game through until the very end even though the gameplay ranges from dull to exceptionally awful.
The Call of Cthulhu RPG elements is best described as dull. The RPG elements are the perfect example of the game features that has only been partially developed. In fact, the RPG elements are inconsequential following the first stat-selection process. You will be able to spend points on a handful of categories for Edward Pierce, selecting to focus on factors like Eloquence, helping him to get more information from conversations, and Strength, helping him to strong-arm his way around certain situations. Players can also upgrade multiple skills which will definitely come in handy. However, there’s no skill tree system, which means there’s not much you can do in terms of improving the skills if you didn’t utilise the points at the start of the game.
Even if the skills are completely upgraded, players will still struggle with picking locks or getting information from characters. The only way that the game’s skills are truly effective is when they are completely upgraded. Therefore, even if the new Call of Cthulhu game provides several opportunities to complete certain objectives, players will often be locked out of each option except for one.