Cyanide's Call of Cthulhu - "RPG-Investigation" game based on tabletop ruleset

[Life of the Party]

 

[toro]

I want to be a Yithian.

What!? A dragon is not good enough for you?

 

[toro]

That dialog is killing it. Literally.

 

[Background Character]

Conarium spoilers

Couldn't you become a yithian/mi-go/thing and the end of one of the endings of Conarium?

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.pcgamer.com/a-brief-taste-of-call-of-cthulhu-shows-cosmic-horror-promise/

A brief taste of Call of Cthulhu shows cosmic horror promise
Call of Cthulhu feels like a mostly authentic adaptation, which means you'll probably be insane by the end.

After the first three hours of Call of Cthulhu were over, I was pretty sure that I would be playing game. It was like a first episode of a TV series tailored for my brain: Calculated to draw me in, interest me, and keep me going for a bit longer until I'm fully hooked. "A bit longer" comes soon: the game releases on the 30th of October.

It actually took me almost four hours to play through what the developers called “the first three hours” of the game, since I reloaded a couple times to try out branching paths. Call of Cthulhu is going hard on statues of monsters, spooky cultists, and unsettling dreams. It’s not going to go too hard on the sense of cosmic unease or suspense, as you might expect from anything Lovecraft. That’s there, but instead Call of Cthulhu is choosing to focus on a horrid sense of place and gothic decline. For me, that’s two out of three on the Cthulhu story scorecard. That’s not so bad!

Years ago, I questioned this game as a premise: Could it ever really be a faithful adaptation of the tabletop Cthulhu experience? That’s what publisher Focus Home Interactive bills this game as: The Official Adaptation. It's been delayed and seemingly restructured since my first look. Cyanide Studio’s final plot appears, based on the first few hours, more like what tabletop Cthulhu players might call a “purist” adventure—you’re probably going to end up dead or in an asylum by the end. That suits me fine. In fact, I’d be overtly critical if it went any other way in an investigative cosmic horror game.

Cyanide’s Call of Cthulhu depicts a 1920s America trying to forget The Great War and sliding surely into the The Great Depression. You play as Edward Pierce, a failing private investigator using drinks and sleeping pills to forget what he saw in the war. You’re sent from Boston out to remote Darkwater island to find out the fate of the Hawkins family, burned to death in a fire in their mansion. Darkwater is a perfect 20s locale: Remote, desperate, and decaying, an island slowly falling apart since the end of the golden age of whaling nearly 80 years past.

Call of Cthulhu has attention to historical detail in many places—especially in clothing and material culture, the look of books and guns and boats and buildings. It’s what you need to claim the CoC tabletop legacy, which has always been a period piece, and on that front it's a big success.

The demo falls short in other places. An artist’s drawings and paintings look much more like video game concept art than any school of painting active in the 20s. The voice actors’ accents are a butchered combination of standard American English with an occasional Massachusetts twists. A heavy film grain gives an aged look to the whole game, but it doesn’t do much for limited, oppressive, and muted color palette Cyanide has chosen.

The characters I met in the first few hours on Darkwater island were an interesting mix of stock horror types and a few twists I was grateful for. For example, there’s an uncooperative, nigh obstructionist, police officer... who later turns to your side. Or a tough, distant femme fatale… but she’s the boss of the local bootleggers rather than a link in the investigative chain.

The actual action of controlling this game as you go about your investigation is nothing too special, but it doesn’t really have to be. It’s a game that will live or die on its plot and visuals. It’s still very much going to be what James saw last yearand called a walking simulator RPG with investigative and horror elements. You spend a lot of time walking, talking, out-talking, talking to yourself, and doing skill checks against your RPG stats to find things or open doors.

There are small branching sections in the early part of the game, but they really don’t seem to change much unless Call of Cthulhu has some deeply buried Witcher-esque plot turns based on early actions. It’s not a sandbox kind of mystery, nor does it seem like it’s going to do much more than linear horror games or exploration games it draws so heavily from.

For all that, I did feel like I was in a tabletop CoC adventure. I blundered around, talking to anyone who seemed relevant. I vacillated on which scheme would most likely accomplish my goals, tried stealth and failed, then tried to talk my way out of it and failed at that, too.

Skills, you see, have a very low chance of success most of the time. Like really bad shots in XCOM: We’re talking 30 percent or less, closing in on 40 percent for your best stuff. That means if you try to sweet talk someone, or pick a lock, you’re going to be very thankful when you succeed. Some skills, like Occult or Medicine, can’t even be increased with your skill points. You have to find objects in the world to increase them. Because of that, I really felt like an investigator—I found myself checking under every table, on every bookshelf, and behind every door. The monotony of this was, at least in the short term of the demo, well countered by the terror that I knew could come at any moment.

One quibble though: Everyone knows not to read books in Call of Cthulhu. This Pierce guy picks up every book he sees, and if that ends with him not going stark raving mad, l I’m going to be pissed.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

As a Keeper of Arcane Lore myself, I am massively excited for this game especially knowing that scenario writers from Chaosium had a hand in the writing of it. But I am also wary of my excitement and am fully prepared to be disappointed.

 

[glass blackbird]

Cyanide's yet to actually make a good game, so I'd be fucking shocked if this one turns out that way. It'll at least be a funny mess I guess, but I don't think you should hope for more than that.

 

[Infinitron]

More previews: http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/121363-call-of-cthulhu-previews-2.html

IGN talks about the game's systems:

It’s at Darkwater that Call of Cthulhu's gameplay loop becomes clear. Like the pen and paper game, you invest character points, gained through experience into your skill tree, which makes you a better detective. Putting points into eloquence, strength, medicine, psychology, ‘spot hidden’ and occultism all theoretically make your mystery solving job easier.

This is most transparent when talking to the various NPCs scattered around Darkwater. If you don’t have enough points in eloquence, for example, tough luck getting what you want from the bartender. Or if you don’t have enough invested in psychology, you’ll be rebuffed by a cop who you try to reason with.

You can also apply your skills while exploring. If you don’t invest enough in strength, you’ll theoretically struggle with turning a handle to open a trap door, and hidden objects will be harder to find without enough invested in the spot hidden skill. Ultimately though, none of this really seemed to matter. I still turned the handle with a low strength rating. I could still find enough clues to proceed without much invested in the hidden spot skill. Hopefully, as Call of Cthulhu progresses, there’ll be more transparency around how these skills work, and how you can use them more obviously to your advantage.​

TechRaptor mentions the game's lack of combat:

Call of Cthulhu is a strictly non-combat game. Sometimes you may have to threaten someone or throw a punch at them, but this is all done through dialogue. It’s also very much a role-playing game. I use this term because it’s based on the popular pen-and-paper series of the same name. Call of Cthulhu wants you to know this immediately, as it presents you with a character sheet.

There are seven stats on this screen. Five of them you dump points into, such as Psychology and Investigation, and the other two, Medicine and Occultism, improve as you find things in the environment. The game puts a strong emphasis on these stats, which influence much of what you do. There’s almost a Deus Ex-like feel to the way it tries to present multiple ways to tackle an objective. For example, you could talk your way through a situation, or find a way to sneak in the back and utilize other skills.​

GameSpace notes that the game currently lacks some much-needed polish:

Then there’s the issue of polish. Lip syncing can be downright bad. Animations can seem wooden. Objects clip, like the lantern in the second picture of this preview, or simply glitch out. I also encountered a game-stopping dialogue bug twice in my first two hours where you simply choose an option or back out forcing you to reboot the game. With a month left before launch, it’s possible that Cyanide could clear all of these up, but it’s worth noting all the same: Cthulhu needs a nice layer of polish before being sent out the door.

This is a game to wait for a review on before buying. That said, after playing it for myself, I don’t plan on giving up on it quite yet. Despite being a bit shallower and on-rails than I’d like it to be, it’s also hitting a lot of the right notes too. I’m still waiting in that delightful dread to find up what terrible thing happened to the Hawkins family. I’m still primed and ready to face off against Lovecraft’s nameless horrors. If Call of Cthulhu misses a few gameplay and polish notes, it hits other mythos notes that leave me wanting to know more. Whether it will be worth seeing through is still an open question.​

And Cultured Vultures praises the game's ominous atmosphere:

Eventually, Pierce will make his way to the family’s mansion, which I won’t divulge the details of to not spoil things — let’s just say you aren’t in Kansas anymore. This is where Call of Cthulhu really starts to come into its own, the mansion dripping with character and every inch of it worth exploring. That’s what’s so captivating about this most recent adaptation of Lovecraft’s lore, that it nails the ominous feel without resorting to cheap tactics.

[...]

Still, Call of Cthulhu only really needs a little more time in the oven as it’s already shaping up to be an unsettling descent into the darkness with plenty of tricks up its sleeves. Those wanting something deeper from their horror games may need to look no further.​

​

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

The Game of Thrones game was worth a few hours, at least. What's strangest to me is that Frogwares were initially making the game...then it stalled for a few years. Then it came back under Cyanide and now Frogwares have this "Lovecraftian" game coming out which looks almost identical to this one...hmmm.

 

[glass blackbird]

From what I understand, the publisher (which both companies work for) actually owns the license, so they basically decided that the Cyanide one is the official one and Frogwares is not, so that's how it is now. As far as I know the game Frogwares is making is the same one they have been for a while, but for whatever reason Cyanide was asked to also make a Cthulhu game that would be released under the proper name with licensed branding.

Now, why they did this is more uncertain. It's possible Frogwares's game will be awful so they want to keep it less prominent to avoid brand damage, or it may be that since Frogwares doesn't really make RPGs and they had the license they decided to let Cyanide, the RPG dev, make one with it. Cyanide also has the WoD license now so maybe they're trying to position Cyanide as the dark horror rpg dev or something. Or come up with your own reason, I don't know.

 

[V_K]

Frogwares have this "Lovecraftian" game coming out which looks almost identical to this one

If I understand correctly, Frogware's is more of an action-adventure with no stats but some shooting. So not very identical.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

I said looks almost identical. I realize the Frogwares game is open world and the official game is purported to be very linear.

What I was wondering is did Frogwares get dropped by Chaosium because their development stalled, thus voiding their contract, and were then left with this "Not Call of Cthulhu" game on their hands which they'd already spent so much time on? Time they'd rather not throw away so: Here everybody, have a "Lovecraftian" game which looks incredibly similar aesthetically?

 

[Latelistener]

I said looks almost identical. I realize the Frogwares game is open world and the official game is purported to be very linear.

I think both games have open world. Cthulhu from Cyanide will definitely have hubs (at least). I stopped watching the game a while ago, so I don't know the details about what they're doing right now.

What I was wondering is did Frogwares get dropped by Chaosium because their development stalled, thus voiding their contract, and were then left with this "Not Call of Cthulhu" game on their hands which they'd already spent so much time on? Time they'd rather not throw away so: Here everybody, have a "Lovecraftian" game which looks incredibly similar aesthetically?

If Frogwares got to keep all the assets they made since 2013-2014, it would be obvious that they want to finish the game.
I also don't think Chaosium has a word in it. If they had a disagreement about something it's with Focus Home. Maybe they were disappointing with slow progress.

 

[SerratedBiz]

Bugs? In a Cyanide game? Slander.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

I also don't think Chaosium has a word in it. If they had a disagreement about something it's with Focus Home. Maybe they were disappointing with slow progress.

I have no idea what words are on what contracts but the game is licensed by them and entirely based off of their product and was partially written by past Chaosium/CoC contributors. Combine that with how "serious" Nu-Chaosium have gotten? It's not hard for me to believe. The way they've gone after stalled Kickstarters using their license is not dissimilar. Not saying it would be unfair, just saying it wouldn't be surprising.

 

[glass blackbird]

I do like some of the things Frogwares has done in the past; I think they have done some solid adventure games. But what Cyanide's doing seems more legit CoC, so I hope against hope it'll be awesome or at least interesting.

 

[Life of the Party]

 

[Morgoth]

If anyone's interested and spoiling themselves with commentary-free footage:

 

[aweigh]

YT comment:

fish aren't scary this is lame

 

[vota DC]

So I need spot hidden to find the items to be a good medic and occulist? And I am forced to start clueless in the first scene, for example when I see the picture in the office but I can't recognize any symbol because my detective is just a drunk with no occultism knowledge?

 

[HoboForEternity]

Styx was great stealth games, cyanide games for the most time are eurojank-ish games, but with legit great design, or writing, but have always have some fatal flaw thats you can overlook, but prevents them from being a hit (repeating levels in styx for example)

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

So I need spot hidden to find the items

Yes. This is Call of Cthulhu.

 

[Zombra]

So I need spot hidden to find the items to be a good medic and occulist? And I am forced to start clueless in the first scene, for example when I see the picture in the office but I can't recognize any symbol because my detective is just a drunk with no occultism knowledge?

Welcome to RPGs!

 

[Life of the Party]

 

[Life of the Party]

Call of Cthulhu Could Be The Perfect Game For This Halloween

Early signs are very good indeed for the Call of Cthulhu adaptation from Cyanide and Focus Home Interactive.

You’d think they would churn out a Cthulhu game each and every Halloween, such is the dark being’s ability to chill despite being fairly well exposed. Just from playing Call of Cthulhu’s demo, simply seeing the malevolent behemoth in the background of the main menu was enough to set me on edge.

That’s the tone of the most recent big-name Call of Cthulhu game, this time developed by Cyanide (the minds behind the supremely underrated Styx series) and published by Focus Home Interactive. There’s no grand reinvention or, thank the squid himself, a “modernisation” of the lore that Lovecraft established — it’s just a faithful adaptation of the pen and paper RPG from Chaosium.

You play as Edward Pierce, a washed-up private detective with a drinking problem. It’s a cliché as old as time itself with Pierce’s troubled backstory sure to raise its ugly head before too long. Despite the immediate familiarity, it’s easy to become invested in his failures and successes, particularly as it seems like you may be the handler of his destiny. You’re given the choice to succumb to his demons and drink with the game informing you that this can have a knock-on effect. It’s Telltale-esque, though I was unable to see the long-term ramifications due to the limited nature of the demo.

It’s not long before Pierce is woken from his stupor by a new client, whose daughter recently died along with the rest of her family. He isn’t convinced by the police report, believing that something deeper is going on with his daughter known for her dark paintings and “different” outlook. After a little convincing — and the fact that he’s been strong-armed into it — Pierce sets sail for Darkwater.

Once there, it becomes clear that this case is deeper than it first appears on its surface. The denizens of Darkwater have toiled for generations, making them immediately wary of outsiders. You begin your investigations with the captain of the ship that brought you to the island, which showcases Call of Cthulhu’s replete dialogue options, all voiced well. Certain players will no doubt baulk at the lip-syncing being a little “off”, but as someone who made their way through Andromeda without many gripes in that department, it does its job just fine. It’s certainly distracting, but not a deal-breaker.

Your enquiries take you across the harbour of Darkwater, including a killed killer whale with injuries inflicted by what looks like an even bigger beast. The sailors are on edge and even more so when you enter the seemingly clairvoiantly named Stranded Whale. There’s a good amount of dialogue to be enjoyed with plenty of contextual clues and world-building items to pick up. Realistically, I could have sped through the demo in roughly an hour but as I wanted to suck up every morsel of the compelling mood Cyanide had crafted, it became roughly three hours.

The demo didn’t particularly go into a great deal of depth regarding its mechanics, just a few hints at the long-term efficacy of some of them, including Pierce’s skills. The game allows you to choose many different fields to specialise in whether that be strength, intelligence, or many other fields by using points to level up, but I could only really notice it in action the one time during the demo. As a confessed “bad-brainer” (see: an idiot), I struggle with puzzles often so I was relieved that I could use brute force at one point after levelling that area up rather than trying to jolt the potato where my brain should be into action.

After your sleuthing in the harbour is up, you move on to a warehouse owned by the family at the core of Call of Cthulhu’s mystery. There, the game introduces its mechanic that allows you to use your investigative nous to piece together what happened. It’s basic, your job being as simple as finding objects to interact with, but it does enough to keep the loop fresh and build Call of Cthulu’s dark world.

Eventually, Pierce will make his way to the family’s mansion, which I won’t divulge the details of to not spoil things — let’s just say you aren’t in Kansas anymore. This is where Call of Cthulhu really starts to come into its own, the mansion dripping with character and every inch of it worth exploring. That’s what’s so captivating about this most recent adaptation of Lovecraft’s lore, that it nails the ominous feel without resorting to cheap tactics.

There are some notable drawbacks to Call of Cthulhu, though they may be tidied up before the game’s wide release. Despite playing on ultra settings, the visuals never really appear that refined or clear with a muddy sheen throughout; the game’s cinematics looking like they were exported in standard definition. Call of Cthulhu also shows its hand rather early without allowing the intrigue of Darkwater to massively build, which may disappoint those looking for a patient unspooling similar to the mental degradation of its protagonist.

Still, Call of Cthulhu only really needs a little more time in the oven as it’s already shaping up to be an unsettling descent into the darkness with plenty of tricks up its sleeves. Those wanting something deeper from their horror games may need to look no further.

https://culturedvultures.com/call-of-cthulhu-could-be-the-perfect-game-for-this-halloween/