Chthonic Horror: The best games based on Lovecraft books
Horror fans sooner or later pay attention to games in the spirit or based on the books of Howard Philips Lovecraft. These projects perfectly convey the essence of the cosmic horror that the author wrote about — they contain nightmarish dimensions, incomprehensible cities, mind-destroying mysteries, and creatures that make you doubt reality itself. Izvestia has compiled a selection in which connoisseurs of all genres (from action-RPG to narrative quests) will find the right game for themselves.
Dredge
When it was released: 2023
Genre: fishing simulator, adventure
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
At first, Dredge seems like a meditative simulator: the gameplay is based on controlling a fishing trawler, sailing through fog—shrouded waters and exploring secluded islands. But the further you go, the more clearly the game reveals its dark side. Fishing is gradually turning into a tense survival horror: strange sea creatures, mists and storms appear, and the sea becomes more gloomy and dangerous. Along the way, you can improve your boat, catch more than 125 species of fish and map remote locations, one more disturbing and stranger than the other.
Sunless Sea
When it was released: 2015
Genre: roglike
What to play on: PC, macOS
A plot-rich roguelike game set in an underground ocean in the universe of the rather famous browser game Fallen London. The player controls a ship, explores uncharted waters, monitors the crew's sanity and supplies of water and food, and encounters bizarre, frightening creatures. Fantastic geography, monstrous entities and morally ambiguous decisions make every journey across the Sunless Sea unique and full of dangers.
Call of Cthulhu
When it was released: 2018
Genre: Detective RPG
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Call of Cthulhu combines the plot of the classic Lovecraft novel of the same name with a fascinating detective story. The player lands on Darkwater Island as a private investigator investigating a brutal murder. At first, everything is limited to collecting evidence and exploring the gloomy streets of the city, but the deeper you dig, the more reality cracks at the seams — each terrible discovery undermines the hero's mind, and hallucinations and increasing paranoia blur the line between the real and the imaginary. The game has several branched endings.
Bloodborne
When it was released: 2015
Genre: Action-RPG
What to play on: PlayStation 4
This outstanding soulslike takes ideas from the works of Lovecraft — the director of the game Hidetaka Miyazaki has repeatedly spoken about this in interviews and called "The Call of Cthulhu" an important source of inspiration. The gloomy city of Yarnam with Gothic architecture, oppressive streets and an unsettling atmosphere is the main character of Bloodborne along with the characters and the protagonist.
The Sinking City
When it was released: 2019
Genre: Detective adventure
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
The Sinking City stands out among the detective horror open world. The game offers to immerse yourself in a flooded city teetering on the brink of madness. The player takes on the role of a private detective investigating extremely strange cases. The evidence found leads to conspiracies, and gradually the reality of the city disintegrates, and non-Euclidean geometry distorts space. The player investigates the case at his own pace, and the mechanics of losing his mind add spice: some discoveries help to advance, others bring the detective closer to madness.
SOMA
When it was released: 2015
Genre: Adventure, thriller
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4
The plot of SOMA takes place in a ruined underwater research complex. Here, the hero's consciousness and identity itself are subjected to frightening tests. The main one is the existential one. Players will discover what it means to be human, and encounter the monstrous secrets left behind after the collapse of the station. Each room and location reveals the dark secrets of the world and gradually erodes the sense of reality — even the combat system fades into the background.
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened
When it was released: 2023
Genre: Narrative adventure
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
The famous detective Sherlock Holmes meets the Ancients. You will play as a young Sherlock. He investigates mysterious disappearances of people, but soon gets on the trail of a sinister cult. Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened focuses on a careful study of the environment and deduction, and the player's choices influence the development of events. Atmospheric graphics, immersive sound, and subtle visual details highlight the growing sense of anxiety as Holmes delves deeper into the Lovecraftian mythology of the unknowable.
Moons of Madness
When it was released: 2019
Genre: Adventure
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One
The player takes on the role of an engineer who encounters strange phenomena at a remote research base on Mars. Of course, it won't be without madness, hallucinations, and the disintegration of reality, either. The game is focused on exploring and solving puzzles, storytelling is served through the environment, and claustrophobic corridors and disturbing sound design keep you in constant suspense. A rather banal science fiction plot is gradually turning into a full-fledged Lovecraftian nightmare.
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
When it was released: 2005
Genre: Detective adventure
What to play on: PC, Xbox One
The main character Jack Walters, a traumatized private detective with amnesia, arrives in Innsmouth to investigate the disappearance of a man. The plot pretty closely quotes the original book "Shadows over Innsmouth". The gameplay combines stealth and first-person shooter elements. At the beginning, the player mainly explores locations, interacts with the environment and avoids direct collisions, relying on stealth and attentiveness. As the story progresses, combat segments appear. The madness system also plays an important role here: when faced with horrors, the character may panic, lose orientation in space and control over the situation.
World of Horror
When it was released: 2023
Genre: roglike
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
This is a horror RPG with roguelike elements, inspired not only by the works of Lovecraft, but also by the creations of another "king of horror" - the modern Japanese artist Junji Ito. The game was single-handedly created by Polish indie developer Pawel Kozminski, including the code, visual style, and design. The graphics in World of Horror were drawn entirely in Microsoft Paint, and this became part of its recognizable black-and-white aesthetic, referring to the manga by Junji Ito. The gameplay is built around turn-based battles and a system of events designed as interactive horror scenes. Each playthrough is generated with variations, so you can enjoy the nightmares of World of Horror for a long time.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
