Call of Cthulhu: dark corners of the earth

CoTC:DCOTE is the winner of the world stupidest acronym for a game.  It's also an unappreciated classic of recent games.


It's not difficult to see why this game didn't get the praise it deserves.  On the surface, it's pretty goddamn ugly.  The environments range from grey to brown and not much further and considering the photorealism we're starting to expect from our games, it's pretty hideous by comparison.

But if we overlook that, we see that it's actually one of the scariest, most effective horror games to emerge in recent memory.  It features sanity altering effects similar to those from games like Eternal Darkness, stealth gameplay such as that from thief and shooty action that, while usually best to avoid, does manage to make it's action scenes fun and exciting. 

The action first.  It never feels as though your character is crippled, which is a pitfall that a lot of horror games fall into.  When used well, it can be effective, but I have to say, I generally prefer the way Cthulhu does it.  Instead of making you feel like a crippled idiot, the game instead really drums in the direness of your situation.  You're not incapable, you're simply outnumbered and outgunned.  Fights feel desperate because they are desperate.  It makes your losses feel deserved and your victories feel like triumphs, something a lot of games could learn from.

The game uses it's action scenes effectively overall, from an absolutely heartpounding escape from a hotel in the heart of Innsmouth, in which you have to bolt doors and block them with bookcases to prevent the furious villagers from busting them down and killing you, to a fantastic escape sequence as you cower on the back of a truck (points for making this on rails sequence feel genuinely challenging and scary instead of a piece of action to balance out the horror) and an absolutely stunning battle on a ship against a monstrous creature of the sea, the pace of the games first 80% or so never lets up.

The sanity effects are also incredibly potent, ranging from fuzzy vision, to difficulties with the controls, to your character's eventual suicide if you do not protect yourself.

Even the healing has been well thought through and is entertaining.  Different parts of your body can be damaged to different levels, each of which have their own effects on how you play and all of which have their own specific medical treatments to be applied.  The game also features a quick heal feature for those desperate moments when you don't have time to apply specific treatment.  It's a fantastically well thought through system.

Unfortunately, the game suffers from an exceedingly weak final level, though it does have a fantastic ending.  C'mon, we don't hate on HalfLife because of Xen do we?

Overall then, the game succeeds with a fantastically opressive atmosphere, innovative gameplay features and a truly exciting story.  An absolute must play.

Posted in: Call Of Cthulhu, Dark Corners Of The Earth, Game, Game Review