Introduction: Mystery in Darkwater
Released in October 2018, Call of Cthulhu is a single-player video game developed by Cyanide Studio and published by Focus Entertainment (formerly Focus Home Interactive). This interactive experience adapts Chaosium’s classic tabletop role-playing game using Unreal Engine 4 to capture H.P. Lovecraft’s cosmic horror. Rather than following the path of action-oriented horror, the game prioritises narrative depth, atmosphere, and meaningful player choice. You must determine your own approach to investigations and NPC interactions and balance evidence against the character’s mental state. Set in 1924, the game puts you in the shoes of Edward Pierce, a troubled private investigator. A client hires Pierce to uncover what happened to the Hawkins family, who perished under suspicious circumstances on Darkwater Island. Pierce’s job quickly becomes more than a simple murder mystery. As he descends deeper into the case, he confronts eerie cult activity and unexplainable phenomena. This creeping psychological horror challenges his sanity and his sense of reality.
The Development History of Call of Cthulhu
The development history of Call of Cthulhu is notably complex and spans several years. It involved multiple studios and a major creative shift before the game’s eventual release.
On 16 January 2014, publisher Focus Home Interactive announced via Twitter that Frogwares was developing the project. As the studio behind The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series, Frogwares seemed a natural fit for the title. Later that month, a spokesperson clarified that the project remained in early development. They stated that the game would focus on investigation within a horror setting, drawing from the studio’s experience in detective-driven gameplay. Frogwares also collaborated with writers from the 1981 Call of Cthulhu tabletop role-playing game. This partnership reinforced their intention to stay faithful to the pen-and-paper source material rather than adapting a specific H.P. Lovecraft story.
In February 2016, Focus Home Interactive re-announced the project and confirmed a significant change. Development had transferred to Cyanide Studio, with a new release window set for 2017. This marked a turning point in production. Focus revealed that the new version would be a more open investigative role-playing game. It would feature stealth mechanics and a strong emphasis on psychological horror.
Focus clarified that the game would follow the tabletop RPG more closely than Lovecraft’s short story of the same name. This design allowed for player choice, skill checks, and sanity mechanics. These core elements, along with multiple endings, mirrored the tabletop experience. Meanwhile, Frogwares developed its own Lovecraft-inspired title, The Sinking City. Released in 2019, that game shared similar investigative themes but followed a separate creative vision.
The story of Call of Cthulhu
Chapter 1 – Pierce Investigations Agency
Edward Pierce, a First World War veteran and survivor of the Lost Battalion, now works as a private investigator in Boston. Haunted by recurring nightmares, he relies on sleeping pills and alcohol to numb his trauma. These vices have severely hindered his professional performance at the Wentworth Agency. Consequently, he faces the threat of dismissal due to his lack of results.
A man named Stephen Webster visits the office to request an investigation into his daughter’s death. Although official reports claim Sarah Hawkins caused a fatal fire at her family estate, Webster suspects a cover-up. He presents Pierce with a disturbing painting and a file of documents. Facing unemployment, the detective accepts the case and departs for the mysterious Darkwater Island.
Chapter 2 – Darkwater Port
Darkwater is a remote island off the coast, defined by its bleak atmosphere and eccentric inhabitants. This place embodies the classic Lovecraftian coastal town, where shadows seem to linger even in daylight. Local folklore centres on the “Miraculous Catch,” a legendary event involving the ship Scylla and a massive sea beast.
Upon arrival, Pierce meets James Fitzroy, a mysterious sea captain who provides some background on the island’s history. The detective soon discovers that a local gang leader known as “Cat” controls the Hawkins’ warehouse. While exploring the docks, he also encounters Algernon Drake, an occultist librarian with his own secrets. On his way to the warehouse, Pierce finds the local police. They deal with fishermen frightened by a wounded whale on the shore. Officer Bradley leads the scene. After a tense meeting with Officer Bradley at the warehouse, Pierce gains access to the Hawkins mansion.
Chapter 3 – Hawkins Mansion
At the estate, Pierce and Bradley inspect the family graves before meeting the hostile caretaker, Silas Winchester. Although Silas initially resists their presence, he eventually provides the keys to the house. Inside, the detective finds evidence of Sarah’s mental instability and her strange artistic obsession. He also discovers a meal of unidentifiable, otherworldly meat left on the dining table.
His investigation proves the fire was a deliberate act rather than an accident. While exploring the attic, a masked intruder attacks Pierce and leads him toward Charles’ office. This office room contains a passage leading into ancient tunnels beneath the mansion.
Chapter 4 – Tunnels Under the Hawkins Mansion
Inside the tunnels, the investigators find signs of a secret cult. These people meet beneath Darkwater. Pierce witnesses rituals and references to Great Old Ones. Paintings on the walls show a beast called the Leviathan. This is the target of the Miraculous Catch. Bradley identifies the cult leader as Charles Hawkins. Charles has a mutated body with tentacles and a deformed face.
Charles attacks and kills Bradley before Pierce’s eyes. This event mirrors Pierce’s initial nightmare. Pierce tries to escape but the cave collapses. He faints during his flight.
Chapter 5 – Riverside Institute
Pierce wakes up inside a prison cell at the Riverside Institute. He watches in horror as guards drag a man named Francis Sanders away for “treatment”. Dr Fuller, the sadistic chief surgeon, subjects the detective to agonising procedures that trigger vivid hallucinations. During these visions, an otherworldly voice speaks to Pierce and guides his actions.
Eventually, a doctor named Marie Colden decides to help Pierce escape this nightmare. As they flee, they discover Fuller’s horrific experiments on the local population. Pierce finds Francis, but a brutal, invisible force kills him before he can act. This creature, known as the Shambler, emerged from one of Sarah’s cursed paintings.
Chapter 6 – Sanders Residence
After escaping the institute, Pierce meets Marie at the Hawkins estate and finds Officer Bradley alive. Strangely, the policeman remembers nothing of the tunnels or his supposed death. The group decides to visit Irene Sanders, the widow of the man murdered at the hospital.
At the residence, Pierce meets “Cat” Baker, who is helping Irene manage her husband’s affairs. Irene explains that Francis became obsessed with a painting he bought from Sarah. This artwork, “The Shambler”, sat at the heart of a private museum filled with occult daggers and ancient statues. When the monster emerges from the canvas, Pierce uses a ritual blade to banish it. “Cat” then directs the detective to Algernon Drake, the man who originally sold the dagger to Francis.
Chapter 7 – The Nameless Bookstore
Pierce arrives at Drake’s shop and finds the place in total disarray. His investigation reveals a hidden safe tucked behind a large painting. It appears that Algernon and Sarah shared a deep interest in forbidden knowledge. Inside the safe, Pierce discovers the Necronomicon, a book of immense power. Upon touching the tome, the detective experiences a psychic journey that pulls his consciousness away from his body.
Chapter 8 – Back to Riverside Institute
Pierce now sees through the eyes of Marie Colden back at the hospital. She notices strange mutations among the patients and suspects Fuller is hiding something. Marie searches the doctor’s office and finds records linking him to Sarah’s “treatment”. She also learns that the medicine Fuller distributes is actually a poison. However, Fuller catches Marie as she tries to reach the basement to save the victims.
Back in his own body, Pierce faces an armed Algernon Drake. Despite his distrust, the detective forms an uneasy alliance with the librarian to stop the coming darkness.
Chapter 9 – Looking For Colden
Pierce returns to the institute to rescue Marie, but the Shambler blocks his path. The beast drags him into a void where he must navigate using a dimension-warping lantern. When he finally reaches the lab, he finds Marie’s lifeless body. Fuller flees before Pierce can take revenge.
The detective pushes deeper into the facility and finds Sarah Hawkins locked in a cell. She is alive but disoriented by the recent horrors. Together, they sabotage Fuller’s gas machine to stop the transformation of the patients. Before they exit, Charles Hawkins attacks them once more. Sarah delivers the killing blow to her husband and escapes with Pierce. Back at the mansion, Pierce surrenders to the police to protect the others.
Chapter 10 – Darkwater Police Station
Officer Henry West interrogates Pierce, though he treats the detective’s claims as mere delusions. During the session, the Leviathan visits Pierce and offers him forbidden knowledge. This psychic link transports Pierce into Sarah’s mind as she explores the Bootlegger’s cave with Algernon.
While Algernon prepares a protective ritual, Sarah must navigate the caverns to undo ancient glyphs. The Shambler stalks her through the tunnels, but she manages to banish the beast back into its painting. Despite their success, Sarah hears a haunting call coming from the canvas, suggesting her trial is not yet over.
Chapter 11 – Back to Darkwater Police Station
Pierce regains consciousness in his cell, still haunted by the fear that Sarah has succumbed to the Call. Henry West continues his aggressive interrogation until reports of chaos across Darkwater force him to leave. The Leviathan reappears to tempt the detective with further visions of madness. Through this psychic link, Pierce enters the mind of “Cat” Baker.
As “Cat”, the detective discovers the body of Henry West, murdered by a cult under Fitzroy’s command. The island’s inhabitants have lost all reason, attacking each other like mindless husks. These townspeople have undergone a dark transformation, turning the port into a slaughterhouse.
Chapter 12 – Escaping from Darkwater Police Station
Bradley arrives to release Pierce from his cell and hands him a revolver. However, the officer collapses in agony as the Leviathan’s influence takes hold of his mind. Pierce must now decide whether to end Bradley’s suffering or leave him to his fate.
The detective fights his way through the docks, facing waves of crazed fishermen. He eventually discovers the source of the madness: the “Miraculous Catch” was actually the Leviathan itself. The cult has been feeding the townspeople the cursed flesh of this creature for years. Pierce finds a wounded “Cat” and provides medical aid. In return, she gives him the key to the Whaling Station, where the cult is reunited.
Chapter 13 – Abandoned Whaling Station
Inside the station, Pierce finds the massive Leviathan. The creature’s presence shatters his mind, forcing him to endure a series of harrowing hallucinations. He must resist the urge to take Fuller’s pills or eat the tainted meat offered in these visions.
Pierce seemingly kills Dr Fuller during a frantic struggle. As the illusions fade, he finds himself surrounded by Fitzroy and his men. The station erupts in flames, and Pierce falls into the cold depths of the ocean. There, the Leviathan speaks to him one last time, claiming the detective is finally ready to serve as the Oracle had seen.
Chapter 14 – Coastal Cave
Pierce washes ashore near a hidden cave network far from the burning station. He explores the tunnels and finds ancient murals detailing the history of the Great Old Ones. To his surprise, he discovers a portrait Sarah painted of him years ago. This confirms that Sarah’s art acted as a prophecy, and his arrival on the island was never a coincidence.
A vision of Marie Colden encourages him to accept his role in the coming ritual. Pierce reaches a massive cliffside altar where a whirlpool churns in the sea below. Huge tentacles rise from the water as the creature begins to stir. Fitzroy, Sarah, and Algernon wait for Pierce to make the ultimate choice.
The Call of Cthulhu: Pierce completes the ritual and summons the Great Dreamer. Cthulhu rises from the depths, and the cultists descend into a murderous frenzy.
Perform Counter-ritual: Pierce rejects the cult and helps Algernon banish the darkness. The detective absorbs the evil energy into his own body and loses his sanity to save the world.
Sacrifice: Pierce takes his own life to ensure the ritual fails. A final scene shows his office in Boston, where a painting honours his last decision to stop the awakening.
Sarah’s Death: Pierce convinces Sarah to resist the Call. Realising she can’t keep going, she throws herself from the cliff. The ritual ends, and Pierce returns to a life haunted by her sacrifice.
Mythos
As the title suggests, Call of Cthulhu draws heavy inspiration from the short story of the same name, though perhaps not as much as one might expect. We see this influence in “The Call” itself and the group worshipping the cephalopod deity. Furthermore, the final sequence strongly resembles the third part of the original tale. However, the game does not mention the story frequently during the narrative. Instead, the plot focuses on the Leviathan, a servant of Cthulhu.
Initially, Darkwater seems to capture the atmosphere of Innsmouth, yet without the “fish-faced” inhabitants. You might expect Dagon to appear as well, but he never makes an appearance. Another figure that emerges is the Dimensional Shambler, which enters this reality through Sarah’s painting. One of its appearances occurs in an art gallery, almost certainly a nod to the story “The Horror in the Museum”. Meanwhile, the Necronomicon remains a staple feature in adaptations of Lovecraft’s works.
One can also perceive subtler references and even form theories about them. For instance, Sarah Hawkins appears to be an adaptation of the painter Richard Pickman from “Pickman’s Model”. I also believe the developers named Algernon Drake after the author Algernon Blackwood. In short, you will find various fragments from other works, such as a book titled Azathoth and an achievement named “Shadow Out of Time”
Narrative Pacing and the Descent into Surrealism
Call of Cthulhu is an investigative game that leads the player through a strong narrative and an intriguing mystery. However, like most mystery stories, it starts better than it ends. Strange as it may seem, the peak of a mystery often occurs at the very beginning. Once we begin solving enigmas and revealing answers, the content must remain exceptionally interesting to maintain our engagement. This is no easy task.
The game follows this rhythm, starting with a strong sense of mystery before losing momentum as the plot advances. Of course, the ability to make decisions throughout the story keeps us engaged. Even so, I feel the first six chapters are robust, followed by a noticeable decline. This happens mainly when the game introduces constant visions and illusions that become rather tiring. From Chapter 9 onwards, the experience feels saturated with these elements. Pierce constantly hears voices in his mind or experiences illusions from other characters. It becomes massive, confusing, and slightly tedious. I am still not entirely sure what actually happened to Fuller, or if he truly died. In other words, a surrealism takes over the plot that diminishes both its impact and our patience. As for the finale, Lovecraftian games love to end in the middle of a ritual. You can either continue the rite or refuse and try to stop it, which you see a lot in other games. While an appearance by Cthulhu is always gold, the pre-ritual dilemma feels quite repetitive.
Gameplay Mechanics and Linear Design
Another point to consider is that the game lacks a sense of danger for the most part, which is not inherently a problem. However, the first stealth section only appears briefly in Chapter 4, truly starting in Chapter 5. Consequently, you spend most of the game engaged in dialogue or examining items like documents. This would be enjoyable if the progression were not so strictly linear. For instance, the character’s skill system unlocks certain dialogues or elements, yet these rarely feel significant enough to demand much thought.
The game operates within closed levels where important investigations occur in specific spots for Pierce to reconstruct the scene. It matters little if you examine the environment for clues to solve the mystery; the crucial investigation points are already predetermined. Anything you find outside of these spots feels like a trivial bonus. Essentially, only two design elements occur most of the time: dialogue and exploration—an exploration that adds very little to the actual gameplay. Regarding the visuals and character modelling, nothing bothered me. The game is not refined, but frankly, I would have preferred that refinement to be placed in the gameplay loop instead.
The Peak of the Experience: Darkwater and the Mansion
Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 are the highlights of the game. Chapter 2 stands out because your arrival at Darkwater brings a genuine excitement to explore. The mystery presents itself through various characters and the atmosphere of the fishing town, which is more than enough to keep you hooked. The dialogues reveal just enough information to make you form theories and expectations. The mission to enter the warehouse proves to be a challenge, as it forces you to examine different possibilities. It would be wonderful if the game maintained this quality throughout the experience.
Chapter 3 takes place at the Hawkins mansion, offering a setting worthy of Resident Evil or Alone in the Dark. This environment keeps you hopeful for more puzzles and mystery, even if not much of that actually happens inside. By the time we reach Chapter 4, we encounter the cave setting: the dreaded cave level so common in games. The experience simply becomes more tedious from that point onwards. You only encounter a real sense of danger in Chapter 5, which relies heavily on stealth.
Wrapping Up
Ultimately, Call of Cthulhu offers a journey that captures the eerie essence of Lovecraft’s world but struggles to sustain its initial brilliance. The game excels when it focuses on atmospheric investigation and the grounded mystery of Darkwater Island. Unfortunately, the experience becomes hindered by a linear design and an over-reliance on surrealist tropes in the later stages. While the skill system and decision-making provide some depth, they often feel like missed opportunities that do not fully transform the gameplay.
For fans of cosmic horror, like me, the game remains a worthwhile experience, particularly for its standout early chapters and its faithful nods to the Mythos. It successfully brings the dread of the Great Old Ones to the screen, even if the mechanics falter.
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