Shadow of The Comet: A French Perspective on a Cosmic Horror Classic
In 1993, French developer Infogrames released Shadow of the Comet (known as Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet later), a point-and-click adventure game that remains one of the most faithful adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft’s cosmic horror to the gaming medium. This title dared to be genuinely unsettling, putting together a tale of ancient evils, cosmic dread, a few tentacles, and the terrifying price of forbidden knowledge. It is worth noting that Infogrames is the same developer behind Alone in the Dark, which also contains a narrative inspired by Lovecraft.
Set in 1910, the game follows British photographer John Parker as he travels to the isolated New England town of Illsmouth to witness and photograph Halley’s Comet. What begins as a scientific expedition soon descends into a nightmare of otherworldly entities and a conspiracy that spans generations.
Adventure Gaming in 1993
To appreciate Shadow of the Comet, we need to understand the gaming landscape of the early 1990s. This was the great age of point-and-click adventure games, dominated by LucasArts and Sierra On-Line. LucasArts favoured humour and impossible-to-fail designs, while Sierra embraced darker themes but often punished players with sudden deaths and dead ends.
Shadow of the Comet featured Sierra-style danger—you could die, you could miss crucial items, or you could even render the game unwinnable. In addition to this, the developers wrapped the mechanics in a serious, atmospheric narrative that took its source material seriously.
Technically, the game was impressive for 1993, though some critics at the time dismissed it as slightly old-fashioned. Even so, it featured digitised actors for character portraits, full voice acting (a rarity at the time), and 256-colour VGA graphics that brought its gloomy New England setting to life. The game ran on DOS and required a hefty 4MB of RAM—a significant demand for the era. Infogrames used their proprietary engine, which allowed for smooth character animation with a more palette-based mood shading and art direction. On top of that, the game was notable for being one of the first officially licensed Lovecraft adaptations in gaming, using the Chaosium Call of Cthulhu tabletop RPG licence. This gave it access to Lovecraft’s mythos and terminology used in their expanded RPG material and branding.
The Story of "Shadow of The Comet"
The Arrival – Day One
John Parker arrives in Illsmouth on 1st June 1910, three days before Halley’s Comet will be visible. The name of the town is, indeed, “Illsmouth”. He is following in the footsteps of Lord Boleskine, a British astronomer who came to the area 76 years earlier during the comet’s previous appearance. Boleskine observed something during his visit that drove him mad. As a result, he spent the rest of his life in an asylum, leaving behind cryptic notes and astronomical calculations that fascinated Parker.
From the moment Parker steps into the town, it is clear something is deeply wrong. The townspeople are secretive and many refuse to speak to outsiders. Parker meets Andrew Alington and Dr Cobble, who discusses various events. After speaking with them, they travel by wagon to the inn.
Parker reads Boleskine’s diary and learns that a twelve-year-old boy once guided the astronomer through a nearby forest. When Parker leaves the inn and heads down the road, he reaches the town hall to meet Zerg. That man explains that he manages the villagers’ records. He checks birth registers and reveals that three men who were the same age as the boy are still alive. After further conversation, he tells Parker where they live.
The photographer buys a photographic plate in a local shop, though the shopkeeper seems uncertain about it and advises testing it. In that same location, Wilber Hambleton behaves suspiciously.
Finding a Guide
At some point, Parker discovers Curtis Hambleton was the boy who guided Boleskine, but the man refuses to reveal the location. What is more, Parker defends a Romani woman from the Police Chief in the village square. Back at the inn, he cleans a photograph and uncovers a cross.
In the bar, Dr Cobble warns Parker to beware of a man called Tyler. This individual offers to guide him to the cross for money, but Parker refuses. Shortly after, a fight breaks out outside. Wilber’s sons attack Walter Webster, and Parker intervenes. He then escorts Webster to the chemist, where Jonathan Matthew treats him.
Grateful for his help, Webster agrees to guide Parker to the cross that night. After collecting the materials, the guide leads him into the forest but flees when he senses danger. Instead of retreating, Parker gathers branches and string to fashion a makeshift tripod. With it, he photographs the cross. While exploring further, he witnesses a secret ritual led by the Native Narackamous, alongside Hambleton, Andrew Alington, Tyler, and Coldstone.
The hero flees the forest as Kamus pursues him. Exhausted, he collapses outside the inn and loses consciousness.
Day Two
The following morning, Dr Cobble treats Parker and dismisses his account of the Natives, claiming that Narackamous died long ago. After Cobble leaves, Parker takes a prescription to the chemist. While the medicine is prepared, he develops the photographic films in the darkroom. The images reveal a terrifying shape; Parker faints but later recovers with the doctor’s help.
Soon after, Parker sees a man leave Tobias Zerg’s house and drop a key in a shop. Using it, he enters Zerg’s bloodstained home. Inside, he finds hidden objects and solves a bookshelf mechanism. A secret passage opens, revealing a dying Zerg. Before his death, Zerg speaks of an evil deity and the forbidden book Necronomicon.
Parker follows clues from a message at the inn and purchases fresh film and small items from the shop. At the post office, Dave Underhouse, a wheelchair user, shares knowledge about ritual sites and hints that the mayor’s safe contains vital information. Parker opens the hidden safe and reads the mayor’s diary, uncovering proof of occult activity. A deposit certificate inside leads to a parcel containing a ceremonial gown. After that, he meets the Romani woman, who summons Boleskine’s spirit. The spirit recounts events from seventy-six years earlier and urges Parker to follow the same path.
Defeating the Cultists
The protagonist obtains a cemetery key and enters the crypt. Deep inside, he encounters Jonah, who flees. Parker escapes with Webster’s assistance. Mrs Webster later explains that four families—Arrington, Hambleton, Coldstone, and Tyler—are attempting to summon an evil god. To stop them, Parker must place four statues before their homes and cast specific spells.
First, he confronts Tyler and defeats him with the proper incantation, reducing him to a ghost. Next, he destroys Mayor Arrington, whose body reveals a monstrous horror. Coldstone meets a fiery end in a similar fashion. Finally, Parker infiltrates the Hambleton mansion. He uncovers a hidden ritual chamber. A book on magical rites explains how coloured butterfly wings channel light to activate a talisman. After preparing the mechanism and reciting the final spell, Wilbur Hambleton and his sons appear. Parker uses the fourth statue, escapes the blaze, and leaves them to perish in the flames.
In the end, Jonah dies.
Day Three
Parker survives the fire at the Hambleton house but collapses again. Dr Cobble saves him once more. The doctor warns that the police now suspect him and hands over a message from Dave Underhouse, who claims to have made a vital discovery. Underhouse explains that Narackamous still lives and that only a sacred bow and arrow can destroy him. He gives Parker feathers to present to Natawanga in the forest.
Parker forces entry into Curtis’ house and finds him dead. A bow rests above the fireplace, and a hidden arrow lies on the floor. Armed with both, he heads into the woods. By placing the feather on a tree stump, he summons Natawanga, who tests him with questions about the Mi’kmaq tribe, Yog-Sothoth, Boleskine, the events of 1834, and the sea god Dagon. Natawanga reveals that Narak Kamus hides beneath Illsmouth and must be destroyed with underground fire. She gives Parker a sacred ring.
The Narackamous Lair
At the village well, Parker descends below ground. Deep below, he confronts Narackamous. By igniting naphtha with flint, he weakens the creature and then strikes it down with the bow and arrow. Boleskine’s ghost appears and urges him to defeat Dagon at sea. At the harbour, Bishop reluctantly lends him a boat. Parker sails to a rocky island. Using jewels in the correct sequence, he reveals and destroys Dagon. Once again, Boleskine’s spirit appears and sends him onward to face a greater force.
In the last cavern, Parker retrieves a diamond and fits jewels into sacred rings. With their combined power, he overcomes a manifestation of Cthulhu’s force and rescues Webster.
At the ritual site beneath the comet, Parker arranges his camera and tripod. He photographs the comet, causing a fragment to fall. When Yog-Sothoth descends, Parker quickly uses his ritual pieces, then recites the spell from the *Necronomicon* three times, reversing the summoning and banishing the entity.
Boleskine’s ghost appears one last time, warning that such horrors may rise again. Soon afterwards, Parker prepares to leave Illsmouth.
Mythos
Shadow of the Comet explicitly references Lovecraft’s creations. The game name-drops the Great Old Ones, mentions the Necronomicon, features Deep Ones, and includes cult activity directly tied to awakening ancient cosmic entities. The villains here are Dagon, Nyarlathotep, and Yog-Sothoth. Illsmouth does not even need an introduction; it is clearly a version of the famous city Innsmouth. Beyond that, there is not much to add. This is a typical ritual story to invoke the Old Ones.
Point-and-Click Mystery
Shadow of the Comet uses a classic point-and-click interface. You control John Parker from a third-person perspective, moving him around pre-rendered backgrounds by clicking where you want him to go. The cursor changes to indicate interactive objects. This system works well, though item combinations are not always intuitive—a common issue with adventure games of this era.
The game spans three in-game days, with Parker’s investigation divided into three distinct chapters. Each day has specific events that must be completed before you can progress. Moreover, the town changes as the story unfolds—NPCs appear in different locations and new areas open up.
For a 1993 game, Shadow of the Comet is visually impressive. The pre-rendered backgrounds are detailed and atmospheric, with careful attention to detail. The colour palette is intentionally muted, dominated by browns, greys, and sickly greens. Character animation is basic—Parker and NPCs move stiffly, with limited frames of animation. However, the character portraits during dialogue are excellent. Voice acting was a significant selling point. In addition, some of the cult members’ dialogue during the ritual scenes is great and chilling.
The game length is appropriate for the story—roughly 3 to 5 hours or more, depending on puzzle-solving skill and how much you explore. Every location serves a purpose. Furthermore, most puzzles advance the narrative rather than existing purely as obstacles.
Puzzle Issues and Town Navigation
The puzzles in Shadow of the Comet are primarily inventory-based and investigation-focused. You will spend much of your time talking to townsfolk, gathering clues, and piecing together the dark history of Illsmouth. Many puzzles involve finding the right item to give to the right person or discovering hidden objects in the environment.
Puzzle quality is inconsistent, as expected. Some puzzles are clever and thematically resonant. Others are more obtuse, requiring pixel hunting or obscure logic that would not occur to most players without trial and error. Despite this, the game occasionally expects you to use items in ways that do not make intuitive sense.
It is also important to note that the game includes several death scenarios. Certain actions will kill Parker outright, and unlike LucasArts games, there is no safety net.
Aside from that, Illsmouth is a small town, but it is densely packed with locations. You will visit the general store, the tavern, the inn, the cemetery, the library, various homes, and eventually, more sinister locations like caverns beneath the town and ancient ruins. To walk around is a little tough at the beginning, and you will find yourself lost looking for the right place to go at certain points.
Wrapping Up
Shadow of the Comet is a great tribute to the Cthulhu Mythos, capturing a specific era of gaming history. Despite its occasionally clunky interface and other issues, the title remains a masterclass in atmosphere and dread. In addition to its narrative depth, the game serves as a link between traditional adventure games and the survival horror genre.