Call of Cthulhu Reviews
Outside of the stealth and action segments, none of the game is out and out bad, but a lot of it comes off as more middling than a success.
There is a lot of promise here, but not quite enough of it fulfilled. The combat could have been done away with completely (rare as it is anyway) and the stealth either ditched or simplified. The strong suit of Call of Cthulhu is in its conversation/investigation mechanics. Sure the game would have been a little lacking in variety if that’s all there was but honestly, it would have been a much more consistently enjoyable and immersive adventure for it.
Call of Cthulhu is an interesting and intriguing, mystery adventure with a tortured detective. The investigation alongside the use of the RPG systems are the strongest highlights of the game, but poor stealth mechanics, boss encounter design and questionable endings fail to take the game to greater heights.
Call of Ctulhu succesfully impact player with its atmosphere and story which makes you curious as you play. The places we see in the game and the story is well made, but we also see the effects of low budget developments in overall.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Call of Cthulhu lacks what makes most of Lovecraft’s stories interesting: the true descent into madness and the human fragility. It overly relies on uninteresting characters and a plot that is so “on the nose” that you can see its twists coming a mile away.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
A laundry list of shortcomings with Call of Cthulhu prevent this betentacled Great Old One from rising very far. Still, its b-movie charm does have something to offer to those who can ride out the rougher spots.
The engaging atmosphere and detective aspect of Call of Cthulhu are phenomenal yet it manages to devolve into an irritating mess.
Most Lovecraft fans, or those who are just on the lookout for a good occult mystery thriller, will enjoy Call of Cthulhu, but that doesn't mean that they won't be disappointed as well. Cyanide Studio has wrapped an interesting, and engrossing storyline, with a fittingly oppressive feel, but the actual gameplay part tastes like a half-fried, unsalted octopus *wink-wink-nudge-nudge*
Universum of H.P.Lovecraft is great, but this game is not very amusing, becouse it looks outdated and gameplay is mostly sterile.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Yet another mediocre horror, but with RPG elements this time.
Review in Russian | Read full review
It’s far from perfect and often struggles under the weight of its own aspirations, but once the adventure starts, you’ll struggle to put it down.
Call of Cthulhu is for the diehards only.
Call of Cthulhu is an undeniably fun adventure game with some great ideas, cool stealth moments, and it never devolves into a shooter like Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth did.
Unlike a nightmarish fever dream induced by a cosmic god, Call of Cthulhu is a pretty straightforward experience. It falters in places without really getting going in others but does an average job incorporating investigative gameplay with Cthulhu lore.
I struggle to call Call of Cthulhu a good game, thanks to its crummy stealth, bad puzzles, terrible graphics, and wasted mechanics. However, its fantastic story and tabletop-styled mechanics sure made it one of the most interesting games I've played.
The struggle with explaining the finer points of Call of Cthulhu is that it hinges on you getting hooked. Without that moment where you're clamoring for more and willing to overlook some shortcomings, a quality that has benefited a number of titles over the years, it's just a rather dated looking exploration game with a neat story if you're willing to invest in it. For some, that is enough, though it isn't the type of experience that is easy to recommend. Not because it lacks anything worthwhile, you just need a certain mindset and there are other titles that do a much better job with far less.
Creating a "good" H.P Lovecraft game in 2018 is probably an impossible task, but Call of Cthulhu is a valiant effort.
Overall, Call of Cthulhu is just average. Its decent story and adequate horror elements struggle against extremely hit-and-miss writing and game design that often throws the player into subpar stealth sequences. It's not without its merits, but for a game that promises Lovecraft in its most pure, most uncut Lovecraftian form to feel “competent,” at best, is its own sort of horror.
Call of Cthulhu is an emphatic character sheet fed to a game deficient of opportunities for self-expression. Imagine if, instead of a dramatic exploration behind the power and poison of enlightenment, Lovecraft only wrote a flat outline. Call of Cthulhu is eldritch horror without emotion or agency, and its madness is entirely mundane.