H.P. Lovecraft’s influence continues to echo across games, films, and fiction, and Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is another attempt to tap into that strange, unknowable horror that defines his work.
Much like other adaptations before it, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss title leans heavily into psychological dread rather than outright terror. The games aims to capture that slow descent into madness that fans may expect.
New Terror
You are Noah Williams, a deep-sea investigator, who finds himself caught up in a mystery surrounding a group of miners on a deep-sea expedition. Set in 2053, the game’s world is a tiny bit worse off than ours. The resources on the surface are dwindling, and powerful corporations have turned to the uncharted depths of the oceans for answers.
So, into the big blue you go alone, because why not? Well, you do have your AI companion, Key, with you to help. As you discover what happened to the missing miners, you stumble upon a portal to another world. Here’s where things really kick off as you try to understand where you are and, most importantly, how to get home.
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The tale strikes a strong tone. Noah’s being alone leaves you feeling very isolated as you explore and start to uncover more than things that go bump in the night.
Walking Swim
Gameplay sits a lot closer to a walking sim than you may expect. It’s really a puzzle title wrapped up in an atmospheric horror tale. There is no real combat in the game other than a few moments where death can happen.
This point is nowhere more strongly proven than when you look at its sever chapters and note that each of them is built around one huge puzzle. Though, to its credit, it’s more challenging than an obscure in its brand of grey matter testing.
Rules and Engagement
Where there is a fine balance between learning the rules of the game as well as getting to explore the surrounding area. The game has a System Shock vibe where you have to work things out for yourself.
Puzzles often have six or seven steps that you’ll often have to work out when not hunting for new clues. Your sonar can scan for objects in the world, but you can only scan for things made of the same material.
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So, there is a puzzle that needs crowns, but those are made of bone. First, you have to find one to get the bone reading. Then you can scan for the rest, but you’ll only see them, not anything else of interest in the scan.
It means that technically you’re never stuck. .That is, unless you don’t have the material you are wanting to scan for. But beware, each puzzle ramps up in terms of difficulty and understanding of the world.
But if you are stumped, you can always look at your mental map. This is like a clue board where you can piece and work things out, or sometimes you can ask Key for a hand.
There is also the corruption system, which for a game built on puzzles is a smart move, as it adds in a bit of replayability. Each puzzle has two solutions, an easy one and a hard one. Take the easy one and your corruption level will go up, which will change the game’s ending.
Look of Terror
Visually, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss does a strong job of creating an oppressive atmosphere. The environments are dark, cold, and filled with an eerie sense of isolation.
Sound design is good. The distant echoes, mechanical groans, and an understated soundtrack build tension effectively. Dialogue is, however, is so-so, though this is partly down to the writing, I feel, more so than the voice actors.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss delivers an intriguing and often unsettling narrative while delivering some really challenging puzzles. It’s not without its flaws. However, there’s enough here to make it worth exploring for those looking for a slower, story-driven descent into madness.
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