Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth has finally been released. The game draws upon the writings of HP Lovecraft in a horror first person view during the 1920s. When a game was announced a while ago and not hear from in a while, the game is usually not the best. In fact, Call of Cthulhu was released with out much mention. This is usually done when the publisher doesn't have much faith in the game. So don't let the fact that you may not have heard much buildup of the game discourage from playing the game. The game isn't simply another FPS that tries to be scary. It is actually unique in several ways is worth a look.
Call of Cthulhu isn't a simple FPS horror game. The beginning of the game doesn't even give you a weapon. You are a private investigator that will search around looking for clues and talking to anyone you can find. You also have a journal and collection of other journal entries you find of others. This gives some extra background on things to further the story even more. When you do get into weapons, don't expect a wide range of weapons but it is satisfactory.
One of the first things that you will notice about the game is that the graphics aren't breathtaking. You'll see quite a bit of flat graphics. However, you'll also find a nice amount of detail. Character models look pretty good. The game is mostly dark and may even require you to turn up the brightness settings a little bit. Just don't turn them up too much because the darkness is there to set the mood and scariness.
Another thing you'll notice right away is the lack of a HUD. The game really tries to immerse you into the story. One way that this is done is by not having a HUD. The game also features a sanity system. As you encounter something disturbing or an emotional event, several things can happen. Something that will happen a lot is that your controller will vibrate to the beat of your character's heart. In addition to this, the screen will start messing with you. It might get blurred and depending on the situation you might not be able to hear your surroundings but only your heart beat and breathing. This is a nice addition to the horror genre.
The game also includes a unique healing system. When you pick up health packs, you gain medical supplies such as bandages and antidotes. So if you get hurt, you go to the inventory menu and choose bandage and which part of your body to put it on. If you don't take care of wounds, you will notice your reactions slowing down as you start to bleed to death. And for those that don't want to worry about this, there is also an auto-heal option to select.
The game's music does a good job setting the tone. The sound effects are nice as well. The voice acting, however, isn't that great. The main character is lacking emotion during some scenes where he should be in shock or scared. Instead, his voice is barely different than his regular tone. Considering how good the story is, it's too bad that they didn't get a big actor for the lead character.
In the end, Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is quite a good game. The graphics may not be the best and could use some better voice acting, the game's story and unique elements push the game past its downfalls and provide for an interesting experience. The game will also require patience as you will need some trial and error in situations as you die trying. Even though the game starts off without you dealing with much action, the story and the surrounding area keeps you interested in the game.
