Call of Cthulhu

A mediocre game. There's a proper Lovecraftian story underneath it all, but unfortunately it's delivered through hamfisted storytelling, poorly developed characters, and stilted gameplay.

It probably would have been better off as a "walking simulator". Gameplay mimics some of the mechanics of the table-top RPG, but in a way that limits the experience rather than enhances it. You can put skills into whatever you want, the consequence would only be how many of the clues you find. And in any case the game always presents you with an alternative route. Can't break down the door? Find the key, or crawl through a vent. It doesn't matter because you'll get to the same place. Whatever, all these "puzzles" feel tedious and overdrawn.

Do your choices matter? The game tells you that they do. But they don't change the story, only possibly unlock an ending. And the endings are all short scenes that you can watch in a video after you play the game. You'll find out that they would not have changed anything up to that final point.

Voice acting is either deadpan or over-the-top. Dialog is pulpy and at times cringe-worthy. Graphics are adequate, but lacking in detail and below standard for the time in which this game was released. Animation is wonky.

I enjoyed the crafting of the descent into madness, an essential component of Lovecraft that many games in this genre fail to properly articulate, but the game's many flaws made it feel hollow and scripted.