Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

Cyanide's Call of Cthulhu - "RPG-Investigation" game based on tabletop ruleset

hoverdog

dog that is hovering, Wastelands Interactive
Developer
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
5,589
Location
Jordan, Minnesota
Project: Eternity
The problem with a game about Cthulhu is that the player character is supposed to do something about it. Like the actor says in the trailer, "I must stop it."

But you can't stop Cthulhu. That's the whole point of Cthulhu. You're essentially a gnat as far as any elder trans-dimensional chaos spawn is concerned.
Of course. But in pen&paper CoC it's mostly about not stopping Cthulhu/Nyarlathotep/any other absurd being himself - it cannot be done - but preventing him from waking up or being summoned. In other words, you are set against a god's cultists and his subtle ways of manipulating the reality from another world. It works this way in franchise board games like Arkham Horror too - to win, you can't allow the enemy entity to enter this reality. Well, theoretically it's still possible to win after he's summoned (unless it's Azatoth), but it's properly unlikelu.

And this is what this game should be about. However, as it's Cyanide, you never know what happens.
 

Old One

Arcane
Joined
Jul 13, 2015
Messages
3,679
Location
The Great Underground Empire
...in pen&paper CoC it's mostly about not stopping Cthulhu/Nyarlathotep/any other absurd being himself - it cannot be done - but preventing him from waking up or being summoned.
That makes sense, although it seems to me the protagonists in Lovecraft's stories (including The Call of Cthulhu) almost always fail to do that, and if they succeed it's because they manage to alert authorities who organize a big group of cops to make a raid and bash some skulls.
 

Nael

Arcane
Joined
Dec 12, 2005
Messages
11,384
Location
Indy
Why do you need a "Call of Cthulhu" game when you can drop a bunch of acid, shut your eyes tight, and listen to this guy read it?

 

Ellef

Deplorable
Joined
Dec 29, 2014
Messages
3,506
Location
Shitposter's Island
PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015
The problem with a game about Cthulhu is that the player character is supposed to do something about it. Like the actor says in the trailer, "I must stop it."

But you can't stop Cthulhu. That's the whole point of Cthulhu. You're essentially a gnat as far as any elder trans-dimensional chaos spawn is concerned.
Of course. But in pen&paper CoC it's mostly about not stopping Cthulhu/Nyarlathotep/any other absurd being himself - it cannot be done - but preventing him from waking up or being summoned. In other words, you are set against a god's cultists and his subtle ways of manipulating the reality from another world. It works this way in franchise board games like Arkham Horror too - to win, you can't allow the enemy entity to enter this reality. Well, theoretically it's still possible to win after he's summoned (unless it's Azatoth), but it's properly unlikelu.

And this is what this game should be about. However, as it's Cyanide, you never know what happens.

Actually Arkham Horror can be broken by spending all your time gearing up instead of fighting the mook to take down the BBEG. Only complete autists play like this though (A significant portion of Boardgamegeek'ers)
 

LESS T_T

Arcane
Joined
Oct 5, 2012
Messages
13,582
Codex 2014
http://www.pcgamer.com/can-call-of-cthulhu-ever-be-a-good-videogame/2/

The Innsmouth look: how to get that slimy Cthulhu feel

I asked Gueney about their approach to horror—generally—and he seemed to have it pretty well thought out. “We want to be faithful to Lovecraft’s way to instill horror,” he said. “The main character will see unexplainable things, experience traumatic events, although he will have reason to doubt what he encountered. To instill that in players’ minds, we’ll use specific sound and visual effects.”

They want to avoid gore, jump scares, and the like. I pointed out Lovecraft’s reliance on visceral goo, but Gueney shied away. “We don’t want to fill the game up with dozens of tentacles and slimy creatures,” he said. “We’ll use such classic horror elements with parsimony.” Gueney actually strikes against a lot of modern Cthulhu Mythos art. “We believe that some of the depictions of Lovecraft’s work can be fairly grotesque, and that is definitely something we are trying to avoid.”

QUQbP6ZLjuRQ6QCLozZoJ3-320-80.jpg


Elaborating on how he would like to scare us, he gives a curious example: “Sometimes you’ll need to double take, unsure if what you saw was actually in the game, or rather in your mind. Similar to when people see a face in a cloud, or when you see Jesus in a slice of toast. When you look a little longer, you realize nothing was there… or was it? And what does it mean?”

I expect a lot of that kind of horror to be managed by your Sanity score. Sanity is a huge factor in Call of Cthulhu tabletop—losing your mind was a way to die, but it was also a way to succeed. For example, only the slightly insane could actually use the rituals that summoned or banished many alien beings. Cyanide seems to be embracing that.

Gueney outlined their thinking: “The lower your score, the deeper you’ll plunge into madness. This will be translated in-game by hallucinations and phobias for the main hero to develop. The interesting thing is that you won’t be able to avoid it completely, and sometimes taking that hit on your sanity meter will have other benefits. You’ll have to balance that.“

Anyone who has played Call can remember a moment where a monster appeared and they couldn’t yell “I look away!” fast enough, and Gueney definitely knows that. “Seeing and facing such horror often leads to death and madness,” he said. “This will be the case for the hero of our game. Even if the player will encounter memorable creatures, the impact on the main character’s mind will be significant. The players will have to resist their urges to gaze at Lovecraft’s horrors.” In Lovecraft’s Cthulhu, Cyanide understands, the monsters are not the threat you see the most of—that honor is reserved for your fellow man, the only monster you can actually overcome.

Putting the screws to Gueney on the subject of combat, I cited how rarely fighting gets you what you want in the tabletop game. He quickly agreed: “Direct confrontation will lead to an early demise.” Despite that, what he said next reminded me of the worst puzzle-like fights with “undefeatable” horrors in past Cthulhu games. “The player will have to observe environment and work out alternate solutions,” he said. “Weapons are going to be scarce, loud and mostly ineffective against monsters.”

Otherwise, gameplay that’s not about sneaking around, investigating, and dodging horrors sounds intriguing. Edward Pierce will meet companions who can be sent to gather clues while he investigates locations in person. Gueney impressed on me that NPC relationships were important, despite the traditional unreliability of friends and relatives in Lovecraft’s works.

“They can be as unreliable as expected in a Lovecraftian tale,” he said, “but we prefer to rely on players’ choices when it comes to relations. The way the players manage their acquaintances is going to be pivotal during the last moments of the adventure: We have several endings, some of which are impacted by our relationship system.”

Months later, reflecting on that, I like it. Having a team of characters working (and dying) together is a major part of the tabletop game’s feel—no adaptation would be complete without it.

But all of those gameplay solutions only addresses a handful of the pitfalls on the road to faithful Lovecraft. Lots of developers have tried, and failed, to live up to the ideals of cosmic horror—let alone taking on the legacy of Call of Cthulhu. Others have skirted the edges of it, but in the process drifting the genre into something new. That’s good! That’s how new ideas enter the space—but I’m still attached to the old way of doing things.

There are principles that will keep developers on track. A Lovecraft game is constructed very specifically. First, it establishes that the characters are fragile things—breakable and intensely human. The narrative is a slow, ever-deepening reveal. A slow burlesque where clothes just keep coming off, revealing ever-more clothes, like scarves from a magician’s sleeve. You are desperate to know more. The story suddenly forefronts an unforgiving, inhuman cosmicism. You realize that there is only an infinity of deeper layers—a vast tapestry of which you are only an insignificant part.

You go to read a book, or overhear a conversation between hooded figures, and the knowledge you receive drives you into madness. Those words, that print, that tongue, was never meant for human ears. You get a glimpse of the burlesque dancer’s skin, and it is not skin. Then, it ends. You’re left shivering, cold, and alone with your dread.

Interestingly, Gueney already had a theory of his own on how a Lovecraftian story is constructed. “Before getting to cosmic horror,” he said, “a Lovecraftian tale follows a very specific narrative pattern: mundane circumstances trigger a series of intriguing events that lead the main characters to some form of investigation. Before they realize it, they are facing the truth about reality and the fate of humanity. We’re doing our best to be as faithful as possible to this narrative structure.”

From talking with Jean-Marc Gueney, from seeing the Cyanide team at work, I think they’re on the right track. But we cannot know until we get the game and see if they’ve managed to mesh investigation, story, characters, and horror into a coherent whole. We will yet see what they unleash—for good or for ill.

“The horror will build slowly during the game until, at some point, the truth will be inevitable,” said Gueney. I think the same can be said about the waiting.

Call of Cthulhu is slated to release in 2017.
 

LESS T_T

Arcane
Joined
Oct 5, 2012
Messages
13,582
Codex 2014
Now screenshots somewhat looks closer to gameplay: http://www.focus-home.com/en/news/1...ted-universe-comes-alive-as-new-images-emerge

callofcthulhu-09.jpg


callofcthulhu-08.jpg


callofcthulhu-07.jpg


callofcthulhu-06.jpg


callofcthulhu-05.jpg

CALL OF CTHULHU: LOVECRAFT’S TWISTED UNIVERSE COMES ALIVE AS NEW IMAGES EMERGE

The official video game adaptation of Chaosium’s pen and paper RPG, Call of Cthulhu, today unveils new images showcasing the horrifying locals and locales of Darkwater Island. Step into the shoes of Edward Pierce as you investigate the tragic death of Sarah Hawkins, and push your sanity to the limit to uncover the disturbing truth in this RPG/Investigation game blending psychological horror and stealth mechanics.

You are Edward Pierce, a war veteran turned private detective, in the Boston of the 20s. You have been hired to investigate, on the isolated island of Darkwater, the unusual and tragic death of Sarah Hawkins and her family. Soon your investigation will lead you to the fringes of the paranormal, where reality and illusion begins to blend... or is this really the fruit of your imagination?

Driven by the idea that mankind is irrelevant in an uncaring universe filled with inconceivable horrors, Lovecraft’s dark works have captured imaginations across the world for close to a century. Call of Cthulhu fully embraces these fundamentals, pitting you in a desperate struggle against powers that defy human comprehension. To uncover the disturbing truth of Darkwater Island, you will venture a deadly path to the very brink of insanity – a concept tightly tied to the Cthulhu Mythos. As your investigation leads you closer to the sphere of influence of the Great Dreamer, you will start to doubt everything you see. You will have to find balance between your own sanity, and your determination in finding out what lurks in the shadows - as they say that madness is the only way that can bring you to the truth.

Between the haunting environments, twisted story, and the ever-looming threat of the Great Old Ones, Call of Cthulhu promises a darkly satisfying experience for Lovecraft fans and newcomers alike.

Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game releases 2017 on consoles and PC.
 

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
97,236
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
I think they only collaborated once, on Of Orcs And Men, but since then everybody has been getting them confused.
 

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
97,236
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth


Lovecraft's twisted universe comes alive in Call of Cthulhu's Depths of Madness trailer

Developed by seasoned studio Cyanide, Call of Cthulhu for consoles and PC is an RPG-Investigation game blending psychological horror and stealth mechanics, in a deeply immersive world with an oppressive atmosphere. Today ushers in a new trailer, depicting protagonist Pierce’s submersion into the depths of madness, as he investigates a mysterious death on Darkwater Island, Boston.

A Private Detective, Edward Pierce is a mission to find the truth behind the death of an acclaimed artist and her family on a backwater island. Pierce is used to trusting his instincts, but with whale mutilations and disappearing bodies, this is only the beginning as reality becomes skewed. As your investigation leads you closer to the sphere of influence of the Great Dreamer, you will start to doubt everything you see. You will have to find balance between your own sanity, and your determination in finding out what lurks in the shadows - as they say that madness is the only way that can bring you to the truth.

On a mission to find the truth behind the death of an acclaimed artist and her family on a backwater island, the player will soon uncover a more disturbing truth as the Great Dreamer, Cthulhu, prepares its awakening...

Delve head-first into madness as Call of Cthulhu: The Official Videogame release 2017 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
 

Darth Roxor

Royal Dongsmith
Staff Member
Joined
May 29, 2008
Messages
1,878,406
Location
Djibouti
A plea of innocence is guilty of wasting my time.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom