Cthulhu again

In order to increase immersion, there is no HUD at all. Your ammo count, health status and sanity level are all things you need to estimate. Sanity is a particularly fun aspect. As Jack Walters, the player's character, encounters unnatural, terrifying and monstrous entities and situations, his grip on sanity is lessened. The more he is subjected to, the greater the insanity effects that wear on him. There will be 10-12 of those effects in the game, but only a few were shown off during the demo. Jack's vision will increasingly blur, he'll hear voices and sounds, and strange images and faces will appear before his eyes, and the controls may change in sensitivity drastically, to simulate panic.

The health aspect is more detailed that you might expect as well. Jack doesn't simply have hit points, he takes a variety of injuries - he can take cuts that need stitches, he'll bleed and require bandages, and even break bones. Healing isn't simply a matter of finding health packs, it requires the proper equipment - splints for broken bones, for example.

The game engine is quite potent. It’s aimed at both the Xbox and PC, and oddly enough the Xbox version will have more graphics features. In addition to various shader effects, Call of Cthulhu had a really cool scene with the player traveling on a ship towards an island. When almost there, the ship is swarmed by enemies from the deeps, who for some reason retreat just as victory was at hand. At one point, spellcasters on the island summon a huge wave that sends the ship almost straight up before it crashes down into the sea again. The player, as Jack, has to figure out that he needs to hold onto a handrail, or else he’ll go flying off. At the end, a gigantic sea creature launches an attack on the ship, shaking it, slamming his fists against it, tearing off the front end, etc. Call of Cthulhu is really the surprise of the year for me, it’s worth checking out.


The developers told us that they expect the final game to weigh in at about 20 hours of play, and it’s currently expected in quarter 4 of this year.