HP Lovecraft have created and coined the term Cosmic Horror which has since then become known as Lovecraftian horror, with work influencing everyone from writers to anime creators. It’s no surprise that there are so many games out there with a strong Lovecraft take. So here is our top list of Lovecraftian Games!
Eternal Darkness
Eternal Darkness was released on the Gamecube in 2002. This is one of the quintessential Lovecraftian games. It spans across multiple time periods, one of the first games to ever have a true sanity mechanic, from scenes where the character dies for no reason or their head falling off. Truly one of the great games from the Gamecube. Hopefully one day it will be released on the virtual console. There was talks of a sequel being developed known as Shadow of the Eternals, but as of April of 2015 any news of the game is lacking. It’s development is currently unknown.
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
Possibly THE Lovecraftian game out there – Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. This was based on Lovecraft’s short story Escape from Innsmouth. The game is set mostly in the year 1922. The story follows Jack Walters, a mentally unstable private detective hired to investigate a missing persons case in Innsmouth, a strange and mysterious town that has cut itself from the rest of the United States. The game has elements of shooting and stealth gameplay and is incredibly hard. This is one of those games you can most likely brag to your friends about having finished it – especially if you managed to get the true ending, which involved having to find all the notes in the game. There was going to be a direct sequel to the game known as Destiny’s End, which was going to be a direct sequel to the events of Dark Corners of the Earth and a sequel to Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness. The sequel would be known as Beyond the Mountains of Madness. Unfortunately the company couldn’t find a publisher and this led to the closing and liquidation of Headfirst games.
Amnesia the Dark Descent
Amnesia the Dark Descent is a survival horror game developed by Frictional Games who is also known for creating the Penumbra series of games. Amnesia has some deep rooted Lovecraftian elements to it, but to get them you will have to survive what has been called one of the scariest games out there. One of the strong points of the game is the sanity mechanic. If Daniel (your main character) stays too long in the darkness, his sanity will start decreasing causing visual and audio hallucinations and drawing the attention the monster. If a monster spots Daniel it will chase you around until you manage to hide from it. Anyone who has played the game will know how intense it can get, especially the water part.
Shadow of the Comet
Disclosure: I have never played Shadow of the Comet, but I know of it.
The game takes place in 1910 and follows young British photographer John Parker to the isolated New England town of Illsmouth (a take on Lovecraft’s Innsmouth) to witness and photograph the passage of Halley’s comet.
The game is currently listed as abandon ware so you can easily find it online to play but you will need dosbox to run it.
Prisoner of Ice
Disclosure: I have never played Prisoner of Ice, but I know of it.
Prisoner of Ice is a follow up to Infogrames’ Shadow of the Comet and is based on the story ‘At the mountains of madness’. Prisoner of Ice begins during the run-up to World War II, primarily around Antarctica. The main character is a young U.S. intelligence officer, Lt. Ryan, who has been assigned to a British submarine, the HMS Victoria, for a special mission.
The game is currently listed as abandon ware so you can easily find it online to play but you will need dosbox to run it.
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is a adventure game developed by Frogwares and published in 2007. The game is pretty much HP Lovecraft meets Arthur Conan Doyle, with the famed detective taking on the Cthulhy Mythos. The game has some good puzzles and is a fairly decent point and click adventure game.
BloodBorne
Bloodborne has some great Lovecraft influences, but saying anymore would probably be spoiling the game’s story. In short the game may start off as a gothic horror game with werewolves, but it changes quite a bit halfway through the game.
Read more about BloodBorne here
Darkest Dungeon
If there is a game on this list that just seems to ooze and grow tentacles from eldritch horrors from beyond space and time, it’s Darkest Dungeon. The game has a great atmosphere and just seems dipped in Lovecraftian horrors, with amazing narration and some pretty fun gameplay. Witch, your stoic adventurer is going insane with each step deeper into the Darkest Dungeon.
