A Walk Along the Wall

A Walk Along the Wall

10/10 would make again.

Real player with 107.5 hrs in game


Read More: Best Lovecraftian Bullet Hell Games.


I really enjoyed this game. I would recommend it to anyone that likes the challenge of overcoming an obstacle… anyone that is a fan of the dark souls games would have fun with this one.

At 5 dollars it is at least worth the try for the music alone.

Real player with 7.0 hrs in game

A Walk Along the Wall on Steam

The Last Door - Collector’s Edition

The Last Door - Collector’s Edition

Who would have thought that the next great horror game would be a pixelated homage to Lovecraft and Poe? I had been following The Last Door’s development since its Kickstarter roots, and as soon as it popped up on Steam the game was in my cart and my wallet $10 lighter.

The game starts off ominous enough; a suicide, a letter, and a friend vowing to uncover the truth of it all. Set in the 1880’s, our protagonist Devitt embarks on a journey through forgotten memories that threaten to lead him to the depths of insanity itself. That’s not exactly what I was expecting from this game, but I am certainly not complaining.

Real player with 20.3 hrs in game


Read More: Best Lovecraftian Pixel Graphics Games.


‘The Last Door’ is a classic point and click adventure game. So much so that you can play the entire thing with only the use of the mouse. The graphics are beautifully designed pixel graphics that never feel like you are losing atmosphere. The story is intriguing and interesting with a feeling of The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe and has been called “A Love letter to H.P. Lovecraft” by Penny Arcade.

The music composed by Carlos Viola is phenomenal. In fact I would say that it is now in my top 3 most loved video game soundtracks after playing this game and worth the purchase price by itself. You can download the soundtrack from the website (https://thelastdoor.com/index.php/soundtrack) , although they have plans to include it in an update at some point in the Collector’s Edition on Steam. Here’s a bit of a taste from the Chapter 1 OST, which should give you some feeling as to the atmosphere of the game:

Real player with 15.0 hrs in game

The Last Door - Collector's Edition on Steam

Darkness Within 2: The Dark Lineage

Darkness Within 2: The Dark Lineage

Lightning Doesn’t Strike Same Place Twice

  • Unlike its previous entry, The Dark Lineage is a Walking Sim with Point ‘n Click elements. A welcome change; adding more openness for finding clues and leading to unexpected headaches for finding items.

  • The rendered scenes haven’t aged well. They look interlaced.

  • Just like the previous entry. References throughout–never interfering with the plot and sometimes part of the plot.

  • Some puzzles are clever, they can be tedious [ex: the runic puzzle].

Real player with 30.7 hrs in game


Read More: Best Lovecraftian Horror Games.


This game is not an improvement over its predecessor. Minor spoilers to follow.

Good

The sound design and music are still very good and there are some good horror moments. There isn’t nearly as much back tracking in the second game and what you need to do at any given time is clearer.

Bad

This game lacks the atmosphere and detailed environments of the first game. It’s definitely not as impressive visually but it has it’s moments.

A great opportunity for a horror sequence near the conclusion of the game which was foreshadowed in a couple of memos is skipped over and described by Howard instead which just made it that much more disappointing. Yeah, Howard, it sounds great. Wish I’d been there to see it.

Real player with 26.5 hrs in game

Darkness Within 2: The Dark Lineage on Steam

Tesla Force

Tesla Force

Note: Updated after first patch.

I have completed the higher difficulty (game+ cycle 2) on early access. So far so good. Pretty polished EA game. I like the shoot’em up game play. As I progress, there are enough varieties to keep me interested. Basically, there are different objectives for each map. Easy to pick up. But can be a challenge to complete depends on the progression on each encounter. So far, no two games are the same. And previous success doesn’t guarantee future success. I.e. you may find one game rather easy to complete (pro tip: stick with BFG gun) but you may struggle with the next one depending on the guns you use and the perks you have got (and the missions as well).

Real player with 21.9 hrs in game

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” - Marie Curie

Tesla Force is a gloriously over the top, roguelite twin stick shooter and a tale of Nikola Tesla inadvertently opening a portal at the Wardenclyffe Tower and awakening the cosmic horrors while trying to provide free energy, wireless transmissions and a life of leisure to everyone. In 1916.

Let me just continue with that bonkers story for a second. Before everything goes Cthulhu, a young Marie Curie pops out of a second portal in an almost Ghostbusters uniform and yells at Tesla he kind of goofed. Tesla stoically accepts that, picks up a shotgun and one of his inventions and proceeds mowing down cosmic monstrosities and closing down portals in a tutorial mission that ends with him flying off in a mech. Now if that doesn’t sound like electric currents of fun and escapism at its finest, I don’t know what does.

Real player with 17.9 hrs in game

Tesla Force on Steam

The Last Door: Season 2 - Collector’s Edition

The Last Door: Season 2 - Collector’s Edition

In brief: If you like H.P. Lovecraft, buy this game.

In far longer summation. It is rare that I decide to write a review of a game, but in the case of The Last Door Season 2, I am pleased to make an exception to this policy. I do not speak idly when I say that this is one of the best games I have played in the last few years. Certainly the graphical style is not to everyone’s taste, but I found that it fit the game in a way I cannot quite describe. Yet I fear I am rambling, so allow me to lay out, in a concise a manner as possible, why I liked this game. It is of course, not completely without flaws, such as the occasional moment where the game behaved strangely when I was picking up objects (such as the umbrella in Episode 3), but these are the pettiest of quibbles.

Real player with 12.0 hrs in game

Pixel Art: 5/5

Immersion: 5/5

Gameplay: 3/5

Value: 4/5

Difficulty: 1/5

–————

Overall 4.25 (Difficulty always excluded)

Please follow my Pixel Art Curation for other great games…

Another amazing pixelated adventure! There are so many different settings and scenes to explore, with such variety.

These rival the old Sierra game and bring their own unique charm that makes for a whole new kind of experience. They have paid attention to so many details…even as simple as the animation going up a lighthouse, makes it feel like 3D, having the character wrap around a set of spiral stairs, even just for a split second you can see it.

Real player with 8.9 hrs in game

The Last Door: Season 2 - Collector's Edition on Steam

Call of Cthulhu: Prisoner of Ice

Call of Cthulhu: Prisoner of Ice

What a mess! After playing Shadow of the Comet (I loved it! Read my review! http://steamcommunity.com/id/pointnclickster/recommended/389470) , I was looking forward to playing this. After ten minutes, my hopes were diminished, and after an hour, my hopes were dashed and by the end, I was a very very confused gamer.

Prisoner of Ice went backwards in terms of so many things. Trying to blend 3dish/claymation looking characters in 2-D settings just doesn’t work. The setting is right before WWII, and as far as Lovecraft goes, thats a little too modern for my taste. The story is an absolute mess, trying to loosely branch off of The Mountains of Madness, and serve as a kind of continuation of Shadow of the Comet…..within 3-4 hours (Steam says 6 hours, but I had long periods of being AFK). Thats right. Short. It’s so short, there is no time to care about really any of the characters, and those we do know from Shadow of the Comet, it feels like they threw them in so we could kinda care about somebody! Maybe if they had made this game longer, they could have developed the story a lot better, but they didn’t and we are now stuck with this. I honestly couldn’t even really explain to you the plot. I had to go to Wikipedia just to find out what in the world I just played. For those who know my reviews and what I play, that should definitely tell you something. Pixel hunting is back!…and man is it annoying. Shadow of the Comet threw pixel hunting out the window, and the graphics were all pixelated. Now in this mixed mess of a game, good luck finding the key you need in a timed puzzle. Oh yes, this game is full of timed puzzles. However, if you do die (you will), the game does autosave so you have a chance to quickly figure out what in the world to do.

Real player with 5.6 hrs in game

I wanted to play this game since it’s release day back in 1995 but back then it wasn’t easy to find the game you were looking for, so the years passed and here i am finish my first playthrough 25 years later.

Prisoner of ice is a nice short adventure game to spend your evening.The game is interesting with a good atmosphere and story and manages to keep the tension on a good level, keep in mind though that if you are a fun of Lovecraft you will not find many elements that remind a lovecraftian story and writing here.It’s just a horror adventure game based on the mythology of Cthulhu and you shouldn’t expect nothing more than that.That doesn’t make it a bad game though.

Real player with 3.9 hrs in game

Call of Cthulhu: Prisoner of Ice on Steam

Conarium

Conarium

EDIT: Fixed formatting error

I think you can tell by my nickname that I like Lovecraft’s stories. So if you think “he loves lovecraftian horror, of course he’s gonna like this game”, you’d be mostly correct. There are some issues, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start out by saying what this game actually is.

Conarium is a first person adventure game with some elements taken from games like Amnesia our Outlast. The game is set after the events of story named “At the Mountains of Madness”, but it’s not a direct sequel, it’s more of a spinoff. It has puzzles, the story is driven by finding notes and visions, there are few monsters you have to avoid, there’s even short submarine scene where you have to find your way without taking too much damage and there are secrets on every corner.

Real player with 11.8 hrs in game

A creepy horror adventure that actually understood Lovecraft’s approach

Conarium was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed playing it, and it is by no means a “bad” game. At the same time though, I often kept thinking “this could have been done a bit better”. Then again, when I consider that the entire game was created by three people (plus two voice actors and two text editors), the level of quality that was achieved here can only be described as impressive.

Let’s go into the details. Conarium is first and foremost a narrative game, it tells the story of another expedition into the area described by H.P. Lovecraft in his novella “At the Mountains of Madness”. This story is mostly told in retrospect, via text documents and “visions” of past events that you witness or play through. The writing and the atmosphere nail the “Lovecraftian Horror” genre like few other games do. The game has no jumpscares and no fights - the horror derives from the realization that you are just a small, fragile, vulnerable human being who is dabbling with things so alien and powerful that we are incapable of understanding them, and even just learning about them may spell our doom. Unfortunately though, while the atmosphere is excellent, all characters remain underdeveloped.

Real player with 11.2 hrs in game

Conarium on Steam

Darkness Within 1: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder

Darkness Within 1: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder

Darkness Within is the most tasteful Lovecraftian-horror game I have ever played.

There is no tacked-on ‘insanity’ mechanic.

There are no jump scares.

There are no guns.

But most importantly, there are no references to Lovecraft’s work in poor taste. The only direct references to him are in quotes on loading screens, and a single easter egg. His influence otherwise is purely sentimental, yet quite palpable in the atmosphere of the game’s various domestic, occult, and dreamlike environments.

The developers at Zoetrope Interactive did not shoehorn Lovecraft’s most popular motifs into their game, although it could be argued that the general formula of the narrative is quite Lovecraftian, and the exposition definitely is, but I believe it comes into its own. Anyway, Zoetrope has created a narrative with less-direct horror than any ‘survival horror’ game. This was executed through their implementation and pacing of the horror.

Real player with 75.2 hrs in game

First, I must say I recommend this game, but with a few caveats. This is not an overly-enthusiastic thumbs-up, but more of a half-hearted one.

Pardon the overhyphenation. It’s just one of those run-of-the-mill kinds of days.

As described in the game’s synopsis, you step into the shoes and role of Howard E. Loreid, a detective who is trying to track down a man by the name of Loath Nolder (who is also a detective,) wanted on suspicious criminal charges.

Getting caught up in the strange mix of investigating the death of 34 year old Clark Field while also not-so-aptly managing his own problem, Loreid finds himself battling mental illness while searching for a killer. Many times, this affliction interrupts or is interspersed into the gameplay of Darkness Within, and it certainly adds to the unsettling nature the game’s overall plot. Moreso, it will affect the ultimate path Loreid takes in his daily activities, ranging from going to his apartment’s restroom for medicine, to having unnerving dizzy spells and blackouts.

Real player with 40.1 hrs in game

Darkness Within 1: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder on Steam

Gloom

Gloom

TL:DR I’d give it a 5 out of 10. Didn’t enjoy didn’t particularly dislike enough to go out of my way to sing from the rooftops how terrible it is.. Try it if it looks fine to you but if you don’t like the genre go for Enter the Gungeon, if I remember correctly it’s roughly the same price.

I tried it out due to other positive reviews. And I regret it.

My points will be condensed.

The story is obvious after you get like 10 items.

The combat is poorly telegraphed and the bosses rely on doing ridiculous amounts of damage. The renegade in particular, while I’m fairly sure this is just a bug, shoot a fireball without any telegraph. I know he HAS a telegraph, as 8 times out of 10 it happens, but that 2 out of 10 chance that he won’t can be the difference between a good run and dying early.

Real player with 23.3 hrs in game

Gloom is a 2D, Side-scrolling, Action Roguelike with a heavy emphasis on combat and learning enemy attack patterns. Where most roguelikes would randomize a room’s layout or set different traps to look out for, Gloom only changes up the enemy lineups that youll encounter, plus the items & weapons that you can pick up. Otherwise, its the exact same run from left to right through the same 10 or so rooms per floor (4 floors in total), with enemy encounters being the main thing you need to worry about per run.

Real player with 21.0 hrs in game

Gloom on Steam

A Place for the Unwilling

A Place for the Unwilling

A Place for the Unwilling is an isometric story driven adventure game. I can recommend this game to players who have patience to read many dialogues and texts in a slow-paced world. The story is compelling to track from start to finish, but there are also missing pieces in the story. Depending on how you choose to progress in the game, the city player lives in changes and reacts differently. All characters introduced are vibrant, they all have stories to tell. They have the ability to manipulate player’s perspective in a direction based on your affinity to them. But the game doesn’t deliver its expected ending.

Real player with 66.2 hrs in game

Solid exploratory adventure with deep, lyrical writing and time constraints.

The game’s aesthetics is absolutely delicious in its dark simplicity of the features, but lots of moving elements. It has the “cartoon Lovecraft” feel to it and the city streets simply beg to explore every nook and cranny. With all that beauty around, the controls are what dampens the overall fantastic first expression. Intuitive they are not. There is a mix of WASD and arrows involved, where every letter is not what you learned it to be from hundreds of previous games played… S acts like an “Enter” for example, and quite frequently you’d have to resort to “W – Arrow down – E” combinations which will result in lost money and/or some frustration. Since interaction of a character starts from him/her being turned to an object or a person in order to highlight them first, it’s also easy to imagine some annoying moments when you trying to angle your character just right. Perhaps, the only thing I’d want to lodge a complaint about.

Real player with 47.2 hrs in game

A Place for the Unwilling on Steam