Hmm, hard to get started after being forced to play the game through 3(!!!) times to get all the endings and achievements to 100% it, I'm not sure how to go on with my review of this game.

The game, Call of Cthulhu (CoC for short from now on), is a first-person adventure/detective game played in the Lovecraftian universe, with its setting the early 1920's of America. Detecitve Edward Pierce accepts a new job to find out the truth about the tragic death of his daughter's (the Hawkins) family, and swiftly sets of to a small island on the west coast of the US, Darkwater Isle.

Once a bustling port of activity and trade for whale hunters, now a desolate and nearly forgotten piece of history. During his journey, Pierce will come in contact with increasingly strange events somehow linked together pushing further and further into the occult. The case gradually turns more and more complex as we gradually descend into the inevitable madness.


Impressive: 85-94 (85-94%)

The story is roughly around 9-10 hours long where your choices do shape the the ending your will get from the 4 possible ones.

Whilst the gameplay and storytelling is excellent, I do have to prefice that in 2025, on a high-mid configuration and on Windows 11, the crash after trying to start a New Game without any meaningful log message to go on. To fix this you will need to set a global environmental variable in your system. The fix can be found here [support.gog.com].

You can also just check this Steam Workshop Guide to fix this issue.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3575090869

After that, I had no issues whatsoever.

Keep this in mind if you are thinking of buying it.


(for those interested)

Gameplay Experience (25/25)

Intuitive Controls - Easy to use.
☐ Very Difficult (+1)
☐ Difficult (+2)
☐ Moderate (+3)
☐ Easy (+4)
☑ Very Easy (+5)


Balanced Gameplay - Fair and equal.
☐ Poorly Balanced (+1)
☐ Somewhat Balanced (+2)
☐ Moderately Balanced (+3)
☐ Well Balanced (+4)
☑ Perfectly Balanced (+5)


Player Engagement - Involving and captivating.
☐ Not at all (+1)
☐ Slightly (+2)
☐ Moderately (+3)
☐ Very (+4)
☑ Extremely (+5)


Decision Relevance - Meaningful choices.
☐ Meaningless (+1)
☐ Not Meaningful (+2)
☐ Somewhat Meaningful (+3)
☐ Quite Meaningful (+4)
☑ Highly Meaningful (+5)


Rewarding Progression - Satisfying advancement.
☐ Very Unsatisfying (+1)
☐ Unsatisfying (+2)
☐ Neutral (+3)
☐ Satisfying (+4)
☑ Very Satisfying (+5)


Presentation & Immersion (19/25)

Compelling Storyline - Engaging narrative.
☐ Not Interesting (+1)
☐ Slightly Interesting (+2)
☐ Moderately Interesting (+3)
☑ Very Interesting (+4)
☐ Extremely Interesting (+5)


Immersive Atmosphere - Captivating environment.
☐ Not Immersive (+1)
☐ Slightly Immersive(+2)
☐ Moderately Immersive (+3)
☑ Very Immersive (+4)
☐ Completely Immersive (+5)


Visual Aesthetics - Stunning graphics.
☐ Not Appealing (+1)
☐ Slightly Appealing (+2)
☐ Moderately Appealing (+3)
☑ Very Appealing (+4)
☐ Extremely Appealing (+5)


Audio Quality - High-quality sound.
☐ Not Engaging (+1)
☐ Slightly Engaging (+2)
☐ Moderately Engaging (+3)
☑ Very Engaging (+4)
☐ Extremely Engaging (+5)


Polished HUD - Clean and functional interface.
☐ Very Unfriendly (+1)
☐ Unfriendly (+2)
☑ Neutral (+3)
☐ Friendly (+4)
☐ Very Friendly (+5)


Design & Technical Aspects (20/25)

Game Design - Well-crafted mechanics.
☐ Poorly Designed (+1)
☐ Somewhat Designed (+2)
☐ Moderately Designed (+3)
☑ Well Designed (+4)
☐ Excellently Designed (+5)


Content Quality - Rich and diverse.
☐ Poor Content (+1)
☐ Limited Content (+2)
☐ Moderate Content (+3)
☑ Extensive Content (+4)
☐ Abundant Content (+5)


AI Behavior - Intelligent and realistic.
☐ Very Poor (+1)
☐ Poor (+2)
☐ Average (+3)
☑ Good (+4)
☐ Excellent (+5)


Settings - Flexible and customizable.
☐ Very Limited (+1)
☐ Limited (+2)
☐ Moderate (+3)
☐ Flexible (+4)
☑ Highly Flexible (+5)


Technical Issues - Minimal or no problems.
☐ Numerous (+1)
☐ Moderate (+2)
☑ Limited (+3)
☐ Minor (+4)
☐ None (+5)


Final Considerations (22/25)

Overall Satisfaction - General enjoyment level.
☐ Very Dissatisfied (+1)
☐ Dissatisfied (+2)
☐ Neutral (+3)
☑ Satisfied (+4)
☐ Very Satisfied (+5)


Microtransactions - In-game purchases.
☐ Extensive (+1)
☐ Substantial (+2)
☐ Moderate (+3)
☐ Minimal (+4)
☑ None (+5)


Replay Value - Longevity and replayability.
☐ Very Low (+1)
☐ Low (+2)
☑ Moderate (+3)
☐ High (+4)
☐ Very High (+5)


Cost-to-Play Ratio - Money spent vs hours played.
☐ Overpriced (+1)
☐ Poor Value (+2)
☐ Fair Value (+3)
☐ Good Value (+4)
☑ Excellent Value (+5)


Recommendation.
☐ No (+0)
☑ Yes (+5)