Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss Reviews
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss has a ton of potential with its setting, narrative, and investigation mechanics, but buggy save-states and jank make it a frustrating experience.
For those waiting for the next gem in the cosmic horror genre, *Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss* is unfortunately not it.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is, crashes and caveats aside, an excellent game. Key is a triumph, the puzzles are imaginative, and the final chapter earns everything it demands of you. I’ve spent about 12 hours with it and I find myself wanting to talk about it with everyone who has ever shared even a flicker of an interest in Lovecraft with me. It’s a cosmic horror that brings classic tropes into futuristic dressing and manages to do that well. What’s not to like?
Ultimately, the game did make me lose my sanity, but not always for the reasons I expected. While the atmosphere is great, the lack of technical polish in the latter half of the game is a significant hurdle. If Big Bad Wolf can iron out the performance following launch, this will be an indispensable title for fans of the genre. For now, it's a brilliant but bruised descent into the abyss.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is a flawed, but interesting experience. The narrative is straight out of a Lovecraft story and it escalates into a suitably maddening conclusion. The mechanics are interesting and promising but the lack of polish across multiple platforms and the inconsistency of responsiveness made for an overly frustrating time and I was ready for the game to end quite a bit before an incredibly complicated final puzzle. I'm glad that I persevered (albeit with the ingame AI assistance) as the ending felt appropriate. If you have the patience, and enjoy the setting, then there is some fun to be had, but perhaps wait for further patches for a less frustrating experience.
There’s a compelling game here but maybe it’s for a very specific type of player. In the end, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss feels like a strong concept held back by execution.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is not the most successful experiment. The reimagining of the walking simulator's core principles did not go as planned.
Review in Russian | Read full review
As a relative noob to Cthulhu’s lore, I really loved Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss because of its more psychological horror nature. It would be easy to make this into a monster blasting, shooter type but the choice to slow things down, and tell a more methodical story was a great thing. As a fan of the investigative type games this was a joy to play despite the issues with performance I had on Series X.
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Review in Italian | Read full review
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss does ample justice to its grim source material, fashioning a compelling investigative adventure which generously drips with atmosphere but one which is sadly somewhat undercut by a wealth of technical issues that take the sheen otherwise what is a highly enjoyable Lovecraftian romp.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss can't find anything interesting or new to say about Lovecraft's work, but its detective adventure gameplay is an extremely promising foundation.
What lurks deep in the ocean? Really deep, past all the weird fish and that? Should you believe the flights of fancy conjured by author H.P. Lovecraft...
Cthulu: The Cosmic Abyss wraps an intricate puzzle game in the shell of a beautifully designed, if familiar, Lovecraftian atmospheric horror experience that strikes a delicate balance between allowing you to solve problems on your own and consistently propelling you forward.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss revels in the player working to unravel the unfathomable in Lovecraft's influential universes. This is a game about eerie atmosphere and piecing together mysteries, taking players on a claustrophobic journey through infinite horrors.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss has some interesting ideas, but it hides them behind poorly explained puzzles and deceptively linear design.
The kind of cosmic horror that makes you ponder your place in the universe
While there are many games based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss stands out thanks to its focus on you conducting an investigation. With some genuinely tough puzzles to solve, it's just a shame that one or two are more frustrating than they are fun, and that there are numerous technical issues to deal with too.
In the end, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is fine. The lack of combat combined with a lack of guidance creates a challenging and refreshing experience for most - and frustrating for some. The overall presentation is fine, despite the game's use of an engine intended to deliver stunning visuals. The game will appeal to those who are fascinated with the Cthulhu universe more than those looking for thrills and scares. Players won't feel compelled to stick with this title for long sessions at a time.
H.P. Lovecraft’s work still has legions of devoted fans, including within the gaming community. They will therefore be delighted with Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss, which will not only scare them but also provide plenty of exploration. It cleverly expands the aforementioned universe with futuristic elements, although at present it has not managed to avoid certain technical glitches.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is a Lovecraftian game to the core, but it is also an investigative adventure with an overly slow pace and less frightening than expected.
Review in Italian | Read full review