The strange world created by well-known racist H.P. Lovecraft has long spellbound the imagination of authors everywhere. Game developers are no exception and there is a plethora of eldritch horror games out there, especially in the indie market.
I have played far too many of these; if you also want to dip a toe into the unsettled waters of cosmic horror, let me guide the way. Many Lovecraftian games are fiendishly difficult, so I have ordered my list by level of difficulty. There’s a tentacled horror for everyone!
Call of the Sea
On the easy end of the spectrum, this is a visually stunning walking simulator with some puzzle solving. Some of the puzzles are a little more challenging, but nothing insurmountable.
The storyline is solidly eldritch horror, with a good amount of body horror thrown in. It has a lovely soundtrack and overall is pleasantly atmospheric. The interface can be a bit temperamental in places, but it’s a solid little introduction to the genre.
Difficulty: 2/5 Length: around 5.5 hours. Available for: Meta Quest, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S from £16.75.
Dredge
If you’re looking to dive a little deeper (hah!) into Lovecraftian worlds, but don’t want to pull your hair out at seemingly impossible challenges, then Dredge is the game for you.
What starts out as an innocent fishing simulator quickly becomes increasingly eldritch. The visuals are stunning, there is enough variation in the fishing and resource management part of the game to keep it interesting and the world is rich and enjoyable to explore.
There are risk trade-off decisions to be made about night fishing, delightfully abhorrent aberrations to catch, monsters to avoid and a world to save… or not. It is rounded off with a fantastic soundtrack and there is a polar DLC.
Difficulty: 3/5 Length: around 9 hours. Available for: Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One from £19.99.
Sunless Sea
Now we’re talking difficult games. Sunless Sea takes place in the same gothic horror universe as Failbetter’s famous browser game Fallen London. Players are an Underzee captain, exploring the seas in eternal darkness and meeting many a strange creature.
There are two modes: story mode, which is card based and allows the player to explore locations and gain resources, and travel mode where the player moves their little ship through the darkness.
The game is extremely unforgiving in travel mode. Fuel and food are very scarce resources and some of the distances to be covered are enormous. When your Underzee captain inevitably perishes, you can choose to inherit something from them: their upgraded ship, their map… choose wisely.
The Fallen London universe is an incredibly unique and engaging creation. The soundtrack works wonders to add to the tension of what is visually a very simple game and before you know it, hours have passed and generations of Underzee captains have fallen prey to their own hubris. I love this game.
Difficulty: 4/5 Length: around 19 hours. Available for: Nintendo Switch, PC from £13.99.
Cultist Simulator
Written by the same person as Sunless Sea, Cultist Simulator is one of the most deliciously frustrating games I have ever played. There are no instructions. There is no tutorial. There are only cards, timers, and your exploration.
You know you have the goal to start a cult and explore strange eldritch magic, but it is entirely up to you to find out how. This game is not for everyone; if you don’t enjoy hours of experimentation with the constant threat of failure, this is not the game for you.
However, if the idea of taking active notes about a fictional mythology to help you keep track of how to progress when your characters inevitably die sounds like an amazing afternoon to you, then get the double-BAFTA nominated Cultist Simulator. It’s astonishingly easy to lose hours to this game – which is very in keeping with its themes.
Difficulty: 5/5 Length: around 19 hours. Available for: Mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC from £14.99.
Featured image credit: author, using free stock background by upklyak on Freepik
