Call of Cthulhu (video game)

Lore & Background

The game follows Edward Pierce, a private investigator and war veteran in 1924 Boston, who suffers from bizarre nightmares and self-medicates with sleeping pills and alcohol. He is hired to investigate the Hawkins family, who died in a mysterious fire, and travels to Darkwater Island. There, he encounters a superstitious local culture, a beached killer whale with ghastly wounds, and a hidden cult performing rituals in caves beneath the island. Pierce discovers that Charles Hawkins, thought dead, is a mutated cult leader who kills Officer Bradley with a tentacled arm.

Reader's Guide

Pierce's investigation leads him to the Riverside Institute, a mental hospital where he is drugged and experiences hallucinations. He escapes with Dr. Marie Colden, uncovers experiments by Dr. Fuller, and learns of a painting called 'The Shambler' by Sarah Hawkins. After banishing the Shambler, Pierce finds the Necronomicon and has out-of-body experiences. He eventually confronts the cult at a whaling station, where he learns that the 'Miraculous Catch' of 1847 was the entity Leviathan, which granted immortality to those who ate its flesh. The game features four possible endings based on Pierce's sanity and player choices, including summoning Cthulhu.

Did You Know?

• The game is not a direct adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft's short story 'The Call of Cthulhu' but is mostly based on the Cthulhu Mythos and the 1981 role-playing game.
• The 'Miraculous Catch' of 1847 was the entity Leviathan, whose flesh granted immortality to those who ate it.
• Pierce can encounter a painting called 'The Shambler' that comes to life and must be banished with a ritualistic dagger.
• The game has four possible endings, including one where Cthulhu is summoned and drives everyone mad.