Call Of Cthulhu takes its cues from 1981’s card/board game of the same name, with a sprinkling of influences from HP Lovecraft’s short story. Unrelated to 2005’s Dark Corners Of The Earth videogame, this is a standalone story set within the Cthulhu universe that contains all of the oppressive atmosphere and general horror that one might expect.

Set in 1924 (or at least that’s what the calendar in your office says), main character Edward Pierce is a First World War veteran on the brink of personal collapse. A heavy drinker and dependent on sleeping pills due to his traumatic experiences in the war, he’s now a private detective faced with losing his license unless he finds a new case imminently. Enter a well-known art collector who asks for help investigating the death of his daughter, herself a respected painter with a troubled past, accused of killing her own family during a moment of madness. Pierce accepts the case and heads to Darkwater, a remote whaling community off the coast of Boston, where his investigation – and his descent into insanity – begins.

The entire game consists of walking around various locations, looking at items and talking to other characters to gain clues and fill in gaps in the story. There’s no combat to speak of, other than the occasional dialogue option that might end in a fist fight, although these are few and far between and always play out automatically rather than letting you defend yourself.

This is more than a simple walking simulator though, as the inclusion of some light RPG mechanics lend the game a little more variety. Pierce has several upgradeable stats that can affect the way you play the game. Invest some points in eloquence to open up additional dialogue options for example, or enhancing your Strength might mean you can force open an otherwise inaccessible door. Certain stats can only be increased by finding items in the environment, rewarding those with a keen eye and an appetite for careful exploration. Your upgrade choices certainly matter as far as gameplay goes, but everything is accessible one way or another so there’s no worries about getting stuck if your stats aren’t quite up to scratch.

Call Of Cthulhu‘s horror is mainly found in its environments and inhabitants rather than full-on jump scares. Fans of psychological horror and/or the Cthulhu mythos will be in their element here, but it maybe isn’t one for the more action-oriented gamer.

CALL OF CTHULHU / DEVELOPER: CYANIDE / PUBLISHER: FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE / PLATFORM: PC, PLAYSTATION 4 (REVIEWED), XBOX ONE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW