PLATFORM: PC, PS5, XBOX SERIES (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
In this narrative-driven investigate-em-up, players take the role of Noah, an employee of the Ancile, a company that specialises in “occult affairs”. Sent to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean to track down some missing miners, Noah finds something highly unusual – the entrance to R’lyeh, the sunken city long thought to be the lair of Cthulhu…
Like many other Lovecraft-related games, The Cosmic Abyss focuses on exploration and investigation rather than combat – you won’t be fighting anything other than Noah’s grip on his own sanity. Instead, you’re given an upgradeable AI companion that will assist you in your quest to uncover the many secrets that lie ahead. Each of the game’s chapters features a series of puzzles that need to be completed by thoroughly investigating your surroundings and piecing together the clues that you find. By analysing anything that might be useful, you’re able to add materials to a sonar that will help you to find additional information or routes through the level. All of the major clues that you find are stored in the Vault, where you’ll use your own detective abilities to figure out how and why the various bits of information link together, leading to a deduction that will hopefully show you what steps to take next.
In each chapter, the main Investigation always has two outcomes – one that strengthens Cthulhu’s influence, and one that reduces it. Your task is to not only find the puzzle’s solution, but to also choose the correct one that will keep Noah’s Corruption meter stable and stop him from going insane. In the standard “Investigation mode”, there’s very little hand-holding and you’re rarely explicitly told what to do, so you’ll need an inquisitive mind and a keen eye to progress safely. Those who prefer an easier ride can opt to play in “Exploration mode” which enables hints that range from nudging you in the right direction to just giving you the answer to your current puzzle, depending on how much help you feel you might need.
With its cerebral puzzle-solving, beautiful scenery and unsettling atmosphere, The Cosmic Abyss has plenty to offer for discerning puzzle fans. Its investigation mechanics can be a bit fiddly though, mid-game checkpoints are infrequent, and some of the clues and solutions can at times be almost prohibitively tricky to figure out, even when using the built-in hint system. If mind-bending puzzles of a Lovecraftian nature are your thing, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss should scratch a very specific itch.
