There’s no denying that the Cthulhu Mythos has suffered from oversaturation over the last ten years, as there seems to be no end to games which can be listed under ‘Lovecraft lite’ with a tentacle-faced dragon man involved. Those which stand out tend to be the ones which parody the source material, such as Cthulhu Saves the World, Fhtagn! – Tales of the Creeping Madness!, or The Miskatonic.
The story follows Charlotte LeStrange, a former member of a witch cult blessed with mind-altering eyes. Hired by the titular university to assist their staff, mutants and the odd eldritch being beyond human comprehension, she soon uncovers a conspiracy within its ranks which is far more nightmarish than any one member of the Miskatonic’s population.
The story contains all the visual novel tropes you would expect (right down to the nudity, but thankfully from nothing with non-Euclidean geometry) and it hinges on a small handful of semi-connect characters. Their personalities are as bold and expressive as the game’s visuals, and the narrative takes full advantage of the dark magic about the place. This results in some of the best gags made about the Lovecraft mythos, both in terms of its fans and the original tales. While this certainly makes the dialogue gag heavy, it’s used as a means to better flesh out the characters involved and keep the player engaged during some of the longer segments between the investigation portions of the game.
Unfortunately, the main problem issue behind The Miskatonic lies in how it deals with its story. It lacks any ability to backtrack, and there is minimal replay value in experiencing the game for a second time. Once you are done, you really are done, and there is little for you to come back to. How much this will impact your experience will vary from player to player, but with a length of only three hours in total and little gameplay, you can easily end up feeling as if you have simply watched someone play your game for you.
Rapscallion clearly had a story they wished to tell with The Miskatonic, and they told it. The problem is that, in doing so, they took the novel part of visual novel far too literally and it lacks the freedom of choice which makes that genre so engaging. The humour is on point, the characters are memorable and, for the second time in two months, we have a great unconventional take on the Cthulhu Mythos. Yet you have to accept you’re just along for the ride, rather than being in the driving seat. Give it a try if you’re after a fantastically humorous macabre story, but look elsewhere if you want an experience.
THE MISKATONIC / DEVELOPER & PUBLISHER: RAPSCALLION / PLATFORM: PC / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
