Developer: The Fine Arc
Publisher: First Break Labs
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Cthulhu’s Reach: Devil Reef – Preview
H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos is perhaps history’s best example of the need to separate the art from the artist. Even by contemporary standards, Lovecraft was a horrible person. His writings, however, remain influential, and his creations have been the inspiration for countless films, books, TV shows, tabletop games, and video games. In fact, we’ve taken a look at several games in the setting, ranging from the outright creepy to more humorous interpretations of the mythos. The latest addition to this illustrious lineup is Cthulhu’s Reach: Devil Reef. The game has been available in Early Access for a while now, but recently received its Act II update, which seemed like a good opportunity to pay a visit to our great old octopus-headed pal.
The greatest strength of Cthulhu’s Reach is in just how well it blends narrative elements with gameplay. On paper, the gameplay isn’t anything to write home about. This is your bog-standard isometric roguelike shooter. However, by tapping into Lovecraft’s core themes of the insignificance of the human race, sanity, and cosmic horrors, Cthulthu’s Reach becomes a sum greater than its individual parts. Compared to other roguelike shooters, this is a game that is far more driven by its narrative. Set in the 1920s, Cthulhu’s Reach tells the tale of an explorer looking to pay off his debt to a gangster. Rumors of a treasure lead our hero to the titular Devil Reef, an enigmatic and sinister place where zealot cultists and untold horrors run amuck. As you try to survive in this nightmarish place, you’ll discover clues that reveal how this place became what it currently is. Along the way, you’ll run into other poor souls, like the insane Captain Crowe or investigator Serena Marsh, who is trying to find out the truth behind the cultists. In true Lovecraftian fashion, much of Cthulhu’s Reach’s unsettling atmosphere is created through the power of suggestion rather than revealing things fully.
Don’t expect Cthulhu’s Reach to be easy. While the player character is no slouch in combat, especially given that he’s facing off against unspeakable horrors, this is definitely a game where you’ll fight an uphill battle. Resource management is important here, and in this regard, the game often feels more like a survival horror game instead of a title where you go in guns blazing, expecting to come out victorious. Combat is fought in real-time, with a variety of often-improvised weaponry, like homemade harpoons and even powerful incantations. There is a sense of trial and error here, as different enemies require different strategies to be taken out. This does mean that you’ll need to be conservative with your limited resources like ammunition, and that you’ll need to take advantage of objects found in your surroundings, like explosive barrels and traps. The environment is procedurally generated in each run, and exploration is encouraged, as there are plenty of rewards to reap. However, lingering too long in the same location will attract more powerful enemies. This ties into a sanity mechanic as well, forcing you to find the right balance between treasure hunting and survival.
The constant sense of dread is amplified by Cthulhu’s Reach’s audiovisual presentation. Despite being rendered through relatively simplistic pixel art, the game is able to communicate how hostile of a place Devil Reef is. The dark color palette certainly plays a huge part here, as do the different environments, ranging from dank caves to torch-lit ruins. The enemy designs in particular stick aesthetically close to what has been established over the last century. We did have a minor gripe with Cthulhu’s Reach’s textures in that things did appear slightly blurry at times, however. Hopefully, the game receives some additional visual polish ahead of its full release. What doesn’t need any additional polish is the game’s soundscape. The orchestral soundtrack, in particular, is fantastic, creating a tense, distressing ambiance without going over the top. Likewise, the sound effects tie into the “don’t show too much” philosophy, with distant growls or the eerie chanting of cultists playing on the player’s nerves.
Act II of Cthulhu’s Reach culminates with a face-off against Mother Hydra. While this does mean that the titular Cthulhu is yet to make a full appearance, we’re already impressed with what’s on offer here, and we can’t wait to see what the future brings for Cthulhu’s Reach. Even in the meantime, there are reasons to return to the game. The procedurally generated nature of the levels means that no two runs will turn out exactly the same, and we haven’t been able to try the game out in co-op (which supports up to four players). There’s also a map editor, and while this does kind of defeat the purpose of procedurally generated levels, we’re eager to see what challenges the community comes up with.
Conclusion
It’s not often that we see so little room for improvement for an Early Access title. Usually, there are a couple of things that feel unfinished, but in the case of Cthulhu’s Reach, our only gripe is the occasional blurriness of its textures. Apart from that, this is a fantastic game that sticks close to the Lovecraftian lore and challenges players by getting creative with limited resources. We’re already looking forward to what can be found in the deepest bowels of Devil Reef.
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