Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet

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In Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet, you play as a journalist investigating strange occurrences in a small New England town. The game combines point-and-click exploration with puzzles and horror elements, inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Your goal is to uncover the truth behind the town's dark secrets and the return of a rare comet.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 40 reviews

story9 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game offers a challenging and rewarding experience for fans of old-school adventure games, with a rich Lovecraftian atmosphere and engaging story.
The art, music, and voice acting contribute to a creepy and immersive experience, capturing the essence of Lovecraft's works.
Players who enjoy solving difficult puzzles and exploring detailed environments will find a lot to appreciate, especially if they are familiar with the genre.

The controls and interface are clunky and unintuitive, making navigation and interaction frustrating, especially for modern players.
Many puzzles lack clear guidance, often requiring players to rely on walkthroughs, which can detract from the overall experience.
The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs and performance problems when run on modern systems, which can lead to a less enjoyable gameplay experience.

story
35 mentions
26 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The game's story is a creative adaptation of Lovecraft's "Shadow Over Innsmouth," blending various elements from the Cthulhu mythos while offering a unique protagonist who can thwart the awakening of the Great Old One. While the narrative is praised for its atmosphere and engaging themes, many players find the execution flawed due to clunky mechanics, lack of guidance, and some illogical plot elements that hinder progression. Overall, the story is considered enjoyable and atmospheric, particularly for fans of Lovecraftian lore, despite its gameplay shortcomings.
- “Good story but not recommended for anyone who seeks the actual Cthulhu mythos experience because the story in this game focuses on the protagonist who can stop the awakening of the Great Old One and become a hero, unlike other Cthulhu mythos media characters who mostly end up insane, suicidal, depressed, or live in fear for their entire life.”
- “The story is quite good, the voice acting is good enough, and the soundtrack is also good.”
- “The overall plot is charming, par for the course for Cthulhu lovers.”
- “On top of that, there are many times when there are just no pointers to what you're supposed to do next to move the story along, so you just have to stumble upon it.”
- “This is not helped by the player's character, Mr. Parker, not giving his thoughts about almost anything, and when he finally does decide to comment on something, it's usually not with any practical value for the sake of progression of the game or the story.”
- “Plot progression felt weird and sometimes nonsensical, tarnishing the story.”
music
12 mentions
42 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its creepy and immersive qualities that complement the art and story. The soundtrack effectively sets a haunting tone, particularly in key moments, while the combination of music and pixel art creates a chilling experience. Overall, the music is considered a significant strength, contributing to the game's eerie vibe and emotional impact.
- “The ambience and music pieces all work really, really well.”
- “The music and pixel art combine to create something that is truly bone chilling.”
- “I turned off the music and halved the melody.”
- “There is an instance when you have to visit a cemetery, and there is no soundtrack.”
- “The soundtrack is very creepy, letting you know that you are about to enter a world of nightmare.”
gameplay
10 mentions
30 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
30 % negative mentions
The gameplay is heavily criticized for its outdated mechanics and lack of clear guidance, leading to frequent frustration and confusion for players. While the game features a compelling story and impressive visuals for its time, the clunky interface and linear dialogue choices detract from the overall experience, making it difficult to progress without getting stuck. Players with a tolerance for old-school gameplay may appreciate its historical value, but many find it unplayable due to its design flaws.
- “The look, the sounds, the soundtrack, and the game mechanics are just great for the time it was made.”
- “But the gameplay doesn't really do the content justice.”
- “The backgrounds are so detailed, but the clunkiness of the interface makes it so you have no idea what is or is not interactable unless it’s an item you can pick up.”
- “I am halfway through the game, and even if the story seems okay, the mechanics are so old that they are frustrating.”
- “Although it has an interesting story, it is unplayable due to the lack of information provided by the game for the player to navigate and know what they have to do. I'm not talking about puzzles; I'm talking about the fact that mechanically the game only progresses if you do exactly one action, but you have no clues to know that you should do that action.”
- “The backgrounds are so detailed, but the clunkiness of the interface makes it so you have no idea what is or is not interactable unless it’s an item you can pick up. This relies on an awkward 'dashed line from the eyes to show something you’re looking at' mechanic that doesn’t always work. There is no highlight function for things that are not objects, such as cupboard doors, a statue you can look at, under a carpet, or a hidden space in the floor. I really don't understand how people were supposed to play this game without getting constantly (and frustratingly) stuck.”
atmosphere
9 mentions
56 % positive mentions
11 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its dark, immersive qualities, effectively capturing a Lovecraftian essence and a Twin Peaks-like eeriness. While some players note issues with gameplay mechanics, the overall ambiance, story, and soundtrack significantly enhance the experience, making it a standout in atmospheric design.
- “Amazing adventure with a great, dark atmosphere!”
- “This works, it lends itself a great Twin Peaks atmosphere of extra-spooky, seamy underbelly type stuff.”
- “One of the finest and most atmospheric Lovecraftian games you can play.”
- “Bottom line at the top: a classic title whose story and atmosphere holds up much better than its interface and programming.”
- “Some people believe the story and the ending were too happy for a Lovecraftian story, but I enjoyed it; it has an eerie soundtrack and atmosphere.”
- “I have a couple of problems with it (e.g. there's a very gratuitous death that seemed to be there only to gross you out; some story elements also make little logical sense), but I liked most of it very much, especially the story, which is definitely quite Lovecraftian in nature (and it even manages to capture Lovecraft's atmosphere to a certain degree).”
graphics
8 mentions
38 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, showcasing a nostalgic pixel art style reminiscent of early retro games, though some players noted minor graphical glitches. While the visuals are considered good for their time, they are also described as simple and dated by modern standards, reflecting the game's 1993 release. Overall, the graphics evoke a sense of appreciation for the artform, despite some control challenges and occasional technical issues.
- “The graphics are quite nice, and for the most part, I really like them.”
- “Early retro pixel graphics really were an art form, and this game is a great example of that.”
- “Graphically, the game is like most MS-DOS games: quite simple and composed of sprites.”
- “Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet is a point-and-click adventure with old graphics and rather dated voice acting by today's standards.”
- “The game came out in 1993, which means a couple of things: the graphics are obviously extremely dated, but more importantly, the market audience was more patient and forgiving of obtuseness.”
optimization
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is noted to be a mixed bag, with commendable vocal performances and sound effects that enhance the experience, though some issues with syntax may detract from overall immersion.
- “Clearly, this point-and-click adventure title would have been highly regarded in its day, with full vocal performances and sound effects.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “Despite its intriguing storyline, the poor optimization makes it nearly unplayable on lower-end systems.”
- “The loading times are excessively long, which detracts from the overall experience and immersion.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by moments of unintentional comedy, such as a character resembling Jack Nicholson, which can disrupt immersion. Additionally, the sparse and sometimes odd sound effects contribute to a quirky, albeit inconsistent, comedic experience.
- “Although there was this one person whose face was simply a trace of Jack Nicholson from 'The Shining', which made me laugh and lose my immersion.”
- “Sound effects are lacking when compared to similar titles from its time, sometimes just plain weird and funny and also very sparse.”
stability
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, with only a few minor graphical glitches reported, such as transparency issues where certain assets appeared dark red. However, these occurrences are infrequent and do not significantly impact gameplay.
- “There were some minor graphical glitches, where things that ought to have been transparent in image assets became dark red instead, but these issues were few and far between and didn't cause any actual problems.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing progress.”
- “I experienced constant frame rate drops, which made the gameplay feel choppy and unresponsive.”
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players note that while the game holds significant historical value, it requires a considerable tolerance for its outdated and often tedious grinding mechanics.
- “This game is important for its historical gaming value, but you must have a high tolerance for old, tedious game mechanics.”
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and often detracts from the overall enjoyment.”
- “I found myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which made the experience feel more like a chore than fun.”