Chronicle of Innsmouth

About

"Chronicle of Innsmouth" is a survival horror point-and-click game set in the Lovecraftian universe. You play as a detective investigating the cursed town of Innsmouth, facing supernatural creatures and solving puzzles to uncover the town's dark secrets. The game features a rich atmosphere, inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and challenging gameplay that will test your problem-solving skills.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

72%

Audience ScoreBased on 122 reviews

story18 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

The game features a nostalgic point-and-click adventure style reminiscent of classic LucasArts games, with engaging puzzles and a humorous tone.
The voice acting is generally well done, adding depth to the characters and enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.
The Lovecraftian story is intriguing and captures the essence of 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth', providing a mix of humor and horror.

The game suffers from frustrating pixel hunting and poorly designed timed events, particularly in the final segments, which can lead to unfair deaths.
Some puzzles are overly obtuse or illogical, requiring players to rely on walkthroughs, detracting from the overall experience.
The graphics and animations can be inconsistent, with some cutscenes and character designs feeling amateurish compared to the rest of the game.

story
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
74%
4%
The game's story is a retelling of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," capturing its eerie atmosphere and themes, though it often struggles with pacing and coherence. While some players appreciated the homage to classic adventure games and the engaging plot, others criticized the narrative for being predictable, overly reliant on plot dumps, and lacking a strong character motivation. Overall, the story is seen as a mixed bag, with a blend of intriguing elements and frustrating execution.
- “Overall, I really enjoyed it, especially the creepy story and atmosphere.”
- “The story is well written, engaging, and suspenseful.”
- “The plot is intriguing and faithful to Lovecraft's original works: the story starts somewhat light-hearted and gets progressively darker and edgier once you get to Innsmouth.”
- “The story borrows a lot from actual Lovecraft stories, badly, and namedrops stuff like crazy without any actual relevance, like Arkham, Miskatonic University, Dr. Armitage. I've read the books too!”
- “From a story perspective, the biggest problem is that the character has no reason for continuing the investigation.”
- “What begins as a strong homage to 90s adventure games ends with boring plot dumps and an irritating and clunky quick-time event extravaganza.”
humor
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its quirky characters and classic point-and-click jokes reminiscent of old-school adventure games like "Monkey Island," while others feel it struggles to balance its comedic elements with the intended Lovecraftian horror. Many reviewers noted that the game shifts tone midway, leading to confusion about whether it aims to be funny or scary, resulting in a less cohesive experience. Overall, while the humor is enjoyable for some, it often feels out of place within the darker themes of the narrative.
- “Psychodev captures the Lovecraft narrative in the form of old school LucasArts adventure games and delivers -- sense of humor included.”
- “A cool AGS point-and-click adventure that manages to evoke a Lovecraftian atmosphere while retaining a sense of humor and visual aesthetic borrowed from Monkey Island.”
- “Well done on the atmosphere and humor... it struck a good balance between apprehension and comedic relief.”
- “Not clever enough, not funny enough, not playtested enough.”
graphics
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
59%
14%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the nostalgic pixel art reminiscent of classic LucasArts adventures, while others criticize it for being simplistic and lacking polish. Many players appreciate the atmospheric design that effectively conveys a Lovecraftian feel, despite some graphical flaws and a tendency for visuals to appear dark or muddy. Overall, while the graphics may not meet modern standards, they evoke a charming retro aesthetic that appeals to fans of the genre.
- “Lovecraft, the voice acting is very good and I loved the graphics and the sound design; the lightning flashes and thunder in the exterior scenes at Innsmouth are something to behold.”
- “Visually, one cannot help but think that this could actually be an original LucasArts game, featuring the exact same pixelated art style like many of the classics and a UI that most closely resembles that of Monkey Island 1 & 2 and Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis.”
- “The graphics are amazing, as is the music and sound!”
- “The graphics are bad, like very bad.”
- “The graphic element is very reminiscent of the 90s adventures – a slightly blurry, simplistic pixelated picture with white subtitles overlay and inventory in retro style.”
- “Graphics are a very mixed bag: the LucasArts look and feel isn't bad (with a weird palette, maybe), but the characters' close-ups are really awful.”
gameplay
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
62%
17%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the initial point-and-click mechanics engaging but criticizing the later shift to action-adventure elements and poorly designed mini-games that disrupt immersion and enjoyment. Frustration arises from clunky controls and tedious puzzles, particularly in the game's second half, leading to a sense of inconsistency in gameplay quality. Overall, while the game offers interesting narrative elements and a unique atmosphere, its gameplay mechanics often detract from the overall experience.
- “The gameplay is logical, interesting, and I didn't come across any bugs.”
- “While the first part of the game focuses really heavily on the classic point & click adventure style of gameplay (which it does really well, by the way, mixing it up with a few puzzles with different mechanics), it all of a sudden turns into more of an action-adventure game once you get past a certain point in Innsmouth.”
- “Great atmosphere and great gameplay, reminiscent of the gameplay from that Lucasfilm game.”
- “The puzzle and gameplay design leave a lot to be desired, especially in the second half of the game.”
- “The point and click mechanics are to the detriment of this game as it tries to implement a few mini-games, these mini-games just sabotage the world and immersion of intrigue with frustration.”
- “The narrative isn't captivating and the game mechanics are, for the most part, tedious chores to go through in order to advance the story.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
48%
11%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its bombastic and jazzy tracks that enhance the atmosphere, while others feel it occasionally clashes with the game's tone. The standout feature is the impressive metal song played during the credits, which many reviewers found memorable. Overall, while the soundtrack has its highlights, it is often described as average or serviceable, with some inconsistencies in how it complements the gameplay experience.
- “Extra credits for the kick-ass outro song they recorded for the game.”
- “The soundtrack is very interesting, and also the main theme (mysterious with a metal taste) is great.”
- “The game got the hardest towards the end, as the story was coming to a climax, and the main character was trying to evade capture, so it made sense that you had to make quick reactions, when the accompanying music added to the tension.”
- “Music is bombastic and too much.”
- “The music, backgrounds, animation, sound effects, voice acting and user interface all come together to provide an excellent experience for the genre.”
- “I had nothing to say about the game's music until the ending... the song the devs chose to play with the ending credits makes absolutely no sense and I fail to comprehend how they thought it was a good idea to use it.”
atmosphere
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
38%
12%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its effective blend of creepy, Lovecraftian elements and engaging storytelling, creating a sense of dread and immersion, particularly in settings like Innsmouth. While some players appreciate the humor and old-school style, others feel that comedic elements occasionally undermine the intended eerie tone. Overall, the game successfully evokes a haunting atmosphere, though opinions vary on the execution of its visual and auditory components.
- “Overall, I really enjoyed it, especially the creepy story and atmosphere.”
- “Great atmosphere, nicely implemented story, and well-balanced difficulty of the puzzles.”
- “The atmosphere of dread and creepiness is pretty well done, especially in the streets of Innsmouth, which is quite impressive given the limitations of the graphics.”
- “Then why is there so much tongue-in-cheek jokes, destroying any attempt at creating a true atmosphere.”
- “While it does a good job at providing the game with the right atmosphere, some might find the graphics a bit too dark, or a bit too bland and (for lack of a better term) 'muddy'.”
- “However, while this is a passable point'n'click on its own, there is no lovecraftian atmosphere to be found.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unenjoyable, often feeling like a chore that detracts from the otherwise cool story. The gameplay is criticized for being repetitive and designed to extend playtime unnecessarily, with elements like non-skippable cinematics and pixel hunting contributing to a frustrating experience. Overall, the mechanics are seen as a hindrance to fully engaging with the narrative.
- “The story is so cool that I just wish the gameplay and puzzles weren't so tedious.”
- “Not enjoyable, very tedious and designed to pad out the play time, I assume.”
- “It was a tedious chore of pixel hunting and mindlessly wandering around looking for the next trigger.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marred by frequent bugs and glitches, including issues with item descriptions and unresponsive actions that can hinder progress. Players report frustration with the old-school action buttons and poorly designed puzzles, which contribute to an overall sense of instability and inconsistency in gameplay.
- “Small bugs and glitches occur throughout the game, like item descriptions or voice lines being played twice after clicking only once.”
- “Things are so locked in that it’s honestly pretty frustrating, especially because there are a lot of glitches where you can click on something and nothing happens, but then if you click on a different part of the same labeled object, suddenly the story moves forward.”
- “It’s a buggy mess and the old-school specific action buttons make it even worse.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Many users feel that the emotional impact of the game is diminished by a rushed and overly compacted ending, which fails to engage players and concludes abruptly.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game lacks significant replayability, a common trait among point-and-click adventure titles, as players typically experience the same narrative and puzzles in each playthrough.
- “As with most point-and-click adventures, the game offers no real replayability.”