Chronicle of Innsmouth

74%
Game Brain Score Based on 214 reviews
  • story
  • humor
  • gameplay
Chronicle of Innsmouth Game Cover
Starting at $4.99Buy now
Get on Steam Get on itch.io Store

"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.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

74%
Audience ScoreBased on 214 reviews
story32 positive mentions
grinding10 negative mentions
  • The game accurately depicts the story of Lovecraft's 'Shadow over Innsmouth' with a good balance of humor and atmosphere.
  • The voice acting and sound design are excellent, enhancing the overall experience.
  • The pixel art and nostalgic point-and-click mechanics evoke a classic adventure game feel reminiscent of the 90s.
  • The game suffers from frustrating quick-time events and pixel hunting, especially in the latter half, which detracts from the enjoyment.
  • Some puzzles are overly obtuse or illogical, leading to reliance on walkthroughs to progress.
  • The tonal shifts between humor and horror can feel jarring, leaving the game with an identity crisis.
  • story152 mentions

    The game's story is a retelling of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," capturing its essence while lacking some details and depth. While it features intriguing plot elements and a dark atmosphere, many players found the narrative predictable and criticized its execution, particularly the reliance on tedious gameplay mechanics and abrupt shifts between horror and comedy. Overall, the story is engaging for fans of Lovecraft but may disappoint those seeking a fresh or more cohesive narrative experience.

    • “The story is well written, engaging, and suspenseful.”
    • “The plot is intriguing and faithful to Lovecraft's original works (always a plus): the story starts somewhat light-hearted and gets progressively darker and edgier, once gotten to Innsmouth.”
    • “Great atmosphere, nicely implemented story, and well-balanced difficulty of the puzzles (a few frustrating moments due to pixel-hunting are simply part of the deal).”
    • “The story borrows a lot from actual Lovecraft stories, badly, and namedrops stuff like crazy without any actual relevance, like, hmm, Arkham, Miskatonic University, hmm, Dr. Armitage, eh, 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.”
  • humor56 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its quirky dialogue and classic point-and-click jokes, while others feel it struggles to balance comedic elements with the Lovecraftian horror theme. Many reviewers noted that the humor can be entertaining but lacks the cleverness and consistency found in classic adventure games, leading to a somewhat disjointed experience. Overall, while the game offers humorous moments and a light-hearted tone, it may not fully satisfy those seeking a darker, more suspenseful atmosphere.

    • “Psychodev captures the Lovecraft narrative in the form of old school LucasArts adventure games and delivers -- sense of humor included.”
    • “A total throwback to the old-school adventure games like Maniac Mansion and Zak McKracken, along with the same goofy humor, yet with a clear love of H.P. Lovecraft.”
    • “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.”
    • “Not clever enough, not funny enough, not playtested enough.”
  • gameplay52 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with the first half praised for its classic point-and-click mechanics and engaging puzzles, while the second half is criticized for a frustrating shift to clunky action-adventure elements and poorly designed mini-games. Many players found the gameplay tedious and the mechanics inconsistent, detracting from the overall experience despite the strong narrative and atmosphere. Overall, the game offers around 4-6 hours of playtime, but the execution of its gameplay mechanics leaves much to be desired.

    • “The gameplay is logical, interesting, and I didn't come across any bugs.”
    • “Great atmosphere and great gameplay, like the gameplay of that Lucasfilm game.”
    • “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.”
    • “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 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.”
  • atmosphere50 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its Lovecraftian elements and the eerie, immersive settings, particularly in locations like Innsmouth. However, some critiques highlight a dissonance between the intended horror atmosphere and comedic elements, which can detract from the overall experience. While the visuals and voice acting contribute positively, opinions vary on whether the atmosphere successfully evokes the suspense and mystery typical of Lovecraft's works.

    • “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.”
    • “Voice acting and graphics are successful in creating a Lovecraftian atmosphere.”
    • “Great atmosphere, nicely implemented story, and well-balanced difficulty of the puzzles (a few frustrating moments due to pixel-hunting are simply part of the deal).”
    • “Then why is there so much tongue-in-cheek jokes, destroying any attempt at creating a true atmosphere.”
    • “- The game failed to deliver the right atmosphere; there was neither enough suspense nor mystery.”
    • “However, while this is a passable point'n'click on its own, there is no lovecraftian atmosphere to be found.”
  • graphics50 mentions

    The graphics of the game evoke a nostalgic 90s pixel art style reminiscent of classic LucasArts adventures, successfully creating a Lovecraftian atmosphere despite some graphical flaws and a lack of polish. While some players appreciate the charm and ambiance, others criticize the visuals as too dark, muddy, or simplistic, leading to mixed opinions on their overall quality. Overall, the graphics contribute to the game's atmosphere, but opinions vary widely on their execution and appeal.

    • “The graphics are impressively just like the LucasArts adventures, and the voice acting I found surprisingly very well performed.”
    • “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 is amazing as the music and sound too!”
    • “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.”
    • “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'.”
  • music42 mentions

    The game's music has received mixed reviews, with some praising the jazzy tracks and atmospheric compositions that enhance the gameplay experience, particularly in the first half. However, there are criticisms regarding the soundtrack occasionally clashing with the scene's tone and a notably out-of-place ending song. Overall, while the music is generally considered good and well-integrated, it is described as serviceable rather than exceptional, with standout moments primarily in the voice acting and specific tracks.

    • “The music, backgrounds, animation, sound effects, voice acting, and user interface all come together to provide an excellent experience for the genre.”
    • “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.”
    • “The soundtrack is very interesting, and also the main theme (mysterious with a metal taste) is great.”
    • “The music and sound effects are subpar.”
    • “Music and graphics are all done in the same fashion: serviceable, but frankly not worth writing home about.”
    • “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.”
  • grinding10 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with gameplay and puzzles often feeling like chores designed to extend playtime rather than enhance enjoyment. The repetitive nature of tasks, such as pixel hunting and navigating through unskippable cinematics, detracts from the overall experience and makes replays feel burdensome.

    • “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.”
    • “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.”
  • stability8 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, such as repeated voice lines and unresponsive interactions. Players find the old-school action buttons exacerbate these problems, leading to frustration, particularly with poorly designed puzzles and a jarring shift in gameplay style towards the end. Overall, the experience is marred by a lack of polish and reliability.

    • “It's a buggy mess and the old-school specific action buttons make it even worse.”
    • “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.”
    • “Buggy riddles (hotel), stupid riddles (lighthouse riddle: where you need to listen for sounds, while a roaring thunder plays in the background...) and then the last five minutes of the game are suddenly an action-adventure.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional impact of the game is significantly diminished by a rushed and compacted ending, which fails to engage players and concludes abruptly, leaving them feeling disconnected from the narrative.

  • replayability2 mentions

    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 & click adventures, the game offers no real replayability.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy Chronicle of Innsmouth

Play time

4hMedian play time
5hAverage play time
4-6hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games