CTHON

About

CTHON is a single player survival shooter game with horror and science fiction themes. It was developed by GravityGames and was released on December 31, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"CTHON is a sci-fi first-person shooter set in the 24th century, where evil has awakened in the Epsilon Eridani system. Pythos colony's moon harbors a terrifying secret, and by utilizing advanced alien technologies, you'll transform into a cybernetic killing machine to battle through an ever-changing labyrinth of aberrant creatures. Get your Steam key if you purchased from itch.io and prepare to face the greatest threat to mankind."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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78%

Audience ScoreBased on 76 reviews

graphics10 positive mentions

gameplay4 negative mentions

Cthon features a strong atmosphere with excellent sound design and visuals, reminiscent of classic FPS games like Wolfenstein 3D and System Shock.
The game offers a high level of replayability due to its procedurally generated levels and a variety of upgrades that visually change weapons and HUD elements.
The gameplay encourages strategic decision-making with limited inventory space and power management, adding tension and depth to the experience.

The controls can be awkward, with a confusing weapon switching system that detracts from the overall gameplay experience.
The game suffers from balancing issues, particularly in higher difficulties where randomization can lead to frustrating and unfair situations.
Some players may find the slow pacing and lack of variety in weapons and enemy design to be tedious, leading to a repetitive experience.

gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
77%
13%
The gameplay of this title is characterized by procedurally-generated mazes, basic first-person shooter mechanics, and a roguelike structure that emphasizes exploration and resource management. Players engage in combat while upgrading their characters and navigating the tension of permadeath, which can lead to frustration but also adds to the game's challenge. Overall, it successfully blends classic FPS elements with RPG and roguelike features, though opinions vary on its pacing and depth.
- “The core gameplay consists of wandering procedurally-generated mazes, looking for the exit while fighting enemies with bare-bones FPS mechanics, and managing and upgrading your gear.”
- “This is a pretty fun and atmospheric mix of Wolf3D/Blake Stone-style old-school FPS gameplay with the randomly generated roguelike formula, in a dark sci-fi/Lovecraftian setting.”
- “Overall, this game succeeds at fusing Wolfenstein/Doom's FPS gameplay with RPG and roguelike mechanics, elements of Metroid's aesthetic, and the narrative bent of Lovecraft's cosmological outlook.”
- “The movement is slow, gameplay is boring, and if you die, you must begin from the start.”
- “The gameplay is dead simple, and thanks to the procedurally generated levels, there's a lot of time spent exploring corridors to nowhere.”
- “Original review: the game crashed when I was fighting the final boss, the permadeath mechanic and lack of saving caused me to lose all my progress and start from the beginning.”
graphics
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
53%
11%
The graphics of Cthon are characterized by a nostalgic, low-resolution retro pixel art style reminiscent of early 3D games like Wolfenstein and Doom, effectively capturing a cosmic horror atmosphere. While some players may find the simplistic visuals off-putting, many appreciate the game's strong aesthetic and immersive design, particularly how weapon upgrades visually reflect character progression. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's charm and atmosphere, enhancing the experience despite some gameplay limitations.
- “The atmosphere is on point: graphics and audio are perfect for the space-Lovecraftian setting.”
- “C'thon's main strength is its strong visuals.”
- “The graphics are pixel-perfect and gritty.”
- “Cthon is a pretty simple roguelike, with the graphics and action of Wolfenstein 3D (albeit with all ranged attacks here being projectiles instead of hitscan), and the story of Doom.”
- “Even beyond just sticking to a simplistic art style, I think this was really more about maintaining the aesthetics of early 3D games, which in all honesty, are still very much 2D in function.”
- “If the graphics were any more complex, enough for me to mentally note areas down as landmarks or whatever, the automap wouldn't even have a reason to exist.”
music
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
44%
13%
The music in the game is widely praised for its haunting and atmospheric qualities, effectively enhancing the sense of dread and tension throughout gameplay. Reviewers highlight the unique soundtrack, which blends ambient and eerie tones, creating an immersive experience that complements the dark, sci-fi setting. While some note that the music can be repetitive due to its looping nature, it remains a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's overall ambiance and emotional impact.
- “The game features a wonderful soundtrack and has really great sprite work and atmosphere.”
- “The unique soundtrack adds just the right amount of suspense and lends to the sense of isolation while exploring an abandoned colony.”
- “The slower pace, the gloomy, claustrophobic hallways, and a deliciously spooky soundtrack all conspire to create the kind of tension-fraught, horror-fps atmosphere that I've longed to experience again since the mid-2000s.”
- “The game world is dark and unsettling; the simplistic ambient soundtrack creates the vibe of danger and uncertainty while permadeath keeps each playthrough tense.”
- “If it wasn't for the soundtrack, this would be a sub-par roguelike, but mixed with the aesthetic of the game, it really drives home a cosmic horror feel as you slowly progress through the labyrinthine levels of a dead research station on top of some forgotten alien civilization.”
- “The slower pace, the gloomy, claustrophobic hallways, and a deliciously spooky soundtrack (seriously, these are really creepy tunes) all conspire to create the kind of tension-fraught, horror-FPS atmosphere that I've longed to experience again since the mid-2000s.”
atmosphere
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
22%
17%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its dark, foreboding tone, enhanced by a haunting soundtrack and impressive sprite work. Reviewers highlight the effective blend of retro FPS gameplay with Lovecraftian and sci-fi elements, creating a tense and immersive experience. Despite some gameplay balance issues, the overall ambiance successfully evokes nostalgia while delivering a chilling horror atmosphere.
- “The best thing about Cthon is its atmosphere.”
- “The slower pace, the gloomy, claustrophobic hallways, and a deliciously spooky soundtrack all conspire to create the kind of tension-fraught, horror-FPS atmosphere that I've longed to experience again since the mid-2000s.”
- “The atmosphere is dark and foreboding; the OST complements it well too.”
- “The sprite-work is interesting, with decrepit, sickly looking creatures inhabiting the claustrophobic halls, and their deaths being equally as grim as the atmosphere the game gives off.”
- “The slower pace, the gloomy, claustrophobic hallways, and a deliciously spooky soundtrack (seriously, these are really creepy tunes) all conspire to create the kind of tension-fraught, horror-FPS atmosphere that I've longed to experience again since the mid-2000s.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
Cthon boasts high replayability due to its procedurally generated maps and an upgrade system that allows for customizable builds, compensating for its short playtime of one to two hours. The inclusion of permadeath further enhances replay value, as each playthrough offers unique challenges and experiences based on randomly generated levels and items. Overall, players can expect a diverse and engaging experience with each session.
- “Especially the aspect of procedurally generated maps makes Cthon a gem of high replayability and compensates for the short playtime of one to two hours.”
- “It's short, yes, but replayability is guaranteed with procedurally generated levels and an upgrade system that lets you customize your build.”
- “There's permadeath, levels and items are randomly generated, which adds some replayability, but also throws difficulty all over the place, as your survival is very dependent on found upgrades and resource management.”
- “The procedural generation consistently creates levels with different layouts each time you load them, so there is a high amount of replayability.”
- “Further, due to the permadeath aspect of this game, having procedural generation really helps with the replayability.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The story in Cthon is a straightforward yet effective retro narrative, reminiscent of Doom, conveyed through scrolling text between game sections. While the minimalistic approach is well-written, players express a desire for more depth, such as additional lore or logs, to enhance the storytelling experience.
- “The simplistic retro story, told in screens of scrolling text in between the 3 sections of the game, is effective and evocative.”
- “Cthon is a pretty simple roguelike, with the graphics and action of Wolfenstein 3D (albeit with all ranged attacks here being projectiles instead of hitscan), and the story of Doom.”
- “The story was solid, though I wish there was more meat to it with logs or something like that rather than just the segment-end texts it provides you.”
- “Story elements are minimal but well written.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game somewhat tedious, though the sound effects, reminiscent of classic Doom games, add an engaging layer to the experience with their creepy and immersive qualities.
- “It gets a bit tedious.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate that every mod not only enhances performance but also alters the visual aesthetics of the gun, contributing to a more personalized and optimized gameplay experience.
- “Every mod not only upgrades the performance but also changes the appearance of the gun.”