The Miskatonic
- July 19, 2018
- Rapscallion
- 16h median play time
Get on Steam"The Miskatonic" is a first-person action-adventure game set in the Lovecraftian universe. As the rapscallion Jack, players uncover mysteries, fight cultists, and solve puzzles in a sprawling, open-world university town. With a blend of survival horror and immersive sim elements, players must manage their sanity and resources to survive the supernatural threats lurking in the shadows.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The art style is stunning and beautifully designed, creating an engaging visual experience.
- The writing is fantastic, filled with charming and funny dialogue that keeps the player entertained.
- The story is intriguing and offers a unique take on Lovecraftian themes, blending humor with dark elements.
- The game is very short, lasting only about 2-3 hours, which may leave players wanting more content.
- There are no meaningful choices or gameplay mechanics, making it feel more like a visual novel than a game.
- Some players found the pacing rushed, particularly towards the ending, which felt abrupt and unresolved.
- story284 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story of "The Miskatonic" is a quirky and humorous take on Lovecraftian themes, centered around a young witch navigating her job at Miskatonic University. While the narrative is engaging and features charming characters, it suffers from abrupt pacing and a lack of meaningful player choices, resulting in a linear experience that some players found unsatisfying. Overall, it offers a fun, albeit short, reading experience with a mix of dark comedy and whimsical elements, appealing particularly to fans of the genre.
“The Miskatonic is an interesting and kind of adorable Lovecraftian virtual novel. Just to let you know, this is one of those types of games where talking too much about the story will spoil the experience, so I'll just say the story is about a young witch getting a job at the Miskatonic University.”
“The story is great, the characters are fantastic, and the art... have I mentioned I like the art?”
“The humor is punchy and serves as a reminder that this story is written by Jack Cayless, and a porn artist won't pull their punches.”
“The story ends quite abruptly and doesn't reveal any motivation behind the characters.”
“The plot happens randomly.”
“The story is left as a cliffhanger and from what I understand it will not be continued.”
- humor107 mentions
- 97 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mix of dark, quirky, and sometimes juvenile elements, often drawing on Lovecraftian themes and character interactions that can elicit smiles or chuckles. While some players found the writing clever and entertaining, others criticized it for being hit-or-miss, with a tendency towards crassness and randomness that may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the humor is generally well-received, particularly by fans of dark comedy, though it may not resonate with those seeking more sophisticated wit.
“The dialogue is charming and very funny, had me laughing plenty of times.”
“The writing is absolutely hilarious, the Lovecraft love is so real and heartfelt, and everything is my kind of messed up, lighthearted, and absolutely delightful.”
“A humorous and comedic interpretation of the Cthulhu mythos, featuring charming and entertaining characters set against a dark, madness-filled atmosphere.”
“Not funny.”
“No, really, it's not funny.”
“Oh, and yeah, the jokes are not funny in the slightest.”
- graphics99 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning and unique art style, often described as a blend of cute and creepy elements reminiscent of anime and gothic aesthetics. Players appreciate the detailed character designs and vibrant colors, which enhance the overall atmosphere and storytelling. While the visuals are a highlight, some reviewers note that the game lacks interactivity and depth, making it feel more like a visual novel than a traditional game.
“The art style is absolutely stunning, incredible, beautiful – I can't stress it enough how much I like it; it gripped me the instant I first saw it.”
“The graphics are really good, with a sort of anime-ish feel to it, featuring good bright colors. Even the more somber and dark colors stand out, and the whole thing is pretty well detailed.”
“The artwork is both beautiful, adorable, and at times appropriately hideous.”
“While the art style admittedly is quite cutesy, everything else is underdeveloped.”
“Overall the game suffers from tone problems; the art style is cute-sexy, the subject matter is dark, and the dialogue is filled with cursing, which makes it feel adult, but the way the game is handled feels juvenile.”
“The game is as described: a point-and-click based visual novel set in a post-apocalyptic Lovecraftian world, which is fine, but the story wasn't enough.”
- music34 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as subdued and ambient, effectively setting the mood for the narrative but lacking memorability. While some players appreciate the atmospheric quality and how it complements the story, others find the soundtrack repetitive and minimal, with only a few tracks that do not significantly enhance the experience. Overall, the music is considered decent but not standout, serving more as background ambiance than a focal point.
“The music is chill.”
“The music is awesome and suits the setting perfectly in my opinion, and while the graphics and animations are minimal and simplistic, the character designs are adorable and well-drawn, and the story compensates for the lack of visual effects.”
“Most of what you'll be listening to is subdued music with ambient sounds on a loop: bells ringing, crackling fires, distant explosions, thunder and creaking, indecipherable chatting, etc. The music that does play may not be something you'll be humming after a playthrough, but it's easy on the ears and suits the narrative well enough.”
“The soundtrack is almost entirely composed of ambient loops, with some okayish royalty-free tracks for the main menu and intro.”
“This game is very lacking in music; other than the track that plays on the opening menu and during the credits, I don't think there's any songs at all during normal gameplay, only moments of background noise which doesn't really do much to set a mood or tone since there's no audible dialogue during anything and you can't even make your character walk.”
- gameplay33 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is predominantly linear and lacks meaningful interaction, resembling more of a visual novel than a traditional game. Players primarily click through a story with minimal choices or mechanics, leading to a consensus that it feels more like reading a script than engaging in gameplay. While the art and writing may be appreciated, those seeking interactive gameplay or player agency will likely be disappointed.
“The gameplay is pretty much nonexistent.”
“It's a linear story with zero gameplay, but if you're up for some reading with a mixture of cute and creepy visuals, it's enjoyable and doesn't outstay its welcome.”
“I really like visual novels to just tell me a story and not have any arbitrary choices that in the end don't change anything, so if you are fine with reading a good story and don't have to have 'gameplay' in everything, this is 100% recommended.”
“Sadly, the complete lack of choice, game mechanics, level design, or anything resembling it means that this isn't actually a game at all.”
“The main thing you need to understand before buying this is that this is not a game, in the sense that it doesn't have any actual gameplay.”
“It's a visual novel, but as far as gameplay is concerned, there are no puzzles, branching options, choices, or any real player interaction at all.”
- character development18 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally viewed as lacking depth, with many reviewers noting that while the character designs are visually appealing and unique, they often lack background and personality. The artwork, particularly by Jack Cayless, is highlighted as a standout feature, but the characters themselves do not undergo significant development, leaving them feeling somewhat forgettable despite their attractive designs. Overall, the game excels in character aesthetics but falls short in providing meaningful character arcs.
“The character design is excellent, and while not all of them are winners, I'm blaming that on the Kickstarter 'create a student NPC' reward threshold – all the main characters' designs are fantastic, and that's what matters.”
“Jack Cayless's artwork is probably the highlight of this game; there are lots of attractive character designs, and you'll definitely find a new waifu or three.”
“The art style, character design, and world design are great; every character you see, whether they are a random background character or someone central to the plot, looks unique and interesting in their own special way, but not to such an extreme degree that it's overwhelming.”
“There is no real character development.”
“However in contrast, not only are the side characters all completely forgettable but the world design itself is the exact problem the main character design avoids.”
“Character design/concepts are much desired.”
- atmosphere14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is a blend of dark, madness-filled elements characteristic of the Cthulhu mythos, combined with a comedic twist that enhances character interactions. While the audio and art style contribute positively to the overall ambiance, some players noted issues with pacing and reliance on references that detract from the immersive experience. Overall, the game successfully creates a unique and engaging atmosphere, though it may not fully realize its potential due to development challenges.
“All you'll be doing is reading, but the setting, atmosphere, and the characters are all neat.”
“Where the character interactions do a great job of forming a snide, comedic atmosphere, the main plot superbly captures the dark and horrifying tone that Lovecraft is so revered for.”
“A humorous and comedic interpretation of the Cthulhu mythos, featuring charming and entertaining characters set against a dark, madness-filled atmosphere.”
“You go in excited, reading everything, getting into the atmosphere... wondering when the prologue will end... ok... we're still in prologue... wait... *sigh*”
“Thus removing almost all of the potential for the world to be its own world, and for the atmosphere to even exist as everything is just one big reference.”
“The lack of distinction between tasteful and tactless references to sexuality also poisons the atmosphere.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 63 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is notably low due to its linear structure and lack of meaningful choices, with many reviewers expressing disappointment in the limited options for experiencing different outcomes. While the story and humor are appreciated, the consensus is that once completed, there is little incentive to replay the game.
“Nice replayable visual novel.”
“I've completed the game in 4-5 hours, and given that it's a linear story, the only opportunity for replayability is that you might have missed some of the dialogues (yes, that can happen).”
“The visual novel offers no options, so replayability is not high.”
“Great British style comedy and a very interesting story, but little to no replay value, and the ending is very lackluster in my opinion.”
“But as it is, it was a nice, short story, with pretty much no replay value whatsoever.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game can be tedious and uninteresting, with players expressing frustration over repetitive processes that detract from the overall experience. However, some users appreciate that the game's length is well-balanced, preventing the grind from becoming overly drawn out.
“The story, like everything else in this visual novel, is tedious, uninteresting, and bland.”
“This happens every single time I try to play the game, and now it's just tedious sitting there going through this process several times before it actually works, which is sad since it looks like a really fun game.”
“Just the right length; not too long for anything to get tedious.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express mixed feelings about the emotional aspect of the game; while the humor and heartfelt references to Lovecraft create a delightful and engaging experience, the all-caps dialogue detracts from the emotional intensity, leading to a subdued perception of key moments. Overall, the writing is praised for its wit and charm, but the delivery may hinder the emotional impact in certain situations.
“The writing is absolutely hilarious, the Lovecraft love is so real and heartfelt, and everything is my kind of messed up, lighthearted, and absolutely delightful.”
