Written by: Luis Vox
I’m a pretty big fan of Lovecraftian horror. The existential dread brought to cosmic proportions. Eldritch monstrosities lurking in the dark and eventually bleeding into the daylight. Old gods that want nothing more than to devour, destroy, or reshape humanity into something unrecognizable. There’s a lot of potential in horror gaming for these kinds of stories. The source material lends itself to adaptation in the same way its creatures adapt and mutate into perfect nightmare fuel.
The studio behind "Vampire: The Masquerade" – Swansong has released a new Lovecraftian nightmare, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss. The game promises mind-bending puzzles and reality-twisting horrors. Even though the terror stretches far beyond human comprehension, we’re still breaking this down the usual way: story, atmosphere, gameplay, and graphics. Join me in the abyss, if you dare…
WATCH THE TRAILER FOR "CTHULHU: THE COSMIC ABYSS" BELOW
STORY BREAKDOWN
You play as Noah, an agent for Ancile, an organization that deals in occult affairs. You’re investigating the disappearance of fellow agent and mentor Elsa. Noah was recruited at a young age after surviving a cult. The game begins with both of you investigating strange events tied to another agent, Mei. While searching her home, you uncover bizarre writings and drawings on the walls, stones that don’t originate from Earth, and what appears to be a parasitic organism growing in the basement. Then a portal opens and drags you into another dimension. As you try to process what just happened, you’re attacked, and Noah is gravely injured. Elsa tries to save him, but the portal reopens and pulls Noah back to Earth, leaving her behind.
THE REVIEW
The story in Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss, unfortunately, isn’t as deep as you’d expect from something rooted in cosmic horror. There’s very little character progression, and Noah isn’t a particularly compelling lead. He has an AI chip in his brain named Key, a disembodied voice that helps with clues, adds context, and keeps him somewhat grounded. Key does help flesh things out, but it often slips into heavy exposition that drags the pacing down. For a story about incomprehensible cosmic forces, it ends up feeling less like "A Color Out of Space" and more like a generic research simulator.
The atmosphere doesn’t do it many favors either. There are no real scares. Some visuals are interesting, but not enough to create genuine tension or dread. There’s zero combat, so most of your time is spent walking around solving puzzles, and not much is happening around you to keep things engaging.
Gameplay is going to be the main draw, or the biggest hurdle, depending on your tolerance. There’s no combat at all, so don’t expect to fight off anything cosmic. The entire experience is built around puzzles, with layers of smaller ones feeding into larger solutions. Some are clever and genuinely satisfying, but others feel unnecessarily complicated.
Key helps organize notes and information, but you may find yourself spending more time in the Vault menu than you’d like. She also provides a sonar tool that reveals frequencies invisible to the human eye and can be upgraded by finding ancient tablets. Most of those upgrades don’t feel essential. There’s also a corruption system tied to Cthulhu’s influence. I nearly maxed it out during my playthrough, but aside from breaking certain upgrades, it didn’t seem to impact Noah’s behavior in any meaningful way.
Choices exist and lead to three different endings, but the differences feel minimal, regardless of your decisions or corruption level. The attention to detail required can also become frustrating. Every small element needs to be examined. The best advice is to learn how to properly use Key and the sonar tool, since they’re essential for progression.
Graphically, it’s a mixed bag. Some character models look off, and certain environments lack consistency. The PC version looks noticeably better than the standard PS5 version. With no enemies to engage with, there’s not a whole lot to visually hold your attention.
FINAL WORD
Overall, bugs, crashes, and technical issues aside, the puzzles can be clever and engaging. But the protagonist is about as interesting as a piece of driftwood. His AI companion has more personality, but not by much. I found myself losing interest in the story as I spent more time struggling to figure out how to move forward.
Constantly combing through clues in later sections turns progression into a chore, and that kills the momentum. This feels less like a horror experience and more like a Rubik’s Cube that keeps adding layers the deeper you go.
0 comments