Ancient and unimaginable beings from beyond the stars; monsters made manifest from outside of time; and mortal cultists who worship both, their minds twisted by forbidden knowledge.
Exposure to such horrors can result in madness. While WE might crave both comfort and the truth, only one or the other is possible.
The Call of Cthulhu started as a short story by writer H.P. Lovecraft. It was first published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928.
Lovecraft’s creation of the Cthulhu Mythos led to the publication of the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game published in 1981 and currently in its seventh major edition. The game has not reached the financial popularity of Dungeons & Dragons but it has a large and loyal following.
Eye of Kadath is the very first computer game based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The game environment is loosely based on Lovecraft’s novella The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath.
The author of this game, Gary Musgrave, does a very good job evoking feelings of despair and terror with his written descriptions.
After having discovered an ancient tablet at an archaeological dig and spending the last decade trying to translate it with the help of the Necronomicon and other diabolical incunabula, the game’s protagonist has finally succeeded in unlocking its secrets and has descended upon the city of Yaddith, the ancient home of the Elder Ones. In order to prevent their return in fifteen days when the stars are right, the Eye of Kadath has to be found to invoke the powers of the Elder Ones and destroy the gate between worlds in order to save all of mankind from their reign of terror.
When I first started playing Eye of Kadath I did not give it the respect that it deserved. It had appeared to be a Pick Your Path To Adventure type setup and I thought that mapping the game out would not be necessary. However I quickly realized just how wrong that I was. Yes the game does often allow you to choose between branching storylines however it is so much more. You can backtrack through the map and you have to manage items in your inventory. There are puzzles to solve as well and it is definitely more an adventure game than it is a pick your path to adventure.
I had thought the game would be relatively short but I ended up playing for 2.5 hours before I proved victorious. The atmosphere is dreadfully creepy and the author does a great job creating an oppressive atmosphere filled with tension. If you’re a fan of H.P. Lovecraft’s stories or the Call of Cthulhu RPG then you’re going to want to experience this piece of Cthulhu history. This computer game predates the paper and pencil role-playing game by two years. There are some that may feel that the story is a little too dark for their tastes.
Mapping the game is surprisingly tricky and I haven’t seen anything close to this since Lance Mikelson’s Treasure Hunt. I numbered each of the exits clock-wise however each time you back track your perspective of the room changes so passage or exit #2 now becomes passage #1. It was difficult not to become lost or disoriented. Yet another diabolical layer that didn’t reveal itself right away. I’ll say it again; I certainly misjudged the depth and difficulty level of this game based on it’s first impression. Don’t make the same mistake I did.
I enjoyed the writing and the mission to destroy the gate to save mankind is not an easy puzzle solve.
What this game was missing was a maze (the map itself was diabolical enough) and a treasure hunt which was a step in the right direction. There was instead a story or mission to fulfill and this seemed to me more representative of interactive fiction than most. Be prepared to die often and to be filled with a great sense of dread but the length of the game seemed just right to me for an introduction to the Cthulhu Mythos.