Call of Cthulhu -- Dark Corners of the Earth is a first-person horror game that combines intense action and adventure elements. You will draw upon your skills in exploration, investigation, and combat while faced with the seemingly impossible task of battling evil incarnate.

Set during the 1920s, Call of Cthulhu is based on the Cthulhu Mythos of HP Lovecraft, an American writer of fantasy and horror. Lovecraft's stories tell of unthinkable evil, psychic possession, and mythical worlds and his work has profoundly influenced numerous fantasy and science fiction writers, including Stephen King and Anne Rice.

Key Features:

• Diverse array of levels from quaint towns to alien locations, including Deep One City
• Dynamic Sanity system resulting in hallucinations, panic attacks, vertigo, paranoia, and more!
• Incredibly detailed real-time graphics with atmospheric lighting and dynamic shadows
• Intelligent gameplay involving puzzle solving as well as combat and exploration
• 1920s weaponry and vehicles as well as evil artifacts and alien technology
• Lovecraft's famous monsters and locations

GCM:	Thank you for your time! Please get us started by introducing yourself and telling us about the team behind Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth.
Chris Gray:	My name is Chris Gray and I’m the producer and lead designer for Call of Cthulhu. The team has worked on numerous titles in the past and had some successful adventure games under its belt.

GCM:

Firstly, would you please give us a brief description of Dark Corners of the Earth’s plot?

Chris Gray:

In the games cinematic opening you will witness Jack Walters, the player character, attempting to take his own life in a lunatic asylum, but the final outcome is not known. The plot then cuts to six years earlier with a fresh-faced Jack – blissfully unaware of the Mythos – investigating a disturbance at a house in Boston, Massachusetts, involving an unusual cult. Jack discovers something in the basement of that house not of this world, something that pushes him beyond the limits of both his understanding and mental balance. For the main game we join Jack six years after the events of the house. Jack is no longer serving in the police force and has set himself up as a Private Detective. It’s early February 1922, a mere few weeks before the asylum suicide. Diagnosed with severe amnesia and psychoses he remembers nothing past entering the basement of that strange house in Boston, but is plagued by flashbacks, unworldly dreams, and strangest of all, what can only be described as visions. A new client, one Arthur Anderson, asks him to visit Innsmouth, an ancient seaport in Massachusetts. A little research uncovers rumors of strange creatures and unholy rituals, of the town’s unexplained prosperity, and the recent disappearances of several people in the area. He takes a case involving the disappearance of a young grocery clerk called Brian Burnham. During the course of the game the player will not only uncover the secret history of Innsmouth, but also gradually unveil the horrors of his own past.

GCM:

As a game that mixes elements from multiple genres, where does Call of Cthulhu find its balance between firepower and mental prowess?

Chris Gray:

For most of the game’s different objectives, we leave the method of achieving them more or less open-ended for the player. So for some players, running into a problem with guns blazing is the best solution. For some other players, they rather use stealth and puzzle solving to reach an objective. Ultimately, there is no right way or wrong way to play through the game. We’ve developed a very deep FPS combat system, so the combat experience will be fulfilling for action gamers. But we also balanced it out with equal parts of puzzle solving and stealth action for the gamers that prefer to use their brains.

GCM:

Kindly give us an example of a situation where combat is not the best choice when facing an enemy.

Chris Gray:

A good example is during the part of the game where you need to help break someone out of the jailhouse. If Jack runs into the jailhouse and tries to use brute force, he’s most likely going to be killed fairly quickly because he is so outgunned and outnumbered. If the player is observant, they can deduct that there are multiple ways to lure the police out of the jailhouse and then sneak in (and back out again) without being detected.

GCM:	Please tell us about the insanity effects as well as what triggers them.
Chris Gray:	The insanity effects are audio, visual, and tactile feedback we give the player when Jack encounters massive horrors, is feeling fatigued, experiences too much blood loss, looks down from a great height, etc. Some of the effects include blurred vision, flash hallucinations, loss of balance, tunnel vision, loss of hearing, phantom voices, etc.

GCM:

As for pure combat, how would you describe the system that Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth uses (survival/horror, action/adventure, etc.)?

Chris Gray:

Call of Cthulhu is a survival horror game that features first-person combat. Since there is no HUD, the player will have to rely on their own skills to take an enemy down. We also have an arm fatigue system where Jack’s arm will start shaking and wobble if it’s held in an aim mode for too long. There is also a lot of strategy in terms of combat because Jack can’t just eat some herbs or drink a potion to regain his health once he is damaged in combat. Jack has to physically bandage and/or suture up his wounds to stem the blood loss, or else Jack can die from the loss of too much blood.

GCM:

As for enemies, what can players expect to face?

Chris Gray:

For gamers that are familiar with the Cthulhu mythos, there will be a multiple creatures from the mythos that will make an appearance. The most common enemies are the Deep Ones/Human hybrid inhabitants of the town of Innsmouth. The Deep Ones, a sea-dwelling creature from the mythos are also a prominent enemy. I’ll leave some of the other creatures as a surprise to the gamers. Wouldn’t want to ruin your fun/horror.

GCM:

Please give us a sense of both the enemy and NPC A.I. that is featured in Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth.

Chris Gray:

The enemies in Call of Cthulhu are very intelligent. They have set attributes for combat, seek, and patrol, as well as purser behaviors. The enemy and NPCs “talk” to each other, so if a bunch of enemies are looking for Jack, they will communicate with one another if one happens to catch him. The enemies tend to have more courage if they outnumber Jack in any given combat situations, but as they get wounded or as they start getting picked off, they can and will run and hide from you.

GCM:

How many levels will there be in total and would you please give us a sense for the type of levels that they will be?

Chris Gray:

Given that Call of Cthulhu is more story-driven and the whole game in one long adventure, the classic breakdown of levels doesn’t necessarily apply. But we have separated certain sections of the game in terms of general areas. So, there are a total of 16 areas, with some being much bigger than others. The Refinery area, for example, is roughly three times the size of some of the other average areas.

GCM:

As for presentation, what has the development team accomplished in terms of creating an appropriately daunting auditory and visual experience?

Chris Gray:

In terms of auditory experience, Call of Cthulhu has a unique music and sound effects system where there are small layers of sounds and music that can be continuously added or taken away depending on the gameplay situation. This provides truly modular audio feedback to the player depending on how Jack’s health is, or whether or not there is danger about. In terms of visuals, the overall look and feel of the game is one of a dark and oppressive environment. I think our artists have really brought the Lovecraft universe to life with some of the creatures and environments we have. All this coupled with our audio and visual sanity systems makes for a really compelling game.

GCM:	Above all else, what in Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth are you most proud.
Chris Gray:	I think we really captured the sense of immersion in the game. We really want you to lose yourself into the Cthulhu Mythos and really be absorbed while playing the game. With the way everything in the game works together (the audio layers, the insanity tactile feedback, the gritty visuals, the lack of HUD) it really helps the player feel like they’re not just playing the game, they’re living it.

GCM:	Again, our thank for your time! Do you have any parting thoughts for our readers?
Chris Gray:	Thanks for taking the time to read this interview. I’m still having a great time fine tuning this game, so I hope you’ll all really enjoy this when it comes out!

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