Cosmic and Lovecraftian horror Survival horror

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

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A detective in 1922 Innsmouth, and a town that does not want him to leave.

Platforms: PC
Stores: Steam, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Mixed on Steam (68% of about 3,400 reviews); praised by critics in 2005 for its atmosphere
Players: 1
Made by: Headfirst Productions
Released: 2005

What frightens Detective Jack Walters goes to the decaying coastal town of Innsmouth in 1922 on a missing-person case and finds a town that wants him dead, cultists and the fish-like Deep Ones; with no on-screen health bar, only your heartbeat and breathing, and a sanity that brings hallucinations, panic and vertigo when you see too much.
Content: violence, gore, suicide.

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is a first-person horror game by Headfirst Productions, based on Lovecraft's The Shadow over Innsmouth. Detective Jack Walters investigates a disappearance in Innsmouth in 1922 and is drawn into its cults and the Deep Ones, with a sanity system and realistic wounds.

About Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth was developed by Headfirst Productions and released for Xbox in 2005 and PC in 2006. It is sold today on Steam and GOG. Critics praised its atmosphere and how faithful it is to Lovecraft, while noting its difficulty and bugs, and it sold poorly; it has since become a cult classic.

In 1922, detective Jack Walters goes to the coastal town of Innsmouth on a missing-person case. The townsfolk are hostile, and behind it all are cultists, the Deep Ones and beings of the Cthulhu Mythos, drawn mainly from The Shadow over Innsmouth.

There is no on-screen health bar: you hear your heartbeat and breathing grow louder when wounded, and different injuries such as bleeding, poisoning or a broken leg need different remedies. For the first part of the game you are unarmed and must evade and investigate; later come 1920s firearms with ammunition to conserve. A sanity system brings hallucinations, panic attacks, vertigo and paranoia when you see things no one should.

On Steam players are divided, but for Lovecraft fans it remains one of the closest adaptations of his work in a game.

How to play Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

Buy it on Steam or GOG for Windows.
Investigate Innsmouth as Jack Walters, talking to townsfolk and searching for clues.
Evade danger early on, then use your scarce weapons carefully.
Treat each wound with the right remedy and avoid looking at horrors for too long, or your sanity will slip.

Screenshots

A bloodied body strapped to a frame under a hexagonal lamp in a tiled cult chamber

Firing a pistol at a scaly Deep One in the rain on a dock while men in coats shoot nearby

A dead ship's officer lying in a pool of blood by a lamp-lit desk

Tips

Listen to your heartbeat and breathing; they are your health.
Carry the right medical items: a splint, bandages and antidote treat different wounds.
Conserve ammunition, and look away from disturbing sights to protect your sanity.