Cosmic and Lovecraftian horror Horror puzzle 2D horror

Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet

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Photograph Halley's comet over a New England town that fears it.

Platforms: PC, Linux
Stores: Steam, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Mostly Positive on Steam (78% of 116 reviews); 3.7 out of 5 from GOG players (195 ratings)
Players: 1
Controls: Keyboard arrows to walk; a key press to look at, take or talk to what the hero faces; menu icons for inventory and saving.
Made by: Infogrames
Released: 1993

What frightens In 1910 a young photographer comes to the New England port of Illsmouth to shoot Halley's comet and finds a town that dreads its return: a cult in the woods, townsfolk changing into something else, and the Great Old Ones waiting for the comet to come back.
Content: disturbing imagery.

Shadow of the Comet is Infogrames' 1993 Lovecraftian horror adventure. In 1910 a young British photographer comes to the small port of Illsmouth to record the return of Halley's comet and uncovers what the town and its cult are waiting for.

About Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet

Shadow of the Comet was made by Infogrames, the French studio of Alone in the Dark, and released for MS-DOS in 1993 under the Call of Cthulhu name. GOG sells both the floppy and the CD-ROM versions, and it is also on Steam.

In 1834 an English lord came to Illsmouth to watch Halley's comet and went mad. In 1910 the comet is back, and so is a young photographer, John Parker, who has come to take the pictures his predecessor never could. Illsmouth looks like a sleepy fishing town, but its people are frightened and strange, a library holds books no one should read, and in the forest there is an old ritual ground marked by a carved cross.

It is a third-person adventure in hand-painted pixel art. You walk Parker around the town and the woods, talk to its people, read journals and old books, gather items and use them as the cult moves toward the night of the comet. The story borrows from The Dunwich Horror and The Shadow over Innsmouth, and close-up portraits show some of the townsfolk turning into something not quite human.

It suits players who like Lovecraft and older adventures and do not mind a dated interface. Steam players praise its art, story and creepy cut scenes, and warn that the controls are awkward and that a walkthrough helps.

How to play Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet

Buy it on Steam or GOG; GOG includes both the floppy and the CD-ROM versions.
Walk Parker around Illsmouth with the arrow keys and press a key to act when he faces something.
Talk to the townsfolk and read the books and notes you find to piece together the town's past.
Collect items and use them from the inventory to get past each obstacle.
Save often in more than one slot, so a wrong move does not cost you hours.

Screenshots

Shadow of the Comet screenshot: a robed figure stands in a green cavern of carved stone and calls on Dagon from the abyss

Shadow of the Comet screenshot: thick tentacles grip a man in a shirt and tie by the throat

Shadow of the Comet screenshot: a close-up of a hooded man with a misshapen face and mismatched red and green eyes calling Parker's name

Shadow of the Comet screenshot: Parker stands by a stone cross on a rocky clifftop above the sea at dusk

Tips

Save in several slots as you go.
Read the journals and old books you find; they hold the clues you need.
Talk to everyone, and come back to them when something new happens.
Keep a walkthrough nearby if you get stuck: Steam players say many of them needed one.