Call of Cthulhu is a role-playing survival horror video game developed by Cyanide and published by Focus Home Interactive for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

The game features a semi-open world environment and incorporates themes of Lovecraftian and psychological horror into a story that includes elements of investigation and stealth.

In 1924 Boston, private investigator and war veteran Edward Pierce suffers from increasingly bizarre nightmares and self-medicates with sleeping pills and alcohol.

As the only clue is a strange picture painted by the wife, Sarah, shortly before her death, Edward has to set out to Darkwater Island off the coast to find out more about the matter.

The detective meets Captain Fitzroy, who provides him with a few details of the Hawkins family; Officer Bradley, who handled the case; and Cat Baker, a successful bootlegger and feared gang leader.

He also sees a beached killer whale, killed by ghastly wounds, being dragged back into the sea by the police, much to the locals' chagrin.

Pierce and Bradley give chase and soon discover a hidden door that leads to secret caves and tunnels beneath the island.

Once back at the Hawkins mansion, Pierce, Colden and a suddenly alive Bradley (who has a broken recollection of his supposed death) decide to visit the widowed Mrs. Sanders and learn more about Francis and The Shambler.

Pierce rushes to the institute to save Colden, but after suffering more hallucinations and taunting by the voice in his head, finds her dead at Fuller's hands.

The two run, but are stopped by the monstrous Charles Hawkins, who claims he was trying to protect Sarah from the cult due to her gifts as an "Oracle".

His consciousness is then sent to Cat at her gang's warehouse examining a dead policeman left there, where she discovers he was killed by a Cult after happening upon their meeting.

The Leviathan seems to have wanted to be caught, in order to direct through its influence the events that followed, including Pierce's arrival to the island and his actions in the whaling station.

Pierce rebels, attempting to flee, but falls into the water, encountering Leviathan one last time before it swims back to the depths of the sea.

They noted that the game would have a focus on investigations in a horror setting and that they would be using the experience from developing their Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series.

[8] It will be more closely based on the Call of Cthulhu "pen and paper" role-playing video game than on H. P. Lovecraft's original short story of the same name.

[17][18][19][20] The general consensus is that while both the graphics and atmosphere are great, the game progression is not well implemented with unclear story elements and poor RPG mechanics.

[27] PC Gamer's Samuel Horti calls it "a mediocre detective game with predictable stealth and a surreal story that runs out of steam near the end.

He concluded that despite its poor level and encounter design, the "engaging mystery and an intriguing utilization of RPG mechanics make it one of the more enjoyable Lovecraftian games in years.