Lovecraft’s Untold Stories

"Lovecraft’s Untold Stories”
Reviewed by: Elias S. Lutes
Publisher: BLG-Publishing
Developer: Blini Games
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
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Lovecraft’s Untold Stories begins with a mysterious telegram, and a man with a shotgun outside in the pouring rain. Trees are down, the cops have the roads shutdown, and you make your way to a dark, sprawling mansion with little equipment, and a lot of curiosity.

The first level is just what you would expect from something Lovecraftian — a set of dark rooms illuminated by faint firelight, with cultists lurking behind closed doors. You’ll find all sorts of tools and information strewn throughout the chambers, and clever procedurally-generates layout means nothing is ever the same twice.

As you travel onward, more information is uncovered about the predicament you’re in, and other levels have intriguing oddities: giant penguins to protect, zombies to slay, and an unraveling story that seems to become less and less important in favor of shotgunning down droves of enemies, all the while trying not to lose your own sanity after encounters with monsters and information that you’d rather never you laid eyes on.

The game has elements of shooters, survival horror, RPG’s, and rogue-lites. The different characters you unlock through progression have small quirks that make them unique, and since the game is never the same twice, this gives all the more reason to replay with a newly unlocked protagonist. (My favorite so far is the thief.)

Graphically, the game focuses on quality pixel art that lends itself well to the dark rooms - candlelight and shadows are cast exceptionally well and in outdoor areas the colors really pop! Icons are easily discernible and items are easy to spot once you get used to breaking open boxes and collecting tools to use against the eldritch horrors that await you. Inventory management á la Resident Evil is crucially important, and you’ll be moving around your items and sorting through what to keep and what to toss on the regular.

A shining piece of this experience is the soundtrack. The music for each level suits the adventure incredibly well, lending ambience and true world building to each place to explore. From the sounds of rain to the low growls from the monsters you fight, everything seems to have been lovingly made to increase the immersion.

Pros:
-High replay value
-Fantastic soundtrack

Cons:
-Hard to aim
-A and B are flipped on Switch, so it takes a little getting used to to navigate menus.

Overall: 9
Lovecraft’s Untold Stories is a fantastic port to the Nintendo Switch, with wonderful gameplay and fantastical environments to explore and rid of creatures from beyond — a must have for any horror enthusiast, and a suggested pickup for anyone in the mood for a traipse through the darkness and threat of insanity for the sake of good old adventure.