As we near the October 30 release of Call of Cthulhu, we’re taking a closer look at the game’s development through a series of Devblogs, each presented by a different member of Cyanide Studio’s team. Today, we’re joining Lead Narrative Designer Pia Jacqmart as she dives into Call of Cthulhu’s narrative and storytelling.
My name is Pia Jacqmart and I am the lead narrative designer on Call of Cthulhu. This means I’m in charge of telling the story through dialogue, cinematics, and also environments. My goal is to make you believe in the world of the game for as long as you’re playing it.
In Call of Cthulhu, you play as Edward Pierce. He’s a detective, hard-boiled, alcoholic, a loner. One day, a man comes into his office and asks him to investigate on the circumstances behind his daughter’s death. The dead woman was a well-known painter named Sarah Hawkins. Years ago, she moved to an island called Darkwater after marrying Charles Hawkins. No one has heard from her since.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqTI6TDNsrc
Pierce takes the case, ships off to Darkwater, and begins asking questions. He soon finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy filled with cultists, lies, strange paintings and dreams of ancient beings. Playing as Pierce, you will meet the inhabitants and discover their personal stories.
We wanted to create a world you could believe in, while staying true to Lovecraft’s style. We worked a lot on the story and characters to make them strange and mysterious, but still plausible. Of course, that doesn’t mean everything has to be realistic. For example, some characters may have a particular affinity with the occult, meaning they might even be able to summon what appears to be “magic”. What makes you believe in them is their agenda: what they want, and why they want it. It’s that simple, and that difficult!
We took inspiration mostly from the Lovecraft stories The Shadow over Innsmouth and The Call of Cthulhu, but our game tells its own original tale (the title comes from Chaosium’s iconic tabletop game, this isn’t a direct adaptation of the Lovecraft story). Of course, members of the team each have their favorites. For example, our lead environment artist really likes Herbert West-Reanimator, and you cannot miss it in the game!
Call of Cthulhu doesn’t rely on jump scares to scare you. Instead, we worked a lot on the atmosphere, via the lights, sounds, dialogues, characters. It works so well that one level keeps scaring me even though I played it hundreds of times.
We believe that the interactive dialogues are a large part of the game and as such, they must create situations, and deliver information worthy of reaction. They say something about the story and its themes: the inevitability of fate, the dilemma between learning the truth at the cost of madness, or staying safe in ignorance. You will see that your choices during interactive dialogue can not only change the outcome of you adventure, but shape the personality of your very own Pierce.
One of the most difficult things with storytelling is that it never works as a placeholder. You have to trust yourself, and wait until the voice actor is reciting to know if some lines work or not. I remember one specific line - everyone on the project kept asking if I really wanted to keep it. I fought for that line and told them to wait, that they would see how brilliant it was when read out loud by an actress. When the actress, during the voicing, told us she didn’t even know how to pronounce some specific words properly, I understood I totally failed on that one! The team kept joking about it until I cut it.
Stay tuned for more Devblogs soon! Call of Cthulhu releases for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on October 30. Digital and retail preorders are available on PC and consoles.
Walk the path of madness in Call of Cthulhu’s latest gameplay trailer!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9wIkTs8z-k
Call of Cthulhu, the official videogame adaptation of Chaosium’s tabletop RPG, will release October 30 on PlayStation 4, XBOX One and PC. Today, we invite players to tread further down the path of madness in this new Gameplay Trailer, as the Darkwater investigation begins to spiral out of control in the midst of unsettling conspiracies, bizarre cults and even the Old Ones themselves.
In Private Investigator Edward Pierce's quest to unveil the truth, players will need to rely on a variety of upgradeable Skills to escape the clutches of madness and death. The Spot Hidden and Investigation skill paths let players uncover more clues and draw more meaningful conclusions, unlocking more topics to question in dialogues. Convincing the distrustful locals of Darkwater to reveal what they know will require proficiency in Eloquence and Psychology. Pierce's Strength skill may also come in handy for when brute force is necessary, or to intimidate impressionable people into offering whatever they’re hiding. Expertise in Medicine and Occultism, improved only through discovering unique books and artifacts throughout the investigation, may grant additional insight – but knowledge can be a curse in Call of Cthulhu. The more aware Pierce is made of the horrors that dwell beyond the fabrics of reality, the more he will fall to insanity, impeding his ability to draw logical conclusions.
Pierce is but a mortal man, with few allies in a remote, unfriendly environment. Whether outnumbered by mortal adversaries or facing foes whose mere existence is beyond human comprehension, offering physical resistance is usually not an option. Making the most of Pierce’s extensive set of skills, along with subterfuge and stealth, is paramount… though escaping the gaze of the Great Dreamer may ultimately prove futile.
Call of Cthulhu releases for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on October 30. Digital and retail preorders are available on PC and consoles.
Watch the Gameplay Trailer!
Call of Cthulhu, the official videogame inspired by Chaosium’s classic pen and paper RPG, is set to unleash madness when the game releases for consoles and PC on October 30th. Today, prepare your mind for all-new gameplay, taken from Edward Pierce’s investigations within the Hawkins Mansion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyXBy6a6Iwk
In Call of Cthulhu, feel the influence of Lovecraftian Old Gods and other cosmic horrors, as you delve into the circumstances behind the tragic deaths of the Hawkins family. Helped and hindered by the mysterious locals of Darkwater Island, your journey cuts the line between sanity and madness as the hunt for truth brings Pierce ever closer to the Great Dreamer.
This gameplay trailer takes place during the early stages of Pierce’s investigation, though the influence of the Great Old Ones is already creeping into effect. To uncover the truth, players must unearth clues, interrogate locals, solve crime scenes and overcome dangers both physical and mental.
Call of Cthulhu will begin the spread of madness on October 30 this year – just in time for Halloween.
Lock the doors, turn off the lights, and uncover the chilling mysteries of this Narrative RPG game, descending deep into a world of inevitable insanity and shrouded Old Gods within Lovecraft’s iconic universe.
Four new screenshots give you a glimpse of what’s to come across the deep, single-player story following private investigator Edward Pierce’s as he scours the island of Darkwater for answers regarding the mysterious deaths of the Hawkins family.
Lead him along the razor’s edge of madness, as he’s confronted with a terrifying web of conspiracies, cultists, and cosmic horrors…
Nothing is as it seems. Sanity is an irregular bedfellow, all too often replaced by whisperings in the dark. Strange creatures, weird science, and shadowy cults dominate the Cthulhu Mythos, intent on realizing their mad schemes to bring about the end of all.
Your mind will suffer - balancing a razor-thin line between sanity and madness, your senses will be disrupted until you question the reality of everything around you. Trust no one. Creeping shadows hide lurking figures… and all the while, the Great Dreamer prepares for his awakening.
Call of Cthulhu, the official videogame inspired by Chaosium’s classic pen and paper RPG, today defines madness in its heart-pumping E3 Trailer!
Uncover the chilling mysteries of this Narrative RPG game, descending deep into a world of cosmic horrors, creeping madness, and shrouded Old Gods within Lovecraft’s iconic universe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxPAm7sHbZQ
1924. Private Investigator Edward Pierce is sent to investigate the tragic death of the Hawkins family in their imposing mansion on the isolated Darkwater Island, off the shores of Boston.
Between unfriendly locals and dubious police reports, it becomes clear there’s more to the case than meets the eye. Soon enough, Pierce is plunged into a terrifying world of conspiracies, cultists, and cosmic horrors…
In this world, nothing is as it seems. Sanity is an irregular bedfellow, all too often replaced by the whisperings in the dark. Strange creatures, weird science, and shadowy cults dominate the Cthulhu Mythos, intent on realizing their mad schemes to bring about the end of everything.
Your mind will suffer - balancing a razor-thin line between sanity and madness, your senses will be disrupted until you question the reality of everything around you. Trust no one. Creeping shadows hide lurking figures… and all the while, the Great Dreamer prepares for his awakening.
