User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 225 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 95 out of 225
  2. Negative: 33 out of 225

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  1. Dec 12, 2018
    10
    Отличная игра с шикарной атмосферой. Жаль что у цианидов не было денег, чтобы воплотить все то, что они задумали. Но все равно, ты словно внутри романа Лавкрафта. Это круто.
  2. Nov 4, 2018
    10
    It doesn't hit every point perfectly but its a great lovecraft game and thats what is important to me.
  3. Oct 30, 2018
    10
    Very atmospheric game. For lovers of creativity Lovecraft the most it. The graphics are not at an ideal level, but for me this is not the main thing.
  4. Oct 30, 2018
    10
    In this game, the graphics are not the strongest side, but a very good quest component, atmospheric history based on gloomy creativity, dialogues, investigations. Silent chapters when you need to hide yourself looks good. Very good chance to get acquainted with the works of Lovecraft
  5. May 6, 2020
    10
    Like everyone says, it´s a very atmospheric game, the music, the dark filter, the conversation, the plot and the characters are a masterpiece for all who read at least the original book.

    We are in a time where they are a lot of trashy games and this one is not for casual players
  6. Jun 3, 2019
    9
    I found this game really good. If not for the sneaking scenes, which frankly I just wanted to get over and done with, it would be a solid 10 in my book.

    Is it perfect? No, of course not, and if there was a lot more competition in this genre, the ending (where you get the feeling that your actions during the game didn't really make much difference) and the sneaking parts of the game
    I found this game really good. If not for the sneaking scenes, which frankly I just wanted to get over and done with, it would be a solid 10 in my book.

    Is it perfect? No, of course not, and if there was a lot more competition in this genre, the ending (where you get the feeling that your actions during the game didn't really make much difference) and the sneaking parts of the game would subtract more. However it manages to tell a great and interesting, unnerving supernatural story, and I really loved that part of the game.
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  7. Dec 12, 2018
    9
    Call of Cthullu is a game for lovers of the Lovecraft Universe. This game is faithful to the masterpiece "Call of Cthullu" story. Yes, it's a detective game because that's how the story plays.
  8. Oct 24, 2022
    9
    Only Lovecraft game that I have played to date that really gets the cosmic horror and decent into madness right. Atmosphere was perfect. Character development was perfect. I felt like i was going mad playing this.
  9. Apr 5, 2019
    9
    The Cyanide team are obviously experienced enough to know exactly where to spend their limited budget for best results. The game is strong on plot and character, and the story is tailored to work in a limited number of locations on an island.

    I have to admit my heart skipped a beat when I saw the Chaosium Cthulhu logo appear in the introductory sequence and I even recognised some scenes
    The Cyanide team are obviously experienced enough to know exactly where to spend their limited budget for best results. The game is strong on plot and character, and the story is tailored to work in a limited number of locations on an island.

    I have to admit my heart skipped a beat when I saw the Chaosium Cthulhu logo appear in the introductory sequence and I even recognised some scenes almost reproduced artwork from the game book. The music and sound support the atmosphere effortlessly.

    Games like this live or die on their art direction and 'Call of Cthulhu' nails this, although the budget didn't stretch to great performance capture and some of the geometry and texturing can be at bit last-generation. Funnily enough this lends a welcome retro-style to some of the scenes, very like playing a remastered version of 'Dark Corners of the Earth'.

    The pace and plot development are excellent and it has obviously been tested to remove obtuse solutions or difficulty spikes. As a result I found it very difficult to put down and ended up completing it in two or three days despite my best efforts to slow down.

    There is a fine line to walk between staying faithful to the source material and adding something new to the proceedings. Cyanide really get this with only fleeting references to the deities and by making wonderful use of a Shambler.

    Any kind of clichés or anachronisms can ruin the atmosphere in these games for me but I'm happy to say that it all stands up, right down to the occult book titles in the antiquarian shop. I would take a point or two off for the odd clichéd location (abandoned asylum, improbably-architected mansion) and the ropey dialogue delivery but otherwise this game delivers in spades.
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  10. Dec 9, 2021
    9
    Великолепная игра и прекрасное воплощение идей Лавкрафта. Игра полна отчаяния и атмосферы безысходности и того что ты ничего не можешь противопоставить созданиям из других сфер
  11. Dec 19, 2022
    9
    great great great great great great great great great great great great great
  12. Nov 2, 2018
    8
    PLayed and finished in 13 hours. I'm satisfied: the story is intriguing, able to respect the original writing. I loved the "investigate+explore+stealth" gameplay. The only weak part is the action moment. However, a very good Lovecraftian game. Recommended for "Lovecraft & Chaosium fans".
  13. Nov 5, 2018
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. !!!VERY MUCH SPOILER!!!
    I played two "Call of Cthulhu" games, one from 2005 and this one. Both are "Lovecraftian" in their own way of sense, both are similar to Lovecraft great works.
    Call of Cthulhu 2018 is really good game and faithful to mix of "Call of Cthulhu" and "The Shadow over Innsmouth" with many new own story elements. Game is also faithful to Lovecraft misogyny, as most females in game are antagonists (Hawkins...) or anti-heroines (Cat), but they have much more strong roles then in original Lovecraft arts.
    Now to the game itself.
    Game graphic is probably weakest point of game. Good for game from 2008 or 2010, but not from 2018. On other hand, game is more "indie-like" and also worse graphic can be helpful to build lovecraftian atmosphere. In games, especially at end, are various beautiful sceneries and scenes.
    About RPG elements. RPG system itself is very good, however in game, it got only very few place to be active and useful. Thats second very weak point of game.
    About endings. Some commenters, especially on Steam Community, comparing CoC with Telltale games. I think its very unfair. As I played Telltale games, I can say that four endings on end of CoC are very more diverse and various then "endings" in Telltale games. But while they are various, they are still lovecraftian, full of suffering and loses. For most time, I was fascinated by game.
    Atmosphere, side-infos and side-story of whole game are very good and interesting. Last negative is price/game quality. Price between 45-65 euros is really hard overshoot!!! 25-35 euros will be adequate for game of this quality and gameplay time.
    Still, I recommend the game, especially if you are Lovecraftian fan and follower of Great Old Ones...
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  14. Oct 31, 2019
    8
    Типичная история по Лавкрафту, все ожидаемо, но у Лавкрафта тоже все сюжеты одинаковые, это отдельный поджанр такой. Выглядит хорошо, играется - симулятор ходьбы с решением несложных загадок и небольшими элементами стелса. Если понимать, что это не рпг, а просто история по мирам Ктулху - играть интересноТипичная история по Лавкрафту, все ожидаемо, но у Лавкрафта тоже все сюжеты одинаковые, это отдельный поджанр такой. Выглядит хорошо, играется - симулятор ходьбы с решением несложных загадок и небольшими элементами стелса. Если понимать, что это не рпг, а просто история по мирам Ктулху - играть интересно
  15. Jan 6, 2019
    8
    it is a good game with not bad story, not great though it still has lots of flaws such as the weird cutscene transitions. The gameplay is also kinda short.
  16. Nov 4, 2019
    7
    Хорошая игра. Не напряжная. Конечно Бесси рандом в проверках уровня скита. Но по итогу мне понравилось
  17. Nov 2, 2018
    7
    The saddest thing about Call of Cthulhu is that there are LOTS OF PROMISING MECHANICS THAT WERE USED ONLY ONCE OR TWICE DURING THE GAME. Sanity mechanics, weird vision effects, tunnel view, color dissortion and unreal visions... are there but only used a couple of times. Mechanic for dialogs, clue sighting, and using your skills are nice, but misused.

    Apart from that, story is
    The saddest thing about Call of Cthulhu is that there are LOTS OF PROMISING MECHANICS THAT WERE USED ONLY ONCE OR TWICE DURING THE GAME. Sanity mechanics, weird vision effects, tunnel view, color dissortion and unreal visions... are there but only used a couple of times. Mechanic for dialogs, clue sighting, and using your skills are nice, but misused.

    Apart from that, story is intriguing and in line with the Mythos, maybe more in the line of August Derleth instead of Lovecraft, but good anyway. There are some plots that are roughly inserted into the story but it's ok, I've seen worst movies.

    Game last for 7-8 hours, first 3-4 hours are frustrating as you can take no choice and game doesn't require any skill, you just have to keep walking, listening and reading, even dialogs ara futile as the result is the same no matter what you choose to say.
    Then the game turns into a good 1-2 hours of stealth game in some bigger scenarios. You've already invested a lot of time and until that point you doesn't have the feeling that you're actually playing.
    And then the game rushes to the final confrontation with a level where you have a colt 1911 gun (it is supposed you have it all the time but up to this level you havent showed it not even to yourself) , but you can go thru the level with just a couple of shots if you don't want to kill randomly (again using stealth).
    In the middle you can find some puzzles that are pretty basic, some of the just determines the way you reach the same end of the chapter.

    In the end I liked the atmosphere very much, art director made a good job there, that's why the game gets a solid 7, but price tag is high having ZERO replayability, and most of the game is just a "movie".

    FINAL THOUGHTS: If you are a hardcore Cthulhu Mythos fan, you'll enjoy the game with all its flaws. Ending was great for me, I was shouting "CTHULHU FTANG IA IA IA" repeteadly during the last 5 minutes of the game. But you can wait a bit to get a good deal, on xmas Steam sales it will probably go below 50%.
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  18. Oct 29, 2018
    7
    Call of Cthulhu
    From Chilling to painstaking
    Call of Cthulhu is a 7 and a half hour long first person adventure game where you plays as private detective Edward pierce in 1924 Boston as he investigates the death of the Hawkins family The game starts out super creepy and mysterious, dead sharks and whales all over the place, an island that feels like a ghost town just waiting to smack
    Call of Cthulhu
    From Chilling to painstaking
    Call of Cthulhu is a 7 and a half hour long first person adventure game where you plays as private detective Edward pierce in 1924 Boston as he investigates the death of the Hawkins family
    The game starts out super creepy and mysterious, dead sharks and whales all over the place, an island that feels like a ghost town just waiting to smack you with some Scooby doo mysteries to solve, I was instantly sucked in…
    And this type of game needs to pull you in with its atmosphere and story.. Because there is no combat aside from a tiny section towards the end that I won’t show for spoiler reasons. .but it’s all about exploring and investigating, finding items and clues, talking to different characters to solve the mystery of what happened to the Hawkins family and what’s the deal with these creepy paintings that’s all over the island…
    As you play through the game you’ll unlock points to increase your ability to lock pick for example or unlock new dialog options to help guide you towards one of this games multiple endings.. Your choices do matter here... down to the books in the world that you read…
    Which are worth seeking out as they can increase progression for your skills of medicine and occultism…
    as you explore and search for clues there will be moments of piecing together a scene batman style…
    I was just so in love and intrigued with this game…
    Until about hour 2… this is when the game just loses control, goes all over the place and just feels completely unfocused and like a chore to get through…
    so much sneaking around places, constant plot twists.. And when I mean constant I mean constant… and it’s like the same plot twist over and over and over and over... again for spoiler reasons I won’t say what the plot twist is... but its done with literally every character you come across in the game so by the games end I was completely confused, not understand what’s going on, which characters were still around, why they were around, how they are important for any of this..
    it’s just a mess and it’s a shame because of how strong this game starts out…
    Call of Cthulhu could’ve been a great condensed 5 hour game, but there seemed to be an obsession with let’s make this game longer just because, lets constantly throw in the same plot twist and reuse areas the player has already seen just to make the price point seem justifiable
    Don’t get me wrong, I still think Call of Cthulhu is creepy and worth playing…
    It’s just that I believe once you start to feel like you’re over it.. You’re not missing out on much if you chose to just walk away
    I give Call of Cthulhu
    a 6.5/10
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  19. Nov 1, 2019
    7
    Call of Cthulhu (2018) is easily the best game based on the H.P. Lovecraft mythology that has ever seen the light of day! The story itself is gripping, as well as the setting, narrative structure, presentation, dialoges, atmosphere, investigation style and mechanics are superb! The voicing is very good, too! Well, the graphics may be not the best you can expect from a game in 2018Call of Cthulhu (2018) is easily the best game based on the H.P. Lovecraft mythology that has ever seen the light of day! The story itself is gripping, as well as the setting, narrative structure, presentation, dialoges, atmosphere, investigation style and mechanics are superb! The voicing is very good, too! Well, the graphics may be not the best you can expect from a game in 2018 sometimes, but that does not matter, since they are good enough. Expand
  20. Oct 9, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game can only be recommended for fans of Lovecraft. Gameplay is very antiquated and graphics a few years behind. Cthulhu itself is only shown at the end and mechanics like insanity or different skill trees do not get used enough. Horror elements are scarce and the game felt rushed near the end, levels became shorter and shorter.

    While I enjoyed my time with it I cannot recommend it for anyone else except hardcore fans of the mythos.
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  21. Jan 26, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Слишком много говна вылили на игру. А в основном всё это говно без почвенно. Кто-то писал много диалогов, и что лучше бы дали побегать пострелять. Кто-то писал, что нету хорорной части. Но меня всё устраивает, даже было бы лучше, если бы нам вообще не давали пистолет в последней главе. А много диалогов лучше погружает в игру. Если хотите "пострелять" лучше идти в call of duty, если хотите быстрой игры, то вам тоже не сюда. В какой раз убеждаюсь, что не стоит игрокам давать выбор оценки, так как они совершенно не могут оценить игру по достоинству. Лучше 0 наставить, да? Конченные. А так минусы у игры конечно же есть. Например жидкое влияние на судьбу в диалогах, так как у меня в конце игры можно выбрать 4 концовки. ( А всего их 5 насколько мне известно, хотя могу ошибаться) Потом слишком мало головоломок. Было лучше если бы были головоломки на подобии с открытием сейфа с некрономиконом. Ну и концовки... Опять же, можно было лучше. Но прошел игру на одном дыхании, не пожалел, что потратил время на эту игру. Expand
  22. Jun 2, 2019
    7
    Loved the game despite its clumsy mechanics. It definetely lacks something but is still fun to play
  23. Jan 4, 2021
    7
    6.5/10
    GATUNEK
    Call of Cthulhu jest to wciągające połączenie gry detektywistycznej z horrorem, co wręcz idealnie oddaje klimat stołowych sesji RPG. Mimo że samą grę ciężko mi nazwać komputerowym RPG z powodu braku wielu funkcji, które w dzisiejszych czasach uznaje się za standard w tego typu grach. Występuje tutaj co prawda dość dobrze rozwiązany rozwój postaci, to nie jest on jednak za
    6.5/10
    GATUNEK
    Call of Cthulhu jest to wciągające połączenie gry detektywistycznej z horrorem, co wręcz idealnie oddaje klimat stołowych sesji RPG. Mimo że samą grę ciężko mi nazwać komputerowym RPG z powodu braku wielu funkcji, które w dzisiejszych czasach uznaje się za standard w tego typu grach. Występuje tutaj co prawda dość dobrze rozwiązany rozwój postaci, to nie jest on jednak za bardzo rozbudowany. Natomiast odgrywanie postaci gra tu dość dużą rolę, chociażby sam ♥♥♥♥, że mamy wpływ na zakończenie. Ostatecznie należy na tą grę patrzyć jako horror z elementami detektywistycznymi i RPG.
    FABUŁA
    Wcielamy się w rolę Edwarda Pierca, detektywa, który jest o włos od stracenia pracy, jeżeli chce utrzymać posadę musi rozwiązać zagadkę rodziny Hawkinsów. W grze trafiamy do kolejnych dość małych lokacji w których musimy rozwiązać kolejne zagadki. W zależności od sposobu w jaki rozwinęliśmy postać możemy pokonywać trudności losu na różne sposoby. To od nas zależy czy będziemy przegadywać naszych rozmówców siłą perswazji, czy będziemy woleli rozwiązywać wszystko siłą. Sama historia jest na przyzwoitym poziomie, fajnie opowiedziana poprzez dialogi, bądź przez notatki czy książki, które możemy znaleźć podczas eksploracji lokacji. Dialogi jednak nie są idealne, o ile sam voice-acting stoi na wysokim poziomie, to mam wrażenie że niektóre dialogi napisane są w zbyt oczywisty sposób, przez co czasami potrafi to wytrącić z imersji. Dodatkowo bardzo nie podobała mi się ta część gry gdzie przejmowaliśmy w ramach retrospekcji inną postać niż główny bohater. Nie potrafiłem się w nią wczuć i myślę że gra zyskała by na usunięciu tej sceny. Sam pomysł na takie przedstawienie historii nie jest zły, natomiast do tak krótkiej gry nie pasuje ponieważ nie mamy czasu na tak dogłębne poznanie innych postaci.
    POSTACIE
    Tak jak już wspomniałem, Call of Cthulhu jest grą stosunkowo krótką, przez co nie ma zbyt wiele czasu na dobre zarysowanie postaci które wpadałyby w pamięć. Większość postaci jest dość prostolinijna, a nawet te które są dobrze zarysowane, mogłyby być jeszcze lepsze gdyby tylko udzielić im nieco dłuższej ekspozycji.
    GROZA
    Gra zaczyna się od bardzo brutalnej sceny ocierającej się o gore. Po chwili okazuje się że był to tylko sen. Nie dość, że zagranie ze snem jest najbardziej znienawidzoną sztuczką w świecie kinematografii, to jeszcze krwawy początek w żadnym stopniu nie pasuje do twórczości Lovecrafta. Na szczęście później robi się znacznie bardziej Lovecraftowo, brudny port, szpital psychiatryczny, czy opuszczony dom Hawkinsów, wszystkie te lokacje bardzo dobrze oddają grozę tego świata. Natomiast jeżeli chodzi o same starcia z potworami mam mieszane uczucia. ♥♥♥♥ wszystko zostało zrobione poprawnie, walki najczęściej dzieją się w klaustrofobicznych pomieszczeniach, polegają głównie na ukrywaniu się i ostatecznie potrafią zafundować nam gęsią skórkę. Mam jednak wrażenie, że można było akurat w tym aspekcie zrobić coś więcej. Groza w opowiadaniach Lovecrafta polegała głównie na strachu przed tym czego nie znamy, nie widzimy. A w Call of Cthulhu jest wręcz na odwrót, boimy się rzeczy które widzimy na ekranie. Jeżeli chodzi o popadanie w szaleństwo, które jest tak ważne dla tego świata, tutaj też czuje lekki nie dosyt. Poza efektami audiowizualnymi szaleństwo w żaden sposób nie wpływa na rozgrywkę. Kolejna zmarnowana okazja.
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  24. Aug 5, 2019
    6
    wrote a freaking review, but metacrict's server is so **** it was erased (as usual)
  25. Nov 12, 2018
    6
    Don't trust to the system requirements, as the game runs really well, even on 1 GB GPUs. But it Is not worth the price now (after release/launch), since there is only story-driven campaign and nothing else, within the game's content.
  26. Sep 17, 2019
    6
    This game could have easily scored a 7 or maybe an 8 if it was just more polished. Weird sound issues, questionable level design and mechanics, writing not checked and all around finishing touches missing. It feels rushed and maybe another 3 months of work could have made it better. However, there are 2 things that are done incredibly well. The atmosphere and storytelling keeps youThis game could have easily scored a 7 or maybe an 8 if it was just more polished. Weird sound issues, questionable level design and mechanics, writing not checked and all around finishing touches missing. It feels rushed and maybe another 3 months of work could have made it better. However, there are 2 things that are done incredibly well. The atmosphere and storytelling keeps you engaged. It sort of stumbles around the middle, but then picks itself up all the way to the end. Lovecraft fans will definitely enjoy it. I certainly did. However, due to the quality of the product, I cannot recommend it at full price. Its more of a AA than a AAA game. Its not a bad thing, and we certainly need more of those as this is usually an artistic place of love or hate. If you can get it with a 40%+ discount, this is a must have. Expand
  27. Mar 7, 2022
    6
    A few random jump scares, def a creepy feeling game. If you're into this style its worth finishing. But not something you will remember.
  28. Nov 23, 2019
    6
    I 've Played 6 Chapters On The Game And I've Tried to feel something that hooks .. but ther's how it went for me ..everyday i finish a chapter ..i had all the time on the world but i couldn't get hooked on it ..the game told me everything i needed didn't really feel lost or doing anything special..always guided by the mysteriousness insiide..anyway .. graphically it's good and runs fineI 've Played 6 Chapters On The Game And I've Tried to feel something that hooks .. but ther's how it went for me ..everyday i finish a chapter ..i had all the time on the world but i couldn't get hooked on it ..the game told me everything i needed didn't really feel lost or doing anything special..always guided by the mysteriousness insiide..anyway .. graphically it's good and runs fine one medium on an( i7 , 8gb : gtx950 2gb ) ..the story was ok ..but the gameplay wasn't.. Expand
  29. Oct 30, 2018
    6
    I will quote AppTrigger
    "What started out as a promising, unnerving recreation of a tabletop RPG became a rushed, unfocused mess racing to the finish line that leaves players’ input almost meaningless. Call of Cthulhu is a dressed-up horror walking simulator that pitched itself on misleading terms, bungling its story while being light on gameplay or its RPG roots."
    To the point.
    I will quote AppTrigger
    "What started out as a promising, unnerving recreation of a tabletop RPG became a rushed, unfocused mess racing to the finish line that leaves players’ input almost meaningless. Call of Cthulhu is a dressed-up horror walking simulator that pitched itself on misleading terms, bungling its story while being light on gameplay or its RPG roots."
    To the point. Misleading title, no real input from the player, but hey, you can walk!
    Someone comment on price, but I don't think it's developer fault, more like publisher's, and I don't want to FOCUS on that (pun intended).
    I don't like liars, I've never returned to No Man's Sky and I won't. Same here, there is a lot of misleading pieces of information and I feel like someone lied to me about this game. Maybe I just imagined something more watching the trailers, I don't know. But to be honest, decide for yourself. Watch first 1 hour on youtube and buy if you must. I would rather watch it than play it because it's one of these games.
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  30. Nov 1, 2018
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Игра очень атмосферная, мне как фанату творчества Лавкрафта очень понравилась,однако по какой-то причине концовка меня не задела...
    Прошел на концовку с альтернативным ритуалом... Думал что хотя бы покажут последствия концовки, а нет, вот смотрите как вашего персонажа упекли в психушку.
    Другие концовки тоже так себе.
    Скрытая концовка не особо смягчила ситуацию, просто показали что ничего не случилось, Сара умерла и все. А где же показ того во что превратился Даркуотер? Отрывок из газеты, где пишется что произошло бедствие и там никто не живет?
    Что с культистами?
    Единственная нормальная концовка - Ктулху. По эпичности, по остальному тоже такое себе...
    Не понимаю зачем вообще нужен был "Бродяга". Просто чтобы принести ножик... И все!
    Насчет графики люди жалуются,но мне она понравилась. Более-менее.
    И денег своих не стоит
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Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 40
  2. Negative: 2 out of 40
  1. CD-Action
    Nov 14, 2019
    70
    In regards to the story and atmosphere, Call of Cthulhu stands tall against any other game in the genre. It’s the rest of the features that’s bringing it down to a level of a quite typical mid-budget game. [13/2018, p.52]
  2. Mar 5, 2019
    80
    Another great lovecraftian game, with intriguing plot and ominous atmosphere, but with somewhat poor overall production quality and a sloppy dialogue system.
  3. Jan 2, 2019
    60
    Most Lovecraft fans, or those who are just on the lookout for a good occult mystery thriller, will enjoy Call of Cthulhu, but that doesn't mean that they won't be disappointed as well. Cyanide Studio has wrapped an interesting, and engrossing storyline, with a fittingly oppressive feel, but the actual gameplay part tastes like a half-fried, unsalted octopus *wink-wink-nudge-nudge*