Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss Image
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
tbd

No user score yet- Be the first to review!

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • 10
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • Summary: 2053. Across the globe, the occult threat grows ever more blatant, and strange, incomprehensible events multiply. As the Earth's surface resources dwindle, powerful corporations turn to the uncharted depths of the oceans, unaware of the ancient horror they are about to awaken.

    In this
    2053. Across the globe, the occult threat grows ever more blatant, and strange, incomprehensible events multiply. As the Earth's surface resources dwindle, powerful corporations turn to the uncharted depths of the oceans, unaware of the ancient horror they are about to awaken.

    In this tense Lovecraftian thriller, you play Noah, tasked with investigating the mysterious disappearance of miners in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. With the help of your AI companion, Key, explore the vast, labyrinthine prison of R'lyeh - an ancient, sunken city of cyclopean proportions - and resist the creeping madness caused by Cthulhu's influence. At its core lies a secret that could shatter your understanding of reality.
    Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 17
  2. Negative: 1 out of 17
  1. 85
    To sum up, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss has deepened my love and appreciation for Lovecraft and the genre as a whole. A brilliant mysterious story, gorgeous visuals and soundtrack, along with some of the best detective gameplay in games to date, help make this a must play for fans of the genre. Unfortunately, the game stumbles in places, with poor optimisation and performance issues, along with some tedious gameplay design. Still, there is a wonderful game to enjoy if you can get past the choppy waves.
  2. Apr 16, 2026
    80
    Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is a wonderful narrative adventure that rewards you for the time you spend with it, offering a great story and some fantastic detective elements.
  3. Apr 17, 2026
    75
    Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss feels like a breath of fresh air to Lovecraft’s body of work. It revels in forcing the player to parse through the madness, unraveling the unfathomable questions of places and being we are not meant to understand. Wrapped in cosmic horror like an offering to the Old Gods, this is a claustrophobic journey that respects the player’s intelligence in putting the pieces together to solve eerie mysteries and hopefully not succumbing to the influence of insanity.
  4. Apr 16, 2026
    70
    While there are many games based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss stands out thanks to its focus on you conducting an investigation. With some genuinely tough puzzles to solve, it's just a shame that one or two are more frustrating than they are fun, and that there are numerous technical issues to deal with too.
  5. Apr 17, 2026
    65
    Without resorting solely to superficial mythological elements, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss does a decent job of structuring its experience around investigative gameplay while also exploring the thematic dichotomy between a logical approach to often illogical cosmic events. While this may not be particularly original within the genre, finding such a consistent execution is still far from common.
  6. Apr 16, 2026
    60
    Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is far from a perfect game, with some noticeable issues in pacing and in how it handles several key choices. While the technical side isn’t particularly impressive and the experience is marred by a number of non-negligible flaws, it still manages to stand out thanks to its strong sense of identity and internal consistency, offering a solid experience—especially for fans of the Providence author. It may not be the best game inspired by H. P. Lovecraft, but it leaves behind a lingering sense of unease, which is perhaps the most authentic achievement a work inspired by the Master can hope to attain.
  7. Apr 16, 2026
    40
    Cthulu: The Cosmic Abyss falls prey to the greatest source of madness: boredom. Bogged down with its litany of technical issues and crashes, its fragile story and bland walking simulator gameplay fail to inspire even a modicum of intrigue. It's not Cthulu who'll cause your mental degradation, but the endless tedium of trying to reach the finale of this abyss.

See all 17 Critic Reviews