Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace

 Switch
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 6
  3. Negative: 2 out of 6

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  1. TheRealRich
    Mar 26, 2021
    6
    This is a mostly fun adventure romp which builds through it’s ten or so hours of gameplay, however it is rarely challenging and was let down by a rather flat ending.

    At the start you are presented with a choice of characters, with some variation in stats and strengths, which on your first play through will be hard to distinguish. It doesn’t overly matter as you begin to add new party    This is a mostly fun adventure romp which builds through it’s ten or so hours of gameplay, however it is rarely challenging and was let down by a rather flat ending.

    At the start you are presented with a choice of characters, with some variation in stats and strengths, which on your first play through will be hard to distinguish. It doesn’t overly matter as you begin to add new party members through the story and may well stop sending your initial character out on missions at all. With hindsight there are starting choices that may have better complemented the rest of the team although I can see no reason to replay such a story driven game after the first run through.

    The gameplay loop of exploration, investigation and combat works well enough, especially through the opening scenarios as each builds in complexity and potential threat. The environments are decent here and some of the puzzles, while easily solved if you pay attention, are still intriguing. Investigation brings risks, occasionally negating sanity - why did I look too closely at that corpse! - but of course you mostly check everything to uncover potential puzzle clues, story and resources. Items seem scarce, physically degrading with use, and a limited carry capacity means tough choices over necessity. The inevitable drain of sanity, as well as the ever ticking mythos clock, provide a certain tension and knowing just when a character could succumb to their traumas made each investigation and fight a tactical consideration.

    Combat felt more challenging at the outset however was generally too easy and most enemies, especially in the last few scenarios, could be dispatched with a couple of gun shots and a well timed knife strike. This meant I ignored many of the magic and bonus items and, apart from topping up ammo, this made investigation even more unnecessary so it began to feel like an obligation on my part (especially considering the tiny font used for item descriptions).

    It’s those closing stages that most let the game down, that and the rather wooden animations that render the unspeakable horrors as bland wriggly blobs, but I did mostly enjoy the experience. It does however feel a little overpriced considering it’s flaws. Cthulhu games can be miserably punishing experiences that leave a player feeling powerless, and I’m glad not to have been so thoroughly whipped, but it turns out I like my elder gods to have at least a little more bite.    … Expand
  2. DianaStanley
    Mar 25, 2021
    8
    Love this game! Was a bit skeptical at first even being a huge fan of Lovecraftian horror boardgames. This game sticks to the boardgame mechanics, i.e. combat is turn based and there’s a lot of guided searching and exploring going on, and of course the inevitably annoying sanity checks. If you’re a fan of the horror boardgames, this will not disappoint!
  3. OldOneEye
    Apr 4, 2021
    4
    So, what do I expect from a good Lovecraftian horror game?
    In any good game based on the Cthulhu mythos, be it board game, Pen&Paper, Larp or CRPG/Adventure, there should be the feeling that I as the player am fighting against impossible odds. Even more so, I should feel that if I make even a small mistake, the consequences will be dire. For me, my comrades, the entire world. Most of the    So, what do I expect from a good Lovecraftian horror game?
    In any good game based on the Cthulhu mythos, be it board game, Pen&Paper, Larp or CRPG/Adventure, there should be the feeling that I as the player am fighting against impossible odds. Even more so, I should feel that if I make even a small mistake, the consequences will be dire. For me, my comrades, the entire world. Most of the horror in the Lovecraftian world results from the story my own minds creates about those consequences and their seeming inevitability.
    This feeling is extremely well represented in the board game, a game you will rarely win if you do not have a very forgiving game master. There is a constant clock ticking telling you as a player, that you have to be fast and efficient. You have to take risks all the time, or you will never make it. You also have to leave promising stuff behind, because you are racing against time. Difficult choices have to be made.
    In the computer game, none of these pressures, nothing of the horror, exists. The player is running around, clicking on highligted objects and sometimes has to choose. If they are making a "bad" choice, the clock is ticking, if not, they might find another helpful object. The problem is, the choice is so incredible easy most of the time, that experienced players will rarely make any mistakes, resulting in the classical computergame approach: "the story is telling me the action is upstairs and I need to hurry? Lets check the basement first!" This kind of unimmersive action is strongly rewarded with extra items and gimmicks like ammunition, weapons or bandages which will help in later encounters. These encounters are turn based combat, but with boring, uninspired mechanisms and cannon-fodder opponents. Even if you did everything wrong (and I seriously doubt you will), the punishment for doing so is less severe than the bonus of the possibly found objects.
    The only thing the game does right are optics and sounds, which are very fitting for a Lovecraftian game - very old-school - and the characters who are taken from the actual boardgame.

    If the game would feel anything like playing and not just uninspiredly clicking to the next part of the story, there would be any kind of pressure and/or difficulty and lastly would have any replay value, i would give it an 8 out of 10. This way, ill give it a 4 - mostly because i love the board game.

    If you like adventures, nice puzzles, Lovecraftian background and are okay with dark humour instead of horror, better buy Gibbous. I guarantee more actual game in the game.    … Expand
  4. ConraDargo
    Mar 29, 2021
    7
    Take the game for what it is, and SEE it for what it is, and you'll have a very joyful experience! It definitely helps if you, like myself, is a board gamer who has experience with the Arkham Horror games and Mansions of Madness. Cuz it's really clear that that's where the developers got most of their ideas and inspiration from, as is to be expected - since that's what they do: they turnTake the game for what it is, and SEE it for what it is, and you'll have a very joyful experience! It definitely helps if you, like myself, is a board gamer who has experience with the Arkham Horror games and Mansions of Madness. Cuz it's really clear that that's where the developers got most of their ideas and inspiration from, as is to be expected - since that's what they do: they turn board games into digital experiences!

    And this particular "port" is a really good one imo. It has a good, old-school Lovecrafty feel to it with the way the camera works and how certain scenes have been directed, combined with a fitting soundtrack. I think that the presentation is really good and well thought-out! As for the gameplay, I'm certain that many will find it clunky and as old-fashioned as the game's graphics, but to me it all blends in with the general old-school feel and the fact that the developers are making digital versions out of board games!

    I enjoy the mix of real-time exploring/investigation with turn-based combat and the many RPG-features that the game has, especially since it (once again) ties in well with the board games. And interestingly enough you'll always have to think twice about what to have a closer look at in the environment, as many things will leave your characters mentally scarred - and you might not even be rewarded with an item for it! This prevents a leave-no-stone-unturned behavior, which I think is great.
    Also, the voice actors does a surprisingly good job with delivering all the spoken dialogue.    … Expand