This title is a first person narrative game where you progress by exploring an environment and gathering clues, then solving puzzles to move on. It is rather short, with just 6 chapters--but it is anything but short on story and flavor.
Call of the Sea is the story of Norah, a woman from New England who is searching for her husband, who seems to have gone missing during an expeditionThis title is a first person narrative game where you progress by exploring an environment and gathering clues, then solving puzzles to move on. It is rather short, with just 6 chapters--but it is anything but short on story and flavor.
Call of the Sea is the story of Norah, a woman from New England who is searching for her husband, who seems to have gone missing during an expedition that he lead to investigate a certain small island in the vicinity of Tahiti.
I won't spoil a thing for you, but I will say that this story is set in the weird universe of H. P. Lovecraft, as part of his Cthulhu Mythos tales. Despite its surprisingly bright and vibrant Polynesian setting, the story incorporates some dark and otherworldly elements that will be familiar to Lovecraft fans.
It was, however, incredibly refreshing to see the Mythos used to great storytelling effect without leaning on the crutch of a dark and brooding New England town full secrets, which has been the trope of nearly every Cthulhu-based game out there.
As to gameplay, it is very slow paced and narrative, rewarding thoroughness and attention. You get zero points for reaction time or reflexes, and as far as I can tell, it is literally impossible to die or fail a level. Instead, forward progress is gated behind solving puzzles.
And the puzzles are pretty great. They mostly revolve around arranging symbols or manipulating machinery, and require taking into account all the visual and narrative clues that Norah finds as she walks around investigating.
To that end, the game has an absolutely brilliant feature where anytime that Norah sees anything that could be important to either understanding the story or solving a puzzle, she automatically enters it into her journal, to be referenced again by the player at the press of a button.
You can be trying to match up gears or recreate a pattern in a mechanical puzzle and have Norah's journal seamlessly available to reference the clues as you do it. Every puzzle game should be so considerate!
The puzzles themselves are challenging enough that some take a bit of time and consideration, but I never found myself frustrated enough to look up internet answers or otherwise cheat--a perfect sweet spot of difficulty that made me feel smart and accomplished as a player who uncovered the truth all on my own.
The story itself stands tall among Lovecraftian love letters. It certainly has the ominous, darkening feel of a Cthulhu mythos story, and yet has two key, engaging elements that are often lacking in Lovecraft's own work.
The clear love that Norah and Harry share is a bright and guiding thread throughout, and it gives a real sense of emotional investment as we follow Norah's quest to find out what happened to him. There is never a time where we forget about the fact that Norah does all in a quest to find her husband and reunite.
There is also a bright and intriguing quality to the more otherworldly elements that we encounter in Call of the Sea that helps us to understand why someone would be fascinated enough to risk madness by delving into the realm of forbidden cosmic knowledge. Lovecraft himself almost always leans into a "morbid curiosity becomes obsession" explanation that feels a bit stilted and stale. Norah's quest feels far more...personal.
When the more supernatural elements of the story do begin to appear, there is more a sense of wonder and amazement than the simple (and often predictable) "descent to madness" that marks out most of Lovecraft's original works. I have read every single thing that Lovecraft ever wrote, and this story is one of an extreme minority set in that universe that feels more full of insight and discovery than horror and despair.
All told, this game is absolutely a 10/10 in the Lovecraftian horror genre. It remains faithful to the source material, while somehow crafting an exceptional and emotional tale that exceeds that source material in many ways. There are also more than a couple Easter eggs if you are, like me, a well-versed Lovecraft fan.
Though it only clocks in at 6-8 hours of gameplay, it satisfies on all counts. At the time of this review, it has a staggering 96% positive review rate nearly two months after its December 8, 2020 release date. It is also currently available for free download with a subscription to Game Pass Ultimate on either console or PC, making it an exceptional value.
If you like puzzlers, narrative games, or just want to hear a "Weird Tale" in the Lovecraftian tradition, Call of the Sea is absolutely a must-play. I found myself completely immersed until the credits rolled...and a little bit beyond.… Expand
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