REVIEW - Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
Welcome to Innsmouth, smoothskin.
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth had me interested as soon as I heard the name. I was never into H.P. Lovecraft’s works, and I have only recently played some of the Call of Cthulhu table-top role playing game, but the subtitle of Dark Corners of the Earth caught my eye immediately. It evokes an incredibly eerie setting, one that hides horror around any corner, one that brings a sense of dread to the forefront of the game. The horrors hidden in Dark Corners of the Earth are illustrated just as well on the cover of the Xbox game: the printing being so fucked up and dark that you can barely make out the features of the creature’s face, and only the lit windows in the background casting any light.
Very rare does a game sink its teeth into me as easily as Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth did, and after looking briefly into the game’s tumultuous development history, I thought that maybe the game would stink. However, it only takes playing Dark Corners of the Earth for less than an hour until its horrific portrayal of Innsmouth completely engulfs you, and will never let go.
The main setting in Dark Corners of the Earth is the port town of Innsmouth, Massachusetts, home to mostly fisherman. The town has certainly seen better days: many buildings are either in disrepair or boarded up, the streets are in disarray, and the people that live in the village are incredibly hostile towards outsiders. It’s a world that fights back at you at every which way. As you hear the whispers of the towns folk, and the dimmed lights of the back alleys hiding shadowed figures that you don’t dare disturb. As soon as you arrive in Innsmouth, your curiosity is piqued by how shitty it is, and all you’ll want to do is explore the town and see what horrors lie within. The game feels very lived-in as well, as everywhere you go there is just stuff strung about everywhere: garbage, newspapers, boxes, nothing feels “clean” in the game, it feels like people are actually existing within the world.
This isn’t just within Innsmouth either; whether you are in the sewers of Massachusetts, the outskirts of the town, or exploring mansions that have been taken over by squatting cultists, everything about the world in Dark Corners of the Earth makes you want to sink your teeth in it.
This world design also extends into the aesthetics of Dark Corners of the Earth; to start, its graphics are very well done. Whether it’s buildings, weapons, or enemies, everything simply looks great. The lighting in the game is also very well done for an Original Xbox game, with the only aesthetic fault I can think of being the animations. Some of the character and enemy animations are a little stiff, giving a very doll-like feeling to some of the character movement. It thankfully doesn’t take away from the experience, and in some cases might slightly improve it. Seeing some ghoul’s silhouette far in the distance, moving incredibly unnaturally only helps build the tension as you sit there thinking “what the fuck is that?”
The streets of Innsmouth are horrendous, the people of the town are complete scumbags, absolutely nothing about the world is welcoming. Everything about the world design piles onto the idea that you don’t belong in this town, and you need to leave immediately. People treat you like dirt, spreading rumours about you as you’re walking through the town, wherever you go you have this eerie feeling that you’re being watched. The hangoutability in Innsmouth - and this extends to the entirety of Dark Corners of the Earth - is horrible, you wouldn’t catch me dead there.
But the vibes are absolutely immaculate. Dark Corners of the Earth is going for the most uninviting world you can possible imagine, and the game pulls it off in spades. The tension created from the world building alone is up there with other masters of survival-horror games. It has been a long time since I’ve felt this unsettled by a video game on the aesthetics alone, and these dreck vibes just drew me into the game further.
The game’s sound design is also top-notch. Sneaking around the world you can hear the footsteps of your enemies in the distance. You can hear their conversations about how they’re looking for the “outsider,” and to praise lord Dagon. This also helps add to the stealth portions of the game, as the sound is done so well that you can reliably pinpoint enemies that might be around corners or within rooms if you just listen to the world around you. However, when things do go wrong though - and they will - the weapons, the screaming of enemies, the sound of car engines trying to start up; this all helps add to the potential frantic moments that Dark Corners of the Earth might have in store, it’s truly a feast for the ear.
Dark Corners of the Earth encapsulates you with its beautifully crafted shit hole of a world, with Innsmouth and the surrounding areas having off-the-chart horrible vibes. Thankfully the game’s world is as well-designed as it is, as it does the majority for the heavy lifting in regards to the story.
Dark Corners of the Earth is the story of Jack Walters, a detective who - after experiencing a traumatic event on a previous case - is admitted to Arkham Asylum, only to be released soon after. Six years have passed since this event, and Walters suffers from amnesia and is unable to remember the events of the past six years. It’s at this point that Walters takes up a missing persons case in the town of Innsmouth. Brian Burnham, a clerk at a local store, has gone missing under suspicious circumstances. It’s from here that Jack Walters investigates what happened to Brian, and the horrors that slowly reveal themselves over the course of the case.
The story is told in waves - the beginning is very intriguing and really draws you in, there are parts in the middle that are both exciting and rather dull, with the game’s ending culminating in a very “okay” finale. It will keep your attention throughout the entirety of the game, and there are parts of the ending that are fairly bold for an original Xbox game, just not nearly as interesting as the world it sets itself in.
You know what - or rather, who - is interesting though? Jack Walters. Not “interesting” in the sense that the writers crafted a well-rounded character, but interesting because Jack is just absolutely wild. I know he’s suffering from amnesia, so his personality possibly could have taken a whack, but the way he talks with people or discusses the events around him are hilarious. You will walk into a room, see a decaying corpse hanging from the ceiling, and Jack will throw the craziest shit out of his mouth like “DAMN, WHO PUT THIS NOOSED BROAD HERE?” The woman is dead, Jack! Show some respect!
There are moments like this that happen throughout the whole game as well. Whether Jack is narrating the other-worldly things that are happening in front of him, or just being an asshole to other characters, Jack just always seems to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. It’s funny, because throughout Dark Corners of the Earth you can read his diary entries, and based off his written work you wouldn’t think he would be this much of a dirtbag.
Speaking of the writing: it’s alright! The diary entries that Jack writes and the ones you find are far better written than the spoken dialogue. All the characters do feel “of the time,” and the way they are voice acted is just stiff and “strange” enough that it adds to these off-putting vibes that Dark Corners of the Earth is going for. Also the game has J. Edgar Hoover as essentially your bestie for a good chunk of it and I found that to be kind of funny.
Dark Corners of the Earth champions this terrifying atmosphere and unsettling story; and everything about the gameplay helps add to the suspense and tension that the game is going for - for better or for worse. Dark Corners of the Earth is split between two distinct gameplay styles: your typical stealth-based horror game, and your for-the-period standard first-person shooter game. While the game is more than competent in its repertoire of game mechanics, at times it feels almost as if its styles are fighting against each other.
Everything about the game’s aesthetics, vibes, and theming are practically begging the game to play as a stealth-based survival horror game, and for the first third or so of the game, it is that. You are exploring Innsmouth, talking to people, sneaking into storefronts to find evidence of the kidnapping, and so on. It’s everything that you would expect to do from a stealth game, and Dark Corners of the Earth pulls this off very well. Peaking around corners as you are trying to sneak around Innsmouth police gives you a rush, and the tension quickly builds as you hear enemies attempting to break into wherever you shouldn’t be. Stick to the shadows, watch enemy sight lines - it’s exactly what you would expect from a first-person stealth game. The game doesn’t excel as much as something like Thief, but for an Xbox game, Dark Corners of the Earth does a very good job.
Is Dark Corners of the Earth as in-depth as something like Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell? No, it’s not; but the game does a wonderful job at doing a lot right with the limited mechanics it presents to the player. At the end of the day, Jack Walters is just a guy. He’s not a spy, he’s not a soldier trained in CQC, he’s a private detective that has gotten in completely over his head, and in that context, the gameplay makes perfect sense. I rarely ever felt cheated because I felt an NPC saw me when I was obviously hiding - however, there were times where the NPCs felt a little too dumb. Like, I’m standing practically in front of them and they aren’t trying to get me kind of dumb. I guess I would prefer that to enemies being able to pin-point me from a mile away, but it certainly does take from the experience from time to time.
Dark Corners of the Earth has many “set piece” moments throughout its story, but the standout segment in the game comes fairly early in the game, where the town of Innsmouth has completely turned on you and you must escape from the hotel you are staying in. Completely unarmed, you must make your way through a series of rooms, quickly locking and blocking the doors as you move through them, jumping from fire escapes onto other buildings, trying to get these people off your tail so you can disappear into the night. It’s an absolutely thrilling moment in the game, and the absolute best showcase of what Dark Corners of the Earth has to offer. However, this part of the game happening so early on kind of sours the later portions of the game, as nothing else comes close to matching the feeling of the Innsmouth escape.
Dark Corner’s of the Earth’s first third or so wonderful, with some very well-done stealth segments, a beautifully eerie atmosphere, and set pieces - specifically the hotel chase scene - being some of the most memorable moments on the original Xbox. Then the game becomes a first-person shooter.
I will give Dark Corners of the Earth this: it does its best to hold back on combat mechanics for quite a while. It’s not until you are almost ready to escape Innsmouth - about two hours into the game - that you even find your first weapon. The game wants to be a stealth game, it wants to focus on the horrors of Innsmouth and the surrounding area; but hey it’s on an Xbox so you gotta put a shotgun in at some point.
There’s really nothing much to say about the combat of Dark Corners of the Earth. You get your standard array of pistol, shotgun, rifle, machine gun, etc. You get a crowbar and a knife for melee attacks, and they all function exactly how you would think they would function for an Original Xbox game. The game does sport an ancient usage of aiming down sights, which helps make the game a little more “playable” for the modern day, but other than that, the game sure plays like an Xbox shooter.
And that’s the thing - the shooting is perfectly fine, but that’s it. It’s “fine.” Dark Corners of the Earth excels when it’s trying to be a stealth-survival-horror game. Creeping around the back alleys of Innsmouth, avoiding all contact with the citizens, escaping the hotel; these mechanics culminate into some of the best stealth gameplay on the original Xbox, especially in the first-person. But the pivot towards a more action-focused game in the second half almost sours the experience. It’s almost as if the game is afraid to commit to being a stealth game, but because of the era and console it was released on, you just have to throw in shooting.
It’s kind of funny in a way that the shooting is “fine.” There’s some awkwardness to the controls that hold it back from being more than “fine,” and that kind of saves Dark Corners of the Earth. If the controls were more refined, that a lot of the tension in the later portions of the game would be lost due to being able to blow the heads off anyone you need to. However, if they were just slightly worse, then the second half just wouldn’t be very fun and any sensible person would drop the game. Dark Corners of the Earth’s shooting falls in this perfect balance of being incompetent enough to work for a horror game, but not falling on either side of that see-saw to ruin the experience.
Whilst shooting enemies, there’s a good chance that you’re probably going to get got at some point. A bullet in the leg, a knife the the chest, something’s going to cause you to need a ten-minute cry break. Dark Corners of the Earth employs a damage system to Jack that - on the surface - is very interesting. Different body parts: eyes, leg, arm, etcetera, can be damaged independently. Jump over a wall and fall further than expected? Your leg will get damaged and you will start hobbling. Some Innsmouth mook punches you in the head? Maybe your eye will get damaged and your vision will start to blur. Knowing that damage taken affects moment-to-moment gameplay makes you consider how you will handle certain situations, as you don’t want to get a sudden handicap mid-fight.
The damage system is compelling on paper, but unfortunately the healing mechanic takes a lot away from it. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater as a similar damage system, where specific body parts getting damaged will affect gameplay. Snake Eater has an equally cool healing system, where you have to apply stints, ointments, bandages and the like to those specific body parts damaged. It makes you have to think about how you would heal a broken leg, or a snake bite; and if you have multiple injuries, how would you prioritize them if you don’t have enough healing items? It’s one of the systems I love in Snake Eater, and when I started playing Dark Corners of the Earth, was excited to see their take on an in-depth healing mechanic to compliment their damage system.
In Dark Corners of the Earth you press the white button on the Xbox controller to heal yourself up to full.
I mean, really? The game even has healing items displayed on your inventory screen - bandages, stints, ointments, the works! You can choose what healing item to use on what injury Jack might have; but it all doesn’t matter, because at any point you just hit the white button, Jack pulls out his cute little first-aid kit, and all the proper healing items are used right then and there, all in a 5-10 second long animation. Having a disappointing healing system isn’t going to completely ruin Dark Corners of the Earth - it’s still an excellent horror game - I was just hoping there was going to be a healing mechanic equally as interesting as the game’s damage mechanics.
You know what Dark Corners of the Earth does get right though, is its sanity system. As Jack Walters experiences the horrors of Innsmouth and the creatures that start to populate the world, there are points where he will start to lose his sanity. As he starts to lose sanity, your vision will become blurry, your shooting will become more erratic, your controller will start vibrating like crazy, and if you don’t find away to grab hold of reality, Jack might just blow his own brains out. The easiest way to gain sanity back is to simply look away from the monstrosities and allow Jack to gain a quick foothold on reality. This also adds a different layer to the gunplay, as you have to take break from shooting ghouls as if you stare at them for too long, you might start to lose sanity. It’s a wonderful system that adds quite a bit to the game, and fits the game’s theme perfectly.
I talked about the game’s sound design earlier, but I wanted to bring them up again while we’re talking about the sanity mechanics. As Jack’s mental state starts to deteriorate, on top of the visual effects that begin to happen, Jack will also start hearing things. Whether its horrific sounds of creatures that might not be there, or the depression whispers that live in Jack’s head, you become hyper alert of any possible audio as you start to wonder if these are enemies are corners ready to jump you, or if it’s just Jack’s manic thoughts coming to haunt him. Everything about the sanity mechanics, whether it’s visual, audio, or gameplay, just adds so much to the game.
In a sense, Dark Corners of the Earth is similar to that of Silicon Knights’ Eternal Darkness, another game with a sanity system. However, Dark Corners of the Earth isn’t out to completely mess with the player. The game isn’t fake deleting your saves or fake switching video outputs on your television like Eternal Darkness does, Dark Corners of the Earth’s sanity system is much more interested in adding to the sense of unease that surrounds the entire game.
That sense of unease that permeates throughout Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is exactly what makes the game special. Not since games like Silent Hill 2 or the Fatal Frame games have I felt a horror game absolutely nail its aesthetic, world design, and overall horrific vibes. Everything from the world of Innsmouth, the awkward voice acting, the sanity system, and the presentation of the story all help Dark Corners of the Earth be one of the most memorable survival horror experiences I have played in a long time. It’s just a shame that the game focuses so much on its bog-standard shooter mechanics, as well as not going “all-in” on things such as the damage/healing systems, or the story starting to meander overtime.
It might not be the best horror game ever made, but it sure is the best Call of Cthulhu game ever made, and definitely the best exclusive horror game in the original Xbox’s library.
NOT OPTIONAL.
Images were taken from Google as I don’t currently have a way to capture Original Xbox games, RIP.
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