Story

In the game's cinematic opening you will witness your character, Jack Walters, trying to take his own life in an asylum, but the final outcome is not shown yet. The plot then cuts to six years earlier with a fresh faced Jack, being blissfully unaware of the Mythos, investigating a disturbance at a house in Boston, involving an unusual cult. Jack discovers something in the basement of that house not of this world, something that pushes him beyond the limits of both his understanding and mental balance.

We then we join Jack six years later. No longer serving in the police force, he has set himself up as a Private Detective. It's early February 1922, a few weeks before the asylum suicide attempt. Diagnosed with severe amnesia and psychoses, he remembers nothing past entering the basement of that strange house in Boston, but is plagued by flashbacks, unworldly dreams, and...strangest of all...what can only be described as visions.

A new client, one Arthur Anderson, asks him to visit Innsmouth, an ancient seaport in Massachusetts. A little research uncovers rumors of strange creatures and unholy rituals, of the town's unexplained prosperity, and the recent disappearances of several people in the area. He takes a case involving the disappearance of a young grocery clerk called Brian Burnham. During the course of the game you will not only uncover the secret history of Innsmouth, but also gradually unveil the horrors of Jack's own past.

Linearity

The inspiration for the game has come from the tales of Lovecraft, and Headfirst tries to create a great narrative game. That is not to say the game is completely on rails, but we the levels are designed so that the player feels as if they are playing through the story as opposed to just being guided through it. There will be multiple endings linked to the "Mythos Ranking" system of grading your performance throughout the game. Furthermore, there are some secrets and puzzles that are not essential to reach the end of the game.

Mythos Inspiration

The "Cthulhu Mythos" have their origin in the writings of author H.P. Lovecraft, who created them during the 1930's in a series of incredibly popular horror stories including, The Shadow over Innsmouth and the The Colour Out of Space. Collectively, these tales are referred to as "The Cthulhu Mythos" and postulate that the normal world is just a veneer over the true state of the Universe: that ancient, pre-human gods and monsters still lurk in the dark woods, deep oceans or slumber in outer space. Lovecraft's stories usually detail an ordinary person stumbling across one of these creatures or a fragment of ancient lore that usually end up with the character dead or insane.

Monsters

As the secrets are uncovered the player will start encountering the Deep Ones. There are many other Lovecraftian monsters around; a Shoggoth, Father Dagon, Mother Hydra, Flying Polyps, and a few other surprises lurking in dark corners.