First details emerge from Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Cinematic Lovecraftian horror adventure revealed by the creators of The Council

Big Bad Wolf made a splash back in 2018 with the launch of their choice-driven narrative RPG mystery The Council before delving into the world Vampire: The Masquerade. Next the French developer is looking to make a much different sort of splash, both literally and figuratively, in the upcoming Lovecraftian horror game Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss.

It's 2053, and Earth's oceans have become the next battleground among greedy corporations for increasingly scarce resources. In their race to plumb the depths of the seas, however, they unwittingly awaken an "ancient horror," in the process unleashing an occult threat around the world that "grows ever more blatant, and strange." When a mining station at the bottom of the Pacific abyss stops communicating, it's up to Noah, an "agent of Ancile, a secret division of Interpol specializing in occult affairs," to investigate. Guided by an AI companion named Key, players soon find themselves exploring the "vast, labyrinthine prison of R'lyeh — an ancient, sunken city of cyclopean proportions." But this is no ordinary underwater expedition, as "the deeper you descend, the more your mind succumbs to Cthulhu's relentless influence." You must try to resist giving in as you begin to uncover a "secret that could shatter your understanding of reality."

Cthulhu is a first-person, free-roaming 3D horror adventure filled with "complex characters, brought to life through cinematic storytelling." Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, of course, but not a direct adaptation of his works, the game will present you with "nightmares and cosmic abominations that will push your sanity to its limits" as you "journey through a futuristic reinterpretation of Lovecraft's mythos and uncover the legendary sunken city of R'lyeh." While little in the way of gameplay is revealed in the riveting first trailer, as a professional investigator you will "follow leads, gather scattered clues, and sharpen your detective skills to solve immersive and complex puzzles" along the way. But in a place where nothing is quite what it seems, you will need to "look beyond appearances" to discover the truth. What you choose to believe and pursue is up to you, as "every mystery offers branching routes and secret passages waiting to be discovered," and your choices will guide the narrative and ultimately "shape Noah’s fate in this nightmarish world."

There is no target release date just yet but we'll be waiting for a bit, as Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss isn't due to launch on Steam for Windows PC until sometime in 2026, along with console versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S platforms. 

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