Call of the Elder Gods to soon hearken back to Call of the Sea

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Sequel to acclaimed 2020 Lovecraftian-themed puzzle adventure unveiled for PC and consoles

In 2020, Out of the Blue arrived... well, out of the blue with their impressive debut, the Lovecraftian-themed puzzle adventure Call of the Sea. Now it appears the indie Spanish developer is returning to the franchise with a sequel titled Call of the Elder Gods, unveiled at this weekend's Future Games Show.  

The original game was set in 1934, when a determined woman named Norah Everhart crossed the ocean to a remote island in the South Pacific after her husband's expedition disappeared. The island seemed idyllic, but before long Norah came to realize that dark hidden secrets of a nameless, forgotten civilization that once existed there belied this lush tropical paradise. The new game picks up thirty years later back in the United States, where things are "not well at Miskatonic University." Harry is still plagued by "shadows flitting at the corners of his vision," while a student named Evangeline Drayton is "haunted with impossible dreams of an artifact uncovered a decade ago" and now in the professor's possession. Believing the artifact holds the key to their missing loved ones, together Harry and Evangeline embark on a journey to "uncover revelations more ancient than anyone could have imagined ... and come face-to-face with beings beyond their understanding."

As with its predecessor, Call of the Elder Gods is not a direct adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft but inspired by his works – in this case the novella The Shadow Out of Time, specifically. This is no traditional horror story, however, but rather a tale of "grief, family, and sanity," fully voiced by an acclaimed cast that includes the return of Yuri Lowenthal (Spider-Man, Arcane, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth) and Cissy Jones (Firewatch, Starfield, Baldur’s Gate III). But while the first game took place almost entirely within (or beneath) the confines of its stunning island setting, the sequel will send players across the globe and beyond, from "the firelit libraries of a New England mansion to the red sands of the Australian outback, through frozen wastelands and otherworldly cities out of time."

As players "journey to the far corners of the Earth and unearth ancient horrors," the gameplay will continue to focus on first-person 3D exploration and "object- and observation-based puzzles." But with two playable characters this time, there will be another layer of depth to contend with, requiring players to "swap between Harry and Evangeline to solve complex, multi-part problems across time and space." The degree of challenge is (partly) up to each player, as there will be various difficulty levels to choose from with "toggle-able hints, icons, and journal entries." Or, if you're really seeking a challenge, you're encouraged to "read the Occult Books scattered about the world and meet new, reality-warping enigmas."

There is no target release date just yet, but Call of the Elder Gods is "coming soon" to Steam and Epic for Windows PC, along with console versions for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. In the meantime, while no familiarity with Call of the Sea is required to enjoy the new game, it's certainly well worth playing in its own right while you wait.