Subtle horror is more my thing. I like a good slow burn. That’s why the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, the Brothers Grimm, and Del Toro are more up my alley. If I was ever going to get into horror titles, then first-person point-and-click graphic adventures are definitely where I would start. Developed by SUPERLUMEN, ‘Desolatium’ is the perfect Lovecraftian horror tale that tickles my love of reading and all things creepy with the tacky jumpscares and unnecessary gore.

Playing as a range of characters, you begin as Carter Scott, our main protagonist, who wakes with amnesia and is locked in a secured facility with no recollection of who he is after delving too deep into his research of the occult.

Also playing as Sophie, his trusted colleague, Christopher, an inquisitive reporter, and James, a private investigator, you must follow your own paths to unravel a secret cult and their dealings with ancient Gods and human sacrifice.

The ‘Order of Dagon’ are up to nefarious plans, but what does Carter Scott have to do with it? It is all very interesting as the story is drip-fed to you through the articles, books, and photos you pick up along the way, and it’s definitely a worthy homage to H.P. Lovecraft himself.

The controls are very simple. In each chapter, you play as one of the four characters as you progress along parallel timelines. Your character can’t move, instead, pivots on the spot to look around their surroundings, but you can move from room to room with a click in that direction. In each area, you will need to find items area to pick up or view to progress the story or help unlock puzzles, but most of these are relatively easy. I do wish there was more use of combining items to solve problems or situations with the few NPCs you eventually encounter, as they are used very sparingly.

In a mixed media art style, the graphics often switch up from the 3D rendered world to contrasting vivid still images. This is very cool, as the environments are pretty interesting, and the dialogue and still images are the shocking punch that the game truly needs.

I say this as while the environments are compelling, a lot of things aren’t interactable, making them feel like a wasted opportunity. Some of the NPCs are a bit dodgy looking too; they are supposed to be gaunt looking, but they just come across as goofy as they stand around, though, the voice acting of these people is quite decent, making for some good storytelling.

One thing I do wish was the fact that they needed to put a bit more horror into the horrifying. A lot of the suspense and build-up to scenes fell flat. Maybe some punchier music or a few more lines of dialogue would have made the creepier parts of the tale more impactful overall.

Desolatium is definitely not a bad game, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. The tale was gritty and mysterious in all the right places, but the gameplay was a bit dry around the gills. Like a selfish lover, it is a nice slow burn, but it just needs to pack more of a punch at its climax.

Written by: Stacey