Among horror-themed games "Call of Cthulhu" is a must only if you dare to play it.
The game starts off with a raid on a house whose residents went very wrong so to speak. You take control of a detective named Jack Walters. You go inside the house and this is the moment when this whole grisly horror begins, and lasts to the very end of the game. After being released from mental asylum of some sort you are sent to the infamous Innsmouth where things just get worse and worse while the game pushes you into the depths of the darkest corners of the earth... and soul.
This game is brilliant. You just plunge into this wicked, insane world and there is no chance in hell for you to be saved by human means. It's a first-person game but there is no HUD of any kind so you feel like you are there yourself. That's not all. Every harsh situation affects your sanity. Your breath and heartbeat go faster and when things are getting really bad your vision blurs, you speak to yourself and what's more, staying in extreme condition may even lead you to a suicide! That's only one way of ending your miserable life. You can't take much damage which means that a headshot kills you instantly and major wounds will eventually cause you to bleed to death if not cured. Wounds over legs make you move slower or not at all and wounds over hands might stop you from using your weapons. But not only mental condition of your character will be shattered into pieces during this game. There are couple of really intense sequences that will scare the s**t out of you like the pursuit at the beginning. Besides that there are plenty of unpleasant moments only to mention the whole ship trip or Cthulhu chapel.
While it's generally based on "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" there are connections to various Lovecraft's short stories throughout.
Graphics quality is maybe not as spectacular as some of 2006 FPP games but on the other hand art design is simply superb which creates inimitable atmosphere. So is the sound, music and voice acting.
"Call of Cthulhu" is a disturbing, unsettling and intimidating first-person adventure shooter which cannot be missed by any Lovecraft or horror fan.