Eldritch

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Gameplay

You wake up in a library, you don't know who you are and why you are here and you set off to explore every nook and cranny to overcome your amnesia. When you first begin to explore you realize you’re in a giant endless library where no one is around but you and the piles of books. While further exploring you will be introduced with the game’s way of interacting with you through books you find in the library, things such as the games tutorial and the history of the library and finding a no where to be seen explorer’s journal.

Soon after you explore the library you will understand that the library serve as the hub-world of the game, There are three magical books that when touched any of them you will be teleported to another world infested with enemies, traps and what lays beyond the cosmic horrific veil.

You have to navigate your way level after level looking for the exit and if you were to be killed in the process all your possessions of weapons and Artifacts (in world currency) will be lost, unless you exit the level and without dying and stash the Artifacts in your treasure chest, which located in the library.

Engaging enemies directly, stealthily or even avoiding the enemies are all possible in Eldritch, but i have found avoiding enemies while searching for the exit is best as it sets the mood with the creative ambient soundtrack, the soundtrack is so smartly composed as it give you the feeling that someone is constantly brushing his hand on the back of your neck, keeping you constantly looking back and forth looking out for enemies while searching for the exit. Many fascinating gameplay elements can be found in Eldritch, such as if you kill an enemy you can loot him BUT if you loot him he will spawn once again within the level, this is such a smart element to implement in a roguelike game as it test your greed to upgrade against your fear of losing it all.

The level design is wonderfully imagined with different themes in every world changing the art direction, enemy design and music. In Eldritch the world is randomly generated which make every play through rich with the feeling of exploration especially since the gameplay design revolves around you navigating your way to the exit and this is wonderfully complemented with the use of the Dynamite that let you open destroy walls and floors granting you further progression into the level.

The enemy design is very simple on paper but when experienced within Eldritch’s world it’s a totally different story as the richly ambient world shines some of these enemies such as the crocodile statue, if you get too close to him and look away he will attack you when he isn't in your field of view. This is only one example of how the enemies act and react to you in Eldritch.

Your arsenal consist of what can be found within the worlds you travel to, laying all around the levels or bought in one of the shops that are also located within the levels. but you may only carry two weapons at a time, you can find weapons such as a pistol or crossbow that can shoot traps, a knife, a bottle or just a rock or my favorite, Dynamite that not only serves as a mean to kill enemies but to also destroy walls and floors to get to other areas. You may also go bare bones and use your fists to take down enemies.

Moreover you can find equipment to help you in your journey, you have three equipment slots one for an amulet  that can increase the damage you deal to enemies or a compass that will guide you to the exit or a lucky charm that will let you find more loot.

The second equipment slot is for training kits such as a kit that will let you eat the corpses of certain creatures for additional cost. Another is a medical kit that will grant you a second life without resurrecting to the library, as long as you have the artifacts to pay for. Another is a locksmith kit that will let you unlock doors and put locks on doors. The third slot is for your foot wear, as you can equip boots that let you jump higher or run faster.

More powers can be acquired to help you on your journey can be granted after you pray for a statue, you will be granted powers such as higher jump or creating a portal that when you use your power anywhere in the level it will return you back to where you created it. These powers can be used with the cost of artifacts for each use.

Narrative:

In Eldritch the narrative is told through the art direction, in a dream like world or through another traveler's diary log as you find them all throughout the game. But the player’s story is told by the player themselves as they travels through three worlds escaping every danger met or facing it head on.

The horrors you encounter in in your journey tell a story in their movement, sound and actions. Every escape you accomplish and every stealth kill you execute or even every time you look back with the feeling of an enemy sneaking up behind you; all of these scenarios are plot points built by the player in his journey. Soon after further exploring the library you understand who you are and what is your purpose in the world of Eldritch and you travel through three worlds to collect three souls to save the world from the near approaching doom.

Sound:

The sound complements the gameplay and amplifies the ambient cosmic horror Lovcraftian flavor with great sound design that mimics a simple squeak of a door or a wind blowing through a narrow opening. On the other hand the sound design of the enemies is taken with a bit of comical approach whether it was an intended design choice or not, I've found that it compliments the Lovecraftian flavor.

Value / Bottom line:

Eldritch is a simple looking first person, roguelike indie game with a graphical presentation reminiscent of Minecraft but galvanized with the cosmic horror flavor of Lovcraft’s Cthulhu mythos mixed with the aspect of the randomly generated world and a new game plus mode I can see myself sinking hours after hours playing Eldritch with a great sense of freshness every time going in. I can highly recommend the game to any fan of the genre.

Pros:

Lovecraftian world

Consistency in design

Refreshing enemy design

Cons:

Arsenal of weapons and abilities need expanding

Similar games:

Spelunky

La Mulana

SCORE: 9/10

Developer: David Pittman and Minor Key Games

Publisher: Minor Key Games

System reviewed on: PC

Release date: 21 Oct, 2013

Price: 14.99 $