Call of Cthulhu

Based on H.P. Lovecraft's classic 1926 occult story, this adventure game is really scary, but it develops the chills in a very slow, plodding way that will appeal only to horror fans. In Call of Cthulhu, you're a hard-boiled detective in 1924 who travels to a mysterious island near Boston to investigate the death of a family. The cause may or may not be the fault of the mother, an accomplished painter who either has mental problems or psychic abilities. As you talk to the locals, examine their surroundings, and solve situational problems that give you access to other areas and other people, you slowly uncover what may have happened, even if the explanation strains what you know about the natural world.

While this game is as freaky and scary as the short story that inspired it, you have to be in the right frame of mind for it. And not just the mood to be scared. The game can be slow and plodding, and there's little in the way of reflex-testing action or seriously complex problem-solving. Even when you reconstruct crimes committed by the many different characters you stumble across, it's a simple process, and often just requires you to find missing items instead of putting them together in a puzzle-esque way. What Call of Cthulhu lacks in finger-flexing action, though, it more than makes up for in atmosphere, and in tests of your observational skills. All versions of the game manage to evoke these spooky surroundings, although the Switch version may have muddier textures and visuals apart from the pre-made cutscenes that suddenly pop into view due to its less powerful hardware. But on the up side, there's virtually no other technical issues, letting you dive into the creepy environments at your own pace. As a result, if you're in the mood for something slow and scary, Call of Cthulhu will really make you feel like you've walked into the twisted mind of H.P. Lovecraft.