Conarium Review – An Atmospheric Lovecraft Sequel

Game: Conarium
Platform: PC
Genre: adventure game
Style: directly based on Lovecraft’s work
Verdict: Highly Recommended
Buy: Steam
I originally received a review copy of Conarium to review for MonsterVine.

Conarium is an unusual game in that instead of adapting one of H.P. Lovecraft’s stories, it is framed as a sequel instead. It follows a man named Frank Gilman who was part of an experiment in Antarctica after the events of “At the Mountains of Madness.”

Frank wakes up in a deserted Antarctic base with no memory of what happened and begins to search for answers. It is an exploration-driven adventure game that has some puzzles to solve, but mainly focuses on atmosphere and storytelling.

Conarium’s atmosphere is brilliant, and the entire game stays true to Lovecraft’s style of horror. Not only are there numerous references to “At the Mountains of Madness,” but everything about the story as it unfolds really fits with the tone and lore.

Madness, experiments gone wrong, and knowledge humanity wasn’t meant to have all come together in an unsettling, often ambiguous story. It’s not a very scary game, but Conarium will give you the atmosphere and lore you want.

Buy: Steam