Game: Human Guise: Chapter I
Platform: PC
Genre: point-and-click adventure game
Style: directly based on Lovecraft’s work*
Verdict: Recommended
Buy: Steam
Lovecraft Video Games received a review copy of Human Guise through the Steam Curator program.
Human Guise is a point-and-click adventure game being released in chapters, with the first chapter available now. You play as FBI agent Ada Thornton, sent to investigate a gruesome series of murders in a small town.
The mechanics are fairly simple, at least in this first chapter. You can investigate things and occasionally use items from your inventory. It also has a feature where certain scenes will allow you to look around for further clues that aren’t required to advance the story, but will provide further story details.
Chapter I is a bit too short to get a good feel for either the gameplay or the story, taking only about half an hour to complete.
It’s also difficult to judge the Lovecraftian elements at this point. There’s only a tiny hint that points toward that aspect.
Where Human Guise: Chapter I does shine, though, is in its atmosphere. Despite it being such a short slice of the story, the music helps to create a dark, unsettling atmosphere right away. The atmosphere and the hints of horror are enough for me to want to see more, even if it’s hard to judge the story at this point.
It also has a clever secret hidden in the files, to further hint at story details.
Overall, while it’s difficult to assess such a small piece of a story, Human Guise: Chapter I presents the basis for an intriguing horror mystery. Subsequent chapters will be added as DLC, and should be longer. Hopefully they’ll build on the promise Chapter I shows.
*While it’s unclear from the first chapter, the game is described as being “based on H.P. Lovecraft’s universe,” so I believe it will directly involve mythos elements.
Buy: Steam