The Terrible Old Man is a Faithful Adaptation

Game: The Terrible Old Man
Platform: PC
Genre: adventure game
Style: directly based on Lovecraft’s work
Verdict: Recommended
Buy: Steam
Lovecraft Video Games received a copy of The Terrible Old Man through the Steam Curator program.

The Terrible Old Man is an adventure game based on H.P. Lovecraft’s story of the same name. Now, it’s a pretty short story, so it comes as no surprise that its game adaptation is also quite short, taking less than 30 minutes to play.

It’s a point-and-click adventure game, with a few simple puzzles to solve and several dialogue choices across the two main scenes that make up the story.

You play as Czanek, one of the three thieves who make the unfortunate decision to rob the Terrible Old Man. While the original story doesn’t spend too much time on the thieves themselves, more on the outcome, the game begins in a tavern where the three overhear rumors about the old man’s wealth.

It does a great job of conveying the story’s narrated details about the old man through dialogue in the game, while also giving you a chance to get to know the thieves a little better.

In this way, The Terrible Old Man manages to both faithfully adapt the original story while fleshing out its characters a bit. Although it’s very short, it’s a nice adaptation if you’re looking to experience one of Lovecraft’s short stories through a different medium.

Buy: Steam