A Lovecraftian Journey Into The Heart Of Chile
Chile, nestled in a neat line on the world map, is an extraordinary country with a fascinating history.
In the 16th century, the country was home to the Mapuche tribe, among many others, who lived under Inca rule. Then came the Spanish invasion, bringing colonisation, new laws, and illnesses carried by the sailors. Old traditions were lost, and the Christian faith was imposed.
The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu is set in 1652 and reflects these turbulent times, putting you in the shoes of one of the invaders. But it also mixes in the strange Cthulhu mythos from Lovecraft’s fiction. Let’s set sail and see what it’s all about.
Lovecraftian Vibes
The Mound takes its source material from one of Lovecraft’s stories from the 1920s. Here, however, it has a new setting and is only loosely based on the title and its themes. The game can be played solo and has one of the shortest prologues in history, but it’s a game that works much better with friends or other players online.
You are one of four explorers who have been banished from Spanish society and find yourselves aboard a galleon, working for a captain and his crew of privateers. Your task is to venture into the Valdivian forests of Chile in search of treasure and anything else of value. As you progress, you discover notebooks that speak of the mysterious mound, which soon becomes your main focus, along with rumours that it is the gateway to a hidden city.
The set-up is very impressive and full of atmosphere and foreboding. A narrative voice-over sets the scene and establishes the mood, while the rest of the story is gradually revealed through the missions you undertake and the information you uncover. But remember, this is a co-op extraction game at heart, so think of games like Left 4 Dead in terms of how the story is delivered. When you’re chatting with teammates online about where to go and what to do next, the narrative naturally takes a back seat to the action. After a few hours, I did lose track of some of the story threads, but that didn’t really matter.
Co-Op Exploration And Survival
The game’s home base is your galleon. Here, in first person, you can wander around talking to crew members or even ask a bard to sing a song. Before long, though, it’s time to head out on a mission.
You choose from the available missions, with more unlocking as you progress. You also select one of four playable characters. They don’t have unique classes or abilities; they’re simply different character skins, ranging from a priest to a soldier.
A mission might task you with collecting a certain amount of gold or recovering a notebook from a shipwreck. Before setting off, you fill your six inventory slots with the equipment you’ll need. Playing with friends allows for a bit of tactical planning, such as assigning one player to carry weapons while another focuses on lighting the way with a lantern. Playing with random teammates is generally much more of a free-for-all. And whilst you can play solo, The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu is definitely better with a full team of four.
Once in the world, it’s all about exploring the island and gathering loot or completing objectives. A wagon slowly moves around the map, leaving a trail of salt behind it so you can always find your way back. It also acts as mobile storage for the items you collect and any survivors you rescue.
The Sanity Mechanic Steals The Show
Combat is tough because you’re armed with old-fashioned weapons that take an age to reload and aren’t particularly effective. Working together as a team is by far the best approach. The combat itself is a little clunky, though, and after a while it started to become frustrating.
The standout feature for me is the sanity mechanic. If you become separated from your teammates or spend too long alone, your mind begins to play tricks on you. Monsters appear that aren’t really there. Your teammates suddenly look like something else entirely. Blood seems to appear everywhere. It’s a clever mechanic and pretty unsettling.
After completing a mission, you return to the ship to level up. Progression unlocks new regions and gradually brings you closer to the mysterious mound itself. You can also spend your earnings on supplies, although there isn’t a huge amount to buy. I loved the first hour of the game and enjoyed the early mission runs, but after a while the cracks began to show and the gameplay became a little repetitive. Finding online players is easy enough too, at least at time of writing, but I do wonder how long that will last in such a crowded genre. The best thing to do is gather up some friends and enjoy The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu that way.
An Oppressive World
Visually, the game is spot on, making excellent use of Unreal Engine 5 to create a wonderfully oppressive atmosphere. The ship looks fantastic, as do the jungle environments. The monster designs are equally impressive, creating a genuine sense of menace around every corner. The audio is just as strong, with superb sound effects, especially during the hallucination sequences. Combined with an excellent musical score and strong voice-over narration, it all helps build the game’s unsettling atmosphere.
Superb Until The Repetition Strikes
There’s a lot to admire about The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu. I love the ambition of creating a period horror game with co-op extraction shooter mechanics. The visuals and sound design are outstanding and create a world that’s genuinely enjoyable to explore. The mission structure works well for a while too, but then it all starts to feel repetitive. And it’s not particularly exciting as a solo experience; serviceable, but the AI teammates aren’t particularly bright. Online is definitely the best way to experience the game, but that then comes with the usual concerns about its long-term player base.
For now, though, if you’re curious to discover what secrets The Mound holds, it’s well worth setting sail.
Important Links
The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu – Where Madness Is the Real Enemy – https://www.thexboxhub.com/the-mound-omen-of-cthulhu-where-madness-is-the-real-enemy/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/the-mound-omen-of-cthulhu/9P1WWPB272WT/0010
There’s a Deluxe Edition too – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/the-mound-omen-of-cthulhu-deluxe-edition/9P8479BFGDDW/0010
