[h1]Overview[/h1]
Quartermain and the Cult of Cthulhu is a 20+ level first-person shooter with varied environments, ample secrets, numerous enemies, a voiced story, and a low cost.
[b]The Good[/b]
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[*] All weapons are satisfying
[*] Varied enemy roster
[*] Voice acting and cutscenes
[*] Secret hunting unlocks bonus levels
[*] Level replay on completion
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[b]The Bad[/b]
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[*] Story ends with little concluded
[*] Not all voice acting has subtitles
[*] Not all NPC dialogue has voice acting
[*] No difficulty options
[*] Chaingun ammo caps at 1200, only 3 digits displayed
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[b]Buy or Try[/b]
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[*] Buy at full price
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[b]Stability[/b]
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[*] A location with a frame dip, but no issues during combat
[*] Alerting a mech makes it be heard anywhere in a level
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[h1]Gameplay[/h1]
If you've played any first-person shooter, you'll know how to play this. Collect weapons, keys, and secret treasures. Kill Nazis, cultists, and eldritch horrors. Make frequent saves and above all else, survive. Others compare this to Wolfenstein 3D, but unlike that game, there's a small degree of verticality to the level design. There is no map but levels are reasonably short with enough prop and texture detail to distinguish them from each other as well as provide spatial awareness as to where you are within them. Some weapons are best suited against specific foes, but all are useful with none feeling noticeably underwhelming. Your arsenal includes a revolver fired in single or three-round burst, another pistol, a shotgun, a few machine guns, a rocket launcher, and a magic tome akin to a flamethrower. Enemies come in a variety of forms. Some are melee, some ranged, some summon minions, some go down quickly, and some have multiple phases putting up more of a fight. You can also expect a boss fight capping the whole thing off.
Levels include towns, sewers, crypts, bases, and even cosmic planes. Secrets are found in a few ways. Some are behind destroyable walls, others gated by a hidden switch or two, and yet others are accessed via jumping or wall interaction. Not only do secrets contain supplies such as health and ammo, but also a golden treasure, collectibles shown in a level select hub unlocked at game's end. Finding enough of them unlocks up to three bonus levels. They don't add anything story-wise, but they are still fun to play.
[h1]Critique[/h1]
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this game. The weapon and enemy roster are well thought out, the secrets are fun to find, the difficulty isn't too easy or too hard, and after beating the game I had enjoyed myself enough that I went back in using a guide to collect all the remaining treasures I had missed. As the game costs about $3 I consider my complaints with it minor. The chaingun could be more powerful in light of how menacing it looks. Some of the later cutscenes lack subtitle text that earlier ones had. And the story loses momentum about a third of the way in before scrambling back at the end, leaving you with a conclusion that feels rushed and lacking in narrative detail. The setup and presentation of the story is good though.
[h1]Verdict[/h1]
Quartermain and the Cult of Cthulhu is a good, cheap game. The weapons are fun, the enemies are varied, the level quality surprised me, and there's enough playtime to justify the cost. In just under 8 hours I beat the game once along with going back in using a guide to collect all the treasures I had missed.
[b]In A Word[/b]
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[*] "Competent"
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