Night of the Cephalopods

Spooky Squid, a small video game producer, is in the process of creating one of the most unique Lovecraftian games to date: "Night of the Cephalopods: A Terrifying Experience in Narrative Excess." At first glance, it appears to be a simple scrolling shooter out of the Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis days. Listening to the game's sounds will yield a different experience though. Amid the steady blast of gunshots and the expected spooky sound effects is the reassuring drone of consistent Lovecraftian dialog. As in some of the silliest Cthulhu Mythos stories, your character can experience the full horror of combating disembodied cephalopod zombies/ghosts/demons while recounting his experiences in excruciating detail.

The game also looks inspired by certain choose-your-own-adventure tales. Taking different actions and pathways will yield unique narratives that, incredibly, always seem to form a coherent story. The objective is to fend off legions of ethereal land adept squids until sunrise. The voice acting and graphics for this game are surprisingly good for a home spun production. The colors and environments available thus far in the demo will take you back to a Golden Age of gaming, with the added soothing effect of vivid Lovecraftian narration behind the action. Humorous, challenging in an old school way, and unexpected (but who really can anticipate the next form of lighthearted "Cutethulhu" phenomena in the Lovecraft world?), "Night of the Cephalopods" is a title to keep an eye--or a tentacle--on.

The game's webpage above includes screen shots, a Youtube video, and an interactive demo. There isn't a clear indication yet of when the final version will be released, but production appears to be proceeding nicely. The current version is geared toward PC and X-box 360 users; a well thought variation that opens the game to both computer and console gamers.

-Grim Blogger