Cthulhu Saves the World Review

I was never particularly fond of JRPGs you know; never even cared for Link's 16-bit adventures on the SNES. Cthulhu, on the other hand, now that is another matter entirely. The lovable Great Old One has always been among my, let's say, top five mythical beasts, a fact that combined with an incredibly cheap price and a high-flying indie flag led to my playing of Cthulhu Saves The World. Oh, and the Breath of Death VII CRPG the developer kindly bundled with it made the choice of buying said bundle even easier. Apparently and after 15 hours of playing with the thing I can say it was a wise choice indeed.

Cthulhu Saves The World is, happily, much more than a retro-styled, top-down RPG with turn based combat. It is a truly funny retro-styled, top-down RPG with turn based combat. It's one of the few games and possibly the only RPG I've played on a PC that sports humour that is actually any good. Really. I verified this with the help of at least three (they were four) male and female test-subjects; they all laughed and thought that the heroic version of Cthulhu the game so obviously enjoys ridiculing is a great idea indeed.

Cthulhu and a groupie about to enter an inn. Typical fantasy fare.

What's more the game itself is rather good too, though definitely not exactly my kind of CRPG. It's pure hack-and-slash with minimal exploration, only slightly confusing dungeons and simplistic combat. If it weren't for the demented plot, the brilliantly hilarious cut-scenes, the hundreds of hidden jokes, the excellent and deep combat system, and the fact that the game wisely rewards gamers with something different every hour or so, I'd have probably given up on it, and would have lost one of the most ridiculous game finales this side of Monkey Island 2.

Oh, yes, also the chance to discover one single gold piece in well hidden chest in one of the later dungeons. How very silly eh? Almost on the same level of silliness of not sporting an in-game map... 

Ah, yes, the obligatory battle-screen featuring Cthulhu, some demonic hounds and a T-Rex.

As an added bonus the graphics are excellent in their retro, pixel-artsy way and the music will definitely evoke that 80s console music feeling; not that I particularly adore it, but, well, some do. And after you beat the game, you'll unlock a ton of extras and new game-modes to make sure your purchase lasts you another 10 to 15 hours. Now, that definitely is what I'd call value for money. 

Verdict: A hilarious, rich, incredibly cheap and actually good RPG. Get it.

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