The Dark Rites Of Arkham

Developer: Postmodern Adventures

Publisher: EnComplot

Released on: PC (Steam, Itch)

I was thrilled by last year's The Drifter, and this Lovecraft-inspired point-and-clicker from Postmodern Adventures has a similar style, albeit built with a different engine, the Adventure Game Studio.

In the spirit of my favourite Lovecraft video game, Dark Corners Of The Earth, you're Jack Foster, returned to work after experiencing a traumatic event. This incident is teased out over the first third of Dark Rites, until a flashback reveals the source of Jack's sojourn away from the police force. Set in the early Thirties, under the shadow of prohibition, the game follows Jack and his partner, Harvey Whitman, as they investigate a macabre homicide involving a headless corpse and a bodyless hand.

Throughout the game's many scenes, Jack and Harvey encounter strange and bizarre characters, increasing in both their horror and oddity as the story unfolds. As per genre tradition, the pair solve puzzles by discovering and combining objects, either with other objects, characters, or the environment. Some of the puzzles are real chin-strokers, and I'm not ashamed to admit I sought help more than once. But looking back, their solution is usually logical, just requiring a little lateral thinking.

The engine works well and is suitably smoothed out for modern tastes. The pixel art is astounding, the 2D pics are delightful, and the characters are varied, boasting individuality and personality. The lack of voice acting may grind to some, but I found my imagination filled in the blanks there, with the relative silence even adding to the morbid atmosphere. There are a few cameos from famous Lovecraft characters, although I'll let you discover them for yourselves.

The Dark Rites Of Arkham teases out its plot, taking in some surprising locations. Unlike The Drifter, there's no action or timed set-pieces, making it a more studied game to be played at your own pace. There's plenty of disgustingly bloody awfulness to enjoy (with another lurid scene that again reminds me of Dark Corners), and even a burgeoning bromance mixed in with all the hideousness. It's a nice reminder of the humanity behind the horror.

If you're an action game player, it's unlikely Dark Rites will convert you to the gentler pace of this genre. But for horror fans, there's unlikely to be a better point-and-click game this year, although I'd be delighted to be proved wrong.