The Lovecraftian Cthulhu turns into a Cutelhu in Cthulhu Virtual Pet
H. P. Lovecraft has always been one of my favorite writers despite the creepiness and weirdness that follow his name and works. In fact it’s exactly these characteristics that his fans, including myself, love. This melancholic horror that is so characteristic of him, has given the world enough material to create movies, shows and even games based on Lovecraft’s stories. So it comes with no surprise that Lovecraft’s most famous creature, the Cthulhu has been picked by many developers as their main character. The game I’ll review today though, takes a rather big turn on the way Cthulhu has been presented till now, and focuses in its… softer side. I know how this sounds but trust me you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what this game has to offer.
Plot
What would you say if one day you were asked to raise a baby version of Lovecraftian god Cthulhu, from its birth until it grows up to be a good (or bad, depends on your approach) big monster? Well, now you have the chance to find out in Cthulhu Virtual Pet, which follows the same recipe that the Tamagotchi did back in the 90s with huge success that continues to this day. It has the same 8-bit retro feeling that made these games special.
Gameplay
The Tamagotchi formula of raising a pet since its birth and caring for all its needs is what CVP is basically about, with the exception that instead of an innocent, fragile and harmless creature, you have to tend to an ancient evil god whose brutal acts and terrifying looks is known even to the most indifferent of person. So, after waking it up from its eternal sleep you now are bestowed the task of taking care of it until it can support itself.
Of course, its appearance is adorable as a pet and there’s little to remind you of the monstrous creature simply by looking at it. It is tiny with puppy eyes and a small octopus-like body which becomes more enriched as it grows, and turns similar to its original form only smaller and cuter. Its home is obviously the bottom of the sea, the abyss, and a cute castle is also placed in the background and for some reason it makes the whole scene even more adorable than it already is.
The menu at the bottom of your screen includes the typical food button, sleep, because a good night’s sleep is important to babies, medicine when its health is deteriorating (it also includes bathing it and changing its diapers), and games to play with your pet. At the top of your screen are the food, sleep, health, and happiness meters for you to keep track of what needs to be filled and what is fully charged. You are also given the option to change its name in case you want something less intimidating to fit its looks.
But here is that things start to take a different turn than the rest games of its kind take. For starters, its food preferences include, lizards, fish and delicious…humans…yeah, the food source that provides your cute pet with the most health points is humans. Weight is important for a healthy Cthulhu so feeding him with its most favorite delicacies is required. If you fail to feed it for a long time, it will get angry and eat all its Witnesses instead. As a result, it will go back into its deep slumber, and you’ll have to start from scratch again. So pay attention to its needs and for god’s sake, don’t neglect it! You don’t want an angry baby Cthulhu wreaking havoc!
Speaking of Witnesses, they play a major part in Cthulhu’s lore and they couldn’t be missing from here. In the mini-games you play with your pet Cthulhu you basically collect more and more Witnesses to serve under it. There are 3 mini-games to choose from: the 1st is a roguelike game where you control a minion and you try to collect as much food as possible before reaching the exit. With every step you take your food resource become less while some other monsters try to block you way you must avoid them by being faster than them. They can’t harm you and neither can you.
The 2nd game has you bouncing between two platforms to collect coins (that apparently are Witnesses), while monsters (I think they’re Shoggoths, but I could be mistaken) fly from right and left. If you collide with one, it’s game over. You can escape them by staying still in one platform by tapping and jump again when there are few or no monsters around.
On the 3rd game, which is the harder for me, you control a Witness that stands at one side of the land and must reach the other, but the is a huge gap between them and a large Cthulhu ready to devour him. To make it out alive you must spawn planks until you reach the other side. But if the plank is too small or too big you’ll fall and it’s game over. I rarely play it because it annoys me way more than it should but there are players who will be more successful on it than I am.
My only complaint is that there are no guidelines on how to play or explaining the rules of each game and you must figure everything out yourself. You can, however, tap on the info button and visit the game’s webpage to read what each icon means and check other useful information.
In-app Purchases
The only purchase you can make is to remove the ads. If you really like this game and dedicate a lot of time on it, I suggest you remove the ads because they can get very annoying.
Graphics & Sounds
There’s not much to say about the graphics because it feels like playing on the Game Boy console. It has the same color scheme, 8-bit graphics and retro feeling. It feels really cozy and I’m sure that those of you who enjoy retro games will appreciate its looks. The sounds are really awesome, whether it’s the cute Cthulhu’s cries (I never thought I’d say that!), or a different type of cries, these of the Witnesses getting eaten!
Conclusion
If you’re into these types of games and you want to try something different then Cthulhu Virtual Pet will keep you entertained for a long time. H.P. Lovecraft fans will also appreciate what this game has to offer, and see the horrifying creature under a different light. It is a bit boring in terms of gameplay as you don’t really have much to do, but for its genre, it does a good job capturing the right feeling.
