Concept
The concept is loosely based on the DOOM series developed by id Software in that it will be a First-Person Shooter (FPS) game and contain over the top action, violence and maybe some small RPG style elements. DOOM has the player battle through droves of interdimensional demons in order to seal the gates of hell in extremely gory fashion; however, apart from small titbits, DOOM features an extremely shallow storyline and more focuses on mindless, hyperviolent action to drive interest and hype around each new installment of the series.
Taking DOOM as a starting point, the game will most likely be an FPS, however this could later change to a third-person shooter instead, and also feature some intense violence; in contrast to DOOM, however, this game will feature a more in-depth story which will be achieved by basing the game within the already established lore and mythology from the collected works of H.P. Lovecraft.
Lovecraftian themes are becoming more popular in modern gaming with the release of titles such as Call of Cthulhu from developers Cyanide in late October 2018 as well as Sinking City developed by Frogwares in mid-September 2019. Whilst these games were not blockbuster productions, they have begun to generate new interest to a style and mythos that hasn’t been as widely explored and saturated in any media industry which is why it has the potential to pique an audience’s interest and curiosity; this also makes it a great universe in which to base a new action/horror game.
Inspirations & Research
In order to prepare myself to take on this gargantuan of a mythology, I played through the game Sinking City which also makes heavy use of H.P. Lovecraft’s work. In addition to this, I have also started to listen to an audio reading of Call of Cthulhu and other works by H.P. Lovecraft in order to further familiarise myself with the mythos.
Character 1: Protagonist
My inspiration for this character comes from characters such as Joel from the Last of Us and Kratos from the most recent God of War. These characters are both reluctant heroes who have either been struck by tragedy or feel guilty about something they’ve done and then they slowly redeem themselves throughout the narrative. In addition to this, they have some form of internal living and Joel struggles to come to terms with the loss of his daughter – and the resolution of this struggle is ultimately what leads to their success.
Backstory
After a long and hard war in Europe, Lieutenant Commander Howard Philips returns to his hometown injured but in high spirits to greet the love of his life with whom he plans to marry and settle down with. Years later on a bright morning, Howard decides to go on an impromptu fishing trip to pass some time – upon his return, however, he finds the entire town has been plunged into mass hysteria and rioting.
Panicking, he rushes home to his apartment only to find it ablaze with his beloved wife stood on the railing of a balcony. Howard desperately tries to push his way through the maddened crowd, however in her delirium, she jumps and falls to her death despite Howard’s best efforts to reach her so he could break her fall.As the apartment building begins to collapse, Howard is forced to leave is wife’s side and run.
It’s at this point that Howard receives a vision; he stands in front of an ancient city in ruins deep under the ocean – odd, but all seems calm – moments later, a light rumble builds through the ground and from the rubble bursts a massive creature with a tentacled strewn face and dragon-like wings. It lets out a roar and at that moment, Howard is snapped back to reality; he doesn’t know the meaning of this vision, all he knows is that a new war has just begun.
Mood Board
Character Sheet
Character Profile
Name: Howard Phillips
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 189lbs
Occupation: Ex-Navy
Description:
An average looking man of average height and build – dressed in a ratty shirt and tie under a rugged waistcoat, all covered by a muddy and torn overcoat. His trousers are hard-wearing and practical, his boots are muddy yet sturdy and atop his head sits a scrappy, old cap.
Strengths & Weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
| Strong | Grieving the loss of his wife |
| Military Trained | Psychological damage from the war* |
| Seems to be somewhat immune to Cthulhu’s influence | Vastly outnumbered |
| Well-armed | Doesn’t know anything about his enemy |
| Some basic knowledge of crafting | Terrified of water & drowning* |
| Supplies will be scarce |
Character 2: Antagonist
In keeping with DOOM, Cthulhu is a monster of epic proportions who’s powers and abilities stem from otherworldly influence. Cthulhu has the ability to influence visions, instill madness, fly and is nigh indestructible. His motivations are to awaken alongside others of his kind and reclaim the universe as their own.
Backstory
Cthulhu is a member of an ancient race of extra-terrestrials of great power, deified by an occult group who have ordained him as “great priest” of “the Great Old Ones…” Many millennia ago, Cthulhu was involved with a conflict his race and a race of the same origins because of the way in which Cthulhu took the power of the gods as his own. Whilst Cthulhu may appear to be a god by human standards, Cthulhu is but one of an entire race of beings who worship a power so great, it is incomprehensible to the minds of mere mortals; it is Cthulhu’s possession of even the slightest portion of this power that has the ability to drive anyone who looks upon his being to insanity.
Ultimately, the conflict was resolved; Cthulhu’s powers rely on the specific alignment of very specific stars for reasons which are not known and can never be known. Cthulhu sought to take control of the universe for himself in order to become the god he so desperately imitates. However, once Cthulhu’s brief window of opportunity closed, he was forced to retreat back to his prison on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean named R’lyeh – “The nightmare corpse-city of R’lyeh…was built in measureless eons behind history by the vast, loathsome shapes that seeped down from the dark stars.” There, he awaits the realignment of the stars for eons upon eons in a death-like slumber.
Mood Board
Character Sheet
Character Profile
Name: Cthulhu, The Great Dreamer
Height: 14,514’5” (2.75 miles)
Weight: 500,000lbs (250 US tons)
Occupation: High Priest of the Great Old Ones (currently in Death-like Sleep on the ocean floor)
Description:
“They were not composed altogether of flesh and blood. They had shape […] but that shape was not made of matter. When the stars were right, they could plunge from world to world through the sky; but when the stars were wrong, They could not live. But although They no longer lived, They would never really die. They all lay in stone houses in Their great city of R’lyeh, preserved by the spells of mighty Cthulhu for a glorious resurrection when the stars and the earth might once more be ready for Them.” – H.P. Lovecraft – Call of Cthulhu
Strengths & Weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
| Superhuman Strength | Reliant on rituals to keep him ‘awake’ |
| Flight | Can be repelled by certain ancient symbols |
| Immortality | |
| Telepathy | |
| Reality Manipulation |
Environment
My environment will follow a gothic style of architecture. This style is a classic trope of the horror genre because of its foreboding and grim aesthetic, consisting of high detail and pointed edges. In addition to this, the environment will have dramatic weather such as rain and fog in order to further enforce the gothic aesthetic. The environment will be lit to reflect night fall – a lot of washed out blue and some small amount green to give some ambiguity to the volumetric fog. In contrast to this, some action sections will be lit with more bright reds and orange to symbolise danger.
Mood Board
Toby Ridley Games Development 