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Full Call of the Elder Gods update
The complete published notes, normalized for clean reading and source attribution.
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Uncover ancient horrors in your journey to seek answers.
In our second Dev Diary, we will be diving into the world of Lovecraft, and how elements of this are entwined within Call of the Elder Gods.
Who is H.P. Lovecraft?
H.P. Lovecraft was an author of macabre short novels and stories. Lovecraft’s major inspiration grew from cosmic horror, which operates on the premise that the true workings of the universe are beyond our comprehension and humanity’s place within the cosmos is insignificant. Many of his stories feature the existence of extraterrestrial or supernatural entities that threaten or influence humanity in subtle ways, with humans then being driven to madness after interacting with them.
What is Lovecraftian Horror?
Lovecraftian Horror (or Cosmic Horror) is a sub-genre of horror, created by H.P. Lovecraft, and is still continuously used long after his death. Literature and art forms under this genre usually consist of a dark atmosphere that tries to convey to consumers the thought that there are secrets that man is not destined to know.
There are certain themes and elements that are considered to be essential for work within the cosmic horror genre. A few of these are:
Dreams. H.P. Lovecraft took his dreams and created stories from them.
Tentacles.
Anti-anthropocentrism and misanthropy. Rather than focusing on characters as individuals, the narrative is on humanity as a whole and their insignificant place within the universe.
Preoccupation with strange and unknown substances.
Unmapped or unmappable locations, such as pre-human ruins, “cyclopaean masonry” ruins and structures, or rising and sinking lands.
Detachment. Protagonists within Lovecraftian Horror are usually isolated from society, with some academic interest. It is these interests that lead them to their discoveries of the universe. However, there is a cost for these victories.
Art by Andree Wallin
Lovecraftian Elements Within Call of the Elder Gods (and Call of the Sea)
In our last Dev Dairy, it was touched upon that the team at Out of the Blue are big H.P. Lovecraft fans.
Call of the Elder Gods is inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's novella ‘The Shadow Out of Time’, where Nathaniel Wingate Peaslee, a professor of economics at Miskatonic University, experiences a five-year amnesia period after fainting. The story follows Peaslee as he investigates his missing years through disturbing dreams and archeological findings.
Throughout Call of the Elder Gods, you will play as both Harry Everhart and Evangeline Drayton. Harry Everhart is a professor at Miskatonic University, who cannot ignore the shadows flitting in the corner of his vision. Evangeline Drayton is a student who is haunted by her impossible dreams of an artifact that was discovered ten years ago. Both heroes of this story are struggling with their past.
Harry and Evangeline’s journey takes them all over the world, through New England to the Australian Outback, to otherworldly cities containing ancient horrors. Lovecraft’s influence is strong throughout the game, and fans of both Call of the Sea and Lovecraft will be in for a true experience.
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