Call of the Elder Gods Review: A Puzzling Journey into Cosmic Horror

The team at Out of the Blue Games certainly did just as their name suggests back in 2020 when they released Call of the Sea. They developed their own unique, whimsical charm that helped them stand out among a literal sea of first-person narrative puzzle games, following that up with the delightfully bizarre American Arcadia. Now, five years later, Out of the Blue is at it again with Call of the Elder Gods.

It is a direct sequel to Call of the Sea, although the developer insists both games can be enjoyed on their own. Indeed, I replayed Call of the Sea roughly a month prior to my time with Call of the Elder Gods and felt that while there are some narrative and gameplay ties, each game has its own distinct flavor that makes it a unique, deeply engrossing experience.

As with its predecessor, Call of the Elder Gods is a first-person puzzle game with a sharp focus on storytellng, dialogue and intricate puzzles. The HP Lovecraft influences are clear and obvious, as the game uses a literal war chest of both big and subtle allusions to the iconic mythology that has inspired countless films, television shows and video games.

Call of the Elder Gods pulls from numerous bits of Lovecraft mythology, crafting a tale that is equal parts eerie, mysterious and altogether charming. If you've been waiting for the first great Lovecraft game of 2026, look no further, as Call of the Elder Gods will guide you gently into the screaming darkness that you dare not tread.

The Fear of the Unknown

Call of the Elder Gods tells the tale of Evangeline Drayton and Professor Harry Everhart, two people brought together by a mutual interest in the occult and otherworldly workings of the universe beyond our understanding. Driven by strange dreams, Evangeline finds Harry in the middle of an existential crisis, as the two go on an adventure together to uncover the truth.

The game seems to take its strongest Lovecraft influences from stories like At the Mountains of Madness and The Call of Cthulhu, as expeditions built around the curious stone cities that are built into the geometry of the land itself are prevalent. If you've got a base-level understanding of the Cthulhu mythos, you'll be fine, but if you're someone who has developed the same maddening obsession with it as the characters in the game, the level of detail the developers go into is extraordinary.

Like Out of the Blue's previous efforts, Call of the Elder Gods has a strong focus on delicate, inviting prose that is just as concerned with drawing you into its world as it is with giving you a light chuckle every so often. Each character in Call of the Elder Gods has a strong, discerning personality and concrete motivation. Those traits are refocused and molded substantially over the course of the game, allowing each character to feel like they've experienced an adventure of their own. The writing and voice acting are really spectacular stuff.

Call of the Elder Gods also evokes quite a bit of uneasy dread over the course of its runtime. Wandering through its beautifully designed environments alongside its brilliantly composed orchestral score is such a daunting feeling, but it also creates the same level of whimsical beauty that Call of the Sea did. The presentation of Call of the Elder Gods is simply breathtaking, showcasing just how wonderfully talented this team truly is.

I've never been super fond of the 2D style that Call of the Elder Gods uses for its cutscenes, and despite them being a bit more lively than other examples, I still find this style of storytelling to be a tad outdated. It's not inherently a problem, as they're far more engaging than attempts by other games, but even so, it's the one aspect of the game that feels a little bland. Every other aspect of the story and the way it's delivered to you is top-tier.

A Cosmic Puzzle Adventure

At its core, Call of the Elder Gods is a narrative puzzle adventure game. If that scares you, I'll tell you that this genre of game often makes me feel anxious, too. Playing a game like this often feels like peeling back the layers of a cosmic curtain, going mad at what you see as you try to figure out what bizarre solution the developer has come up with.

Older puzzle games from the 1990s and even early 2000s had a bit of an issue with this, where the solution was so outlandish and nonsensical, that they were given the rather negative colloquialism of a moon logic puzzle. These types of puzzles and solutions have thankfully been curtailed quite a bit, though they do still happen from time to time. Call of the Elder Gods does its best to make sure each puzzle and solution is built around what you can see and hear.

The game trusts you to understand and comprehend what it shows you, letting the player feel the weight of each puzzle. It throws puzzles of all types at you at a rather rapid pace, as well, which helps to keep the game from feeling like less of a slog. No puzzle ever feels the same, as the game is intent on making sure you don't feel like you're solving a rehashed solution.

Some of the puzzles are smaller, more focused tasks, while others rely on more multi-level solutions that require you to keep constant tabs on your notes. It's the kind of game where you would also benefit by taking your own notes, too, as some of the puzzles are rather complex. As is the norm with the genre, I felt myself having a bit of a head scratch during a lot of the bigger ones.

Take a Hint

Call of the Elder Gods is a game that depends on you to approach it with a calm demeanor, as well as offering you all the tools to tackle its puzzles with as much brute force as you'd like. One of those aspects that I appreciate is the hint system, which does not punish you or your ability to earn achievements. It also doesn't outright spell out the answer in a few cases, but just gently nudges you towards what you will now see as a glaringly obvious answer.

The developers want you to have fun, and they have no interest in making you feel silly for not getting something. While the hint system is intended as a last resort, the game does its best to make sure you don't feel foolish for asking for a hint. It's a nice system, and one that other puzzle games should look to emulate.

In addition to how well the game treats you as a player, it also gives you a lot of cool options in regard to how it feels to actually play it. There are some really subtle options that you can tick on or off to give the game its own sense of personalized flair, including a smooth turning option that gives the game a nice cinematic feel.

There's also the option to turn head bobbing off, which is nice if you're someone who has any potential motion sickness issues. There's a lot of effort in the game's options to make sure everyone can experience the game, and that's always nice to see. Accessibility options aren't always the top priority of some developers, so it's great when a developer goes the extra mile.

Visually, Call of the Elder Gods is an absolute treat. The environments are stunning to look at, and the game uses some stupendous post-processing effects to create a surreal, dreamlike quality to the experience. It's just on the edge of cartoony, but it meshes that so beautifully with a more realistic look. The art direction is just flawless.

It also runs like a dream. On PC, I had absolutely no issues with any sort of frame rate, and you can also choose to go completely uncapped if you'd like. It's not a terribly demanding game, so most rigs should be able to run it just fine. I was able to hit around 130 FPS, and it remained stable for the entirety of my time with the game. This is a team that understands hardware, and it's been a hallmark of their games since their inception.

Call of the Elder Gods is a beautiful, haunting and sometimes funny first-person puzzle game. It has a strong focus on its world and characters, with fabulous writing and lovely voice acting. The puzzles are clever, offering a mix of subtle and more grandiose brain scramblers. If you're a fan of cosmic horror or the Lovecraft mythos, Call of the Elder Gods is going to be a game you'll want to dive into immediately. This is one of the most outstanding games of the year so far, and it's not one you're going to want to miss.