Cthulhu Keeper Revitalizes Classic PC Game Genres Through A Lovecraftian Lens

Some hardcore PC game genres have had a renaissance in recent years. Baldur's Gate 3 reinvigorated love for the CPRG, while Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 tapped into a communal love for hardcore first-person RPGs that hadn't been satiated in a while. Not all classic PC gaming genres have been so lucky. We've yet to see a new stealth-tactics game like Commandos or a dungeon management game like Dungeon Keeper become a breakout hit. That's not for lack of trying, as games like Desperados 3 and Evil Genius 2: World Domination have kept the legacy of these genres going, albeit in a way that has stayed niche. Kuuasema's Cthulhu Keeper aims to resurrect these struggling genres and become that surprise success.Cthulhu Keeper is a real-time tactics game split into two parts: One half sees players building up their home base of operations and defending it from intruders, while the other sees the player command cultists and Lovecraftian monsters with special abilities to complete stealth missions. I had the chance to go hands-on with Cthulhu Keeper exclusively following its reveal last month, and I found it to be an entertaining hybrid of those classic PC game genres. The version of Cthulhu Keeper I played didn't have much narrative content, although the eldritch theming still emanated from everything I played. There's no shortage of Lovecraftian video games out there, but the distinct perspective of Cthulhu Keeper helps it stand out. As I hear my subjects say, "Yes, master" after I give them commands during stealth missions and slowly amass power by building my cult's compound, I feel like a puppet master in the way Cthulhu and other horrors often are in Lovecraftian tales.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Mar 11, 2025 - 15:54

Cthulhu Keeper Revitalizes Classic PC Game Genres Through A Lovecraftian Lens

Some hardcore PC game genres have had a renaissance in recent years. Baldur's Gate 3 reinvigorated love for the CPRG, while Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 tapped into a communal love for hardcore first-person RPGs that hadn't been satiated in a while. Not all classic PC gaming genres have been so lucky. We've yet to see a new stealth-tactics game like Commandos or a dungeon management game like Dungeon Keeper become a breakout hit. That's not for lack of trying, as games like Desperados 3 and Evil Genius 2: World Domination have kept the legacy of these genres going, albeit in a way that has stayed niche. Kuuasema's Cthulhu Keeper aims to resurrect these struggling genres and become that surprise success.

Cthulhu Keeper is a real-time tactics game split into two parts: One half sees players building up their home base of operations and defending it from intruders, while the other sees the player command cultists and Lovecraftian monsters with special abilities to complete stealth missions. I had the chance to go hands-on with Cthulhu Keeper exclusively following its reveal last month, and I found it to be an entertaining hybrid of those classic PC game genres.

The version of Cthulhu Keeper I played didn't have much narrative content, although the eldritch theming still emanated from everything I played. There's no shortage of Lovecraftian video games out there, but the distinct perspective of Cthulhu Keeper helps it stand out. As I hear my subjects say, "Yes, master" after I give them commands during stealth missions and slowly amass power by building my cult's compound, I feel like a puppet master in the way Cthulhu and other horrors often are in Lovecraftian tales.Continue Reading at GameSpot