It’s official: Cthulhu is about to get its tentacles all up in your mobile devices. Indie developer Red Wasp Design has just announced that it’s behind Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land, an upcoming 3D turn-based strategy RPG for the iPod Touch, iPhone, and Android.
I suppose at this point, Cthulhu is more notorious as an Internet meme than it is as an object of author H.P. Lovecraft’s tortured mind, but just as a refresher, the hulking, tentacle-faced monster first appeared in a short story published in 1928. The monster has been used in many a video game since. I’m thinking his most famous usage was in Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, a Bethesda joint.
Of course, there’s also a paper RPG and it’s still a big deal. Red Wasp actually inked an agreement with the paper makers, Chaosium, in order to get this game done. As far as crossover, there’s a fair bit: “It is directly related to the paper RPG, not totally the same, but there is lots of cross-over,” a representative told me.
The Wasted Land takes place in an alternate World War I where our fair soldiers find a more impressive foe to face: an undead army that is ravaging Europe. It’s up to you to find a way to stop the corpse advance through a mix of turn-based action.
If you’re like me, you’re probably scratching your head about how exactly this game will play. The TBS / RPG genre is cluttered with a bunch of different styles of games, so it’s kind of a nebulous branding. I didn’t get much more from the developers when I pressed.
“We’re doing our own thing — but in terms of gameplay, players of games like X-COM or Fire Emblem would understand where we are getting inspiration from,” the representative said.
“As in the core game is turn-based in movement and combat (as is the RPG) and there is a strong narrative that drives the levels forward. There is also a strong role-play element is how you develop your characters from level to level.”
Tight lips! More, including a release date and price, will be announced after this summer. Members of Red Wasp were previously behind Star Wars: The Battle For Hoth [$1.99 / Lite] and Filth Fair [Free] for iOS devices.
