Story: Jack Walters was born in 1890, the youngest of three children. He grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, where he underwent a disruptive upbringing due to the excessive alcohol and gambling habits of his father. His mother was forced to work long hours to support the family financially, and eventually died prematurely in 1901. The young Jack was often beaten by his increasingly violent father, and was eventually taken into care, joining the Police force a few years later after falsifying his age on his application form. It was work he naturally excelled at, and he soon became a much respected member of the community. One day, after a couple of years of distinguished service, Jack received the emergency call that would change his life forever. The exact events that transpired after Jack answered the report of gunshots being fired at a large house outside Boston, are recreated in Dark Corners of the Earth. Suffice it to say that a mere ½ hour after arriving on the scene, Jack was found in a state of apoplexy – his ammunition spent, bloodstained and injured, with a look in his eyes which haunts his colleagues who found him to this day. “We eventually found him by following the sound of his screams – I’d never heard anything like that before, and I hope I never hear anything like it again. When I first saw him lying there, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I’ve never seen a human being so drained of life, yet still breathing… he just kept chanting some strange words over and over again. It took three of us to subdue him enough to carry outside” --Robert Armstrong, oral history 1939. Jack was given nearly 6 months to recover his ordeal before returning to the force, but despite many intensive counselling sessions and all his best efforts, Jack felt he could not return to his original job and resigned. Still haunted by flashbacks of the events at that house, and plagued by dreams of strange creatures and enormous alien cities, Jack started up his own Private Investigations business, and only took on cases which he felt were linked somehow to that day in the hope that he could find some sort of explanation. In 1922, he received a call from the concerned parents of Brian Burnham, a store clerk who had gone missing in the New England fishing town of Innsmouth – a place which Jack had heard numerous stories about during his own investigations. Jack took the case, packed a few belongings and travelled to Innsmouth in an attempt to find out more about Brian’s disappearance and maybe answer a few questions of his own. Call of Cthulhu – Dark Corners of the Earth recreates exactly what took place in Innsmouth, based on the writings in Jack’s journal which was discovered shortly after in 1924. Gameplay: Dark Corners of the Earth combines survival horror gameplay with a strong storyline and elements of adventure as you take on the role of Jack Walters and attempt to uncover the mysteries of Innsmouth. A number of original features have been implemented to fully immerse you in the world : * Intense Action With a plethora of weapons at the player’s disposal, and plenty of cunning and well-armed foes to use them on, Call Of Cthulhu promises to deliver some intense action. Enemies will attack with a certain degree of intelligence, different for each foe, considering the environment to find the best positions to attack from or to defend. Enemies will lean around corners to shoot at the player, or crouch behind bins if the player returns fire. Some enemies will even seek out the best sniping points to shoot at the player from a distance. * Stealth Stealth can play a large part in the gameplay of Call Of Cthulhu. Enemies respond to Jack when they see him, and this can be affected by Jack being in shadow or areas of darkness. Enemies can also hear – and some have keener hearing than others – and Jack would have to be very careful to get past safely. * Fiendish Puzzles Call Of Cthulhu features 16 levels of devious puzzles for the player to solve. The player must find items that can be used in a variety of ways, they must speak to characters to glean clues and consider the things that happen about them in order to progress. Fortunately, Jack has his own journal that is updated throughout the game, giving the player a way to review their progress and see what they must do. * Sanity and Health Call Of Cthulhu incorporates one of the most advanced health systems, as well as an innovative sanity system. The player must carefully consider both and, while there are many opportunities to lose their health and sanity – getting hurt in combat or viewing scenes of horror, there are also means to restore them. As Jack discovers more about the secrets of his past, it can begin to take its toll on his sanity… you may start to notice strange effects, such as blurred vision or a ringing in your ears. Walking across the rooftop of a tall building might induce vertigo, hiding in a dark space whilst a hybrid tries to seek you out may bring on an attack of claustrophobia and the associated effects. * Realistic Player Simulation What you see on your screen is exactly what Jack sees – there are no icons, no ammo counters or health gauges. If you run for a long time, you get fatigued. If you fall down a flight of stairs, you might break a leg. If you are cold, you shiver. If you are injured, you stay injured until you can improvise some first-aid – there are no magical health rechargers or armour packs lying around. All of these factors go together to provide a highly immersive game environment. * High Interactive and Detailed Environments Call Of Cthulhu features a high level of interactivity with the detailed game environments. Almost everything of interest can be examined, and there are many secrets hidden throughout Innsmouth and the surrounding environments. For example, that fireplace in the gloomy bedroom may look abandoned, but look closer and you will find a stash of medicine hidden behind a loose brick. Great care has been taken to ensure that the levels in Dark Corners of the Earth are as authentic as possible, including atmospheric lighting and special effects such as rolling mist and detailed character and object shadows.