I love me a Lovecraft-inspired game as much as the next cultist, so when turn-based Menace From the Deep: Complete Edition arrived in my proverbial inbox, I thought, ‘Sure’. That’s how I talk in real life. The thing is, how many of these games just end up being horror-based and feature the odd tentacle to warrant it a Lovecraftian affair? Not much. HYPNOS, while very beautiful and ethereal, didn’t represent the cosmic horror so much for me. This, published by Feardemic, did. A bit.
As tends to be the case for most deck-building games for those that aren’t die-hards for card rules, board games, and dice throwing, the volume of cards, equipment, ability and consumables is quite overwhelming, but through repeated runs, becomes clearer. Eventually. Before we get to the formulaics, it’s worth mentioning the narrative thread here as it’s quite engaging.
With two modes to choose from – a more challenging Story mode, and a more customisable setting that aids you with stabilisers before you can pop wheelies- I stuck with the first. Unlike most Lovecraft tales, you aren’t alone on this journey; instead, you have formed a band of merry men (and women), led by The Moths, which features key members as Head, Brain, and Hand, but no Pinky. They’re all thesps and fully voice-acted. I’m starting to get bored with differentiating what is AI anymore, so let’s just assume the budget was there. It worked for me.
In Menace From the Deep, we begin by visiting Innsmouth (yay!), and shit is about to get real. The crimson sky or sun – whatever the omen is, looms over the town, and it looks like one of the Elder Gods is about to rise to put their feet up on the coffee table, not take the dog out, and leave the dishes on the side without washing for weeks. The rotter! Ideally, you should just prevent any ceremonials from happening and cut to the chase, but this fella has quite the legion of followers – from fishpeople to pitchfork-wielding yokels. And this is where the gameplay kicks in.
Selecting from a ‘nameless’ detective, professor, chimaera, and cultist, you set forth into 1920s America to battle out those that chant words without vowels, and attempt to choose your own fate until duking it out with a boss for each arc. What I really like about Menace From the Deep is how each run feels almost within your control, but also not. What I mean by that is you select from three decks on what you want your next path to be. Unlike most rogue-likes with a map and fork in the road, you pick the card that appeals most – whether that be a chance to buy new gear from a merchant, or fight an elite to raise your chances of new gear.
I particularly like that you can peek at the card underneath, creating a strategy of battle, battle, rest, battle, battle, merchant. Depending on the character you select, the outcome is also very different, with the cultist doing much more damage and relying on bleed-type arts, or the professor who is pretty weak, but can summon crows, rats and slime to fight as a posse, and inflict poison damage. I preferred the all-rounder detective who hides behind a self-healing K9. That was pretty cool.
By the time you reach the boss, you’re pretty much knackered and might just get through the skin of your teeth. Said bosses are quite colossal, and what I haven’t said thus far is how decent the presentation is. Not just the illustrations, but the ambience, too. These cosmic entities look the business and hit pretty hard, too. However, I often was able to beat the boss of the first area with ease due to the card placement strategy, as well as the extras you get, such as gear that adds buffs like elemental attacks at the start of each round, the consumables to regain health or lob a stick of dynamite, or even the gold earned to buy a better selection of cards at the merchant.
All these choices in Menace From the Deep can make it quite demanding, and the repeated rogue-like deaths somewhat frustrating. Each time your hero dies, their soul is absorbed by this monolith found at the start, allowing you to make upgrades to your base. Base, you say? Yes. You can buy or steal resources to improve your stats per run, which unlocks new classes of heroes, being able to start with random equipment, as well as health increases.
Menance From the Deep can feel overly lengthy, and, due to the rogue-like aspect, it’s pretty damn frustrating to have to go back to the start and do it all again. However… with the sheer amount of options available, and we’re not even talking about the deck choices, the brilliant art and mostly enjoyable storytelling, plus the fact that you can customise the game to have shorter runs and other toggles to improve the experience, this is actually pretty darn good. It’s not as hardcore to the source material as say something like The Dark Rites of Arkham or Dreams In The Witch House, but there’s more than enough references to be in the Howard Phillips universe, and for that reason, I say check it out, or the tentacles and pitchforks will get you.
