14 DAY TRIAL // 
I zap my witch across the screen, escaping the clutches of six shambling enemies that really want to claw at my flash. A tentacled monster follows quickly and I focus my skill fire on it, killing it before it can deal damage. But I accidentally step into a toxic puddle and the toxicity starts to tick my health down, even as a big cleaver guy lunges at me from behind. I teleport towards safety again, but the number of enemies and hallway space make it hard to dodge all incoming attacks.
So, I throw an explosive bone, which luckily takes down most of the enemy group, and finish off the bigger ones with my normal attack. Now it’s time to click on all potential containers and hope that there are at least two health kits to collect, one for immediate use and another for future encounters.
Lovecraft’s Untold Stories 2 is developed by Blini Games and published by Fulqrum Publishing. I played using Steam and a PC. The title aims to offer a difficult but engaging action-adventure inspired by the mythology of H.P. Lovecraft.
The story starts in 1926, as a series of mysterious events, all of them connected to madness and the warping of reality, take place across the world. A surrealist artist named Ardois-Bonnot unveils a painting in Paris that seems to drive people to madness and claims that he is working on an evolution of it that will become his masterpiece. It seems that the Great Old Ones are rising, and players need to do everything in their power to stop them.
Gamers will be able to choose between the returning Professor, Witch, and Detective or the new trio of Aliens, Medium, or Veteran. Each comes equipped with different starting weapons and abilities and will grow in power as they move through levels and get access to better items and extra firepower. The narrative is filled with Lovecraft tropes and themes and does a good job of evoking a world that’s slowly sliding towards oblivion.
Lovecraft’s Untold Stories 2 tackles classic action RPG mechanics from a 2.5 D perspective, with an emphasis on the careful use of abilities and weapons. There’s a wide variety of enemies, ranging from fast and fragile to ranged and evasive and everything in between. The action becomes chaotic enough that it’s hard to execute carefully planned strategies.
Always make use of the area of effect attack when opponents cluster together and watch the stamina meter. There’s never enough space to maneuver, so try and take hits from the less capable opponents while taking down the bigger ones. In the heat of battle, make sure to avoid environmental hazards and always pop health kits and antidotes when available. Don’t forget to reload after an engagement.
Lovecraft’s Untold Stories 2 allows players to craft a variety of equipment to improve their character’s chances of survival. But to have the resources for good items players will have to hunt down and open every box (look out for the mimic ones) and drawer in a level, which often feels like a chore. Items jump out of their containers in random ways and the movement system never feels precise enough when you have to pick them up while avoiding traps.
The game also uses randomized level layouts and loot distribution but without adopting full rogue concepts. I don’t have a problem with difficult battles. But there’s no fun in running through a section of a level again, with nothing to show for the previous 15 minutes of effort and seeing that a lack of health drops makes it unlikely to complete it this time around.
Lovecraft’s Untold Stories 2 looks pretty basic but it tries to find clever ways to feature its inspiration sources. The protagonists do have personality, especially if the player chooses to zoom in as much as possible, but the enemies and the environments feel pretty uninspired. The comic book style dialogues and cutscenes, work well within the setting, but the developers needed to try to make everything weirder and madder to make the presentation attractive. The sounds of combat are pretty mediocre, especially when it comes to character wailing when injured, while the soundtrack does try to add a sense of mystery to the entire experience.
The Good
- Combat tension
- Decent Lovecraft inspiration
- Solid soundtrack
The Bad
- Difficulty spikes
- Constant item collection
- Movement issues
Conclusion
The developers at Blini Games need to find ways to tweak the familiar action RPG formula in surprising ways. A player who really loves Lovecraft or the game’s mechanics will have fun with it. Lovecraft’s Untold Stories 2 needs to be friendlier to newcomers and more engaging to draw in players.
Review code provided by the publisher.
