Bloody Hell, Mate! This Lovecraftian Podcast Is Crafting a Gaming-Level Loreverse You Need to Dive Into Now
AI Gaming News Author · kotaku ·
Dive into 'The Lovecraft Investigations,' a podcast that brilliantly evolves from a Lovecraft-inspired mystery into a sprawling, interconnected 'Pleasant Green' loreverse, fueled by community support and creative genius. It's a masterclass in world-building and cosmic horror that any gamer hungry for deep narrative will absolutely obsess over.
Right, gather 'round, you lovely lot, because I've just stumbled upon a proper digital rabbit hole, and it's got that delicious, unsettling flavour of an Eldritch horror campaign gone gloriously off the rails. Forget your usual 'new game plus' loops for a minute, because we're talking about 'The Lovecraft Investigations' – a podcast that started as a BBC punt and has blossomed into a mind-bending, interconnected lore-machine that's as deep and rewarding as any sprawling RPG. And trust me, you'll want to get in on the ground floor, because its latest series, 'Crowley,' just dropped like a critical hit, and it's the perfect moment to jump in.
Originally conjured by the digital wizard Julian Simpson (yeah, the same bloke behind *Spooks*, so you know it's got some proper spy-thriller chops baked in), *The Lovecraft Investigations* (or *TLI* as us initiates call it) kicks off like a true-crime podcast, but quickly veers into the cosmic abyss. Our intrepid (and increasingly bewildered) hosts, Matthew Heawood (British, ever so slightly exasperated) and Kennedy Fisher (American, pragmatic until the universe decides otherwise), set out to solve the disappearance of one Charles Dexter Ward. He vanished from a locked room, see? Classic escape room puzzle, except the 'room' is a mental health facility and the 'escape' might involve things that shouldn't exist outside of a dark fantasy manual.
Now, Lovecraft fans will have already clocked that 'The Case of Charles Dexter Ward' is ripped straight from the man himself. But here's where Simpson pulls off a proper magic trick: he's not doing a faithful adaptation. Not by a long shot. He's taking the *ideas*, the *vibe*, the *cosmic horror* that makes games like *Call of Cthulhu* or *Bloodborne* so compelling, and twisting it into something fresh and utterly 21st-century. Heawood and Fisher are basically us, the players, trying to find rational explanations for things that are, frankly, irrational. It's like trying to explain a glitch in the Matrix with a spreadsheet – futile, but entertaining to watch them try.
Julian Simpson himself admits he's not a Lovecraft super-fan, saying, 'I get the same ick feeling that anyone does reading him now.' And fair play, mate. We all know H.P. Lovecraft was, shall we say, a bit of a... well, let's just use the polite term: a thoroughly unpleasant chap whose views would make a goblin wince. But like any good GM knows, you can take the *essence* of a setting and make it your own, progressive and all. *TLI* does exactly that, keeping the dread and mystery without the baggage.
Here's where it gets truly fascinating for us lore-hounds and universe-builders: that initial 'Dexter Ward' run was meant to be a one-off. But then, as often happens when you're messing with reality, things got... interconnected. Simpson started weaving in characters and concepts from his *other* radio dramas, dramas most listeners wouldn't even know existed! Suddenly, a photograph from one investigation links to a character from another, and a casual mention of 'Pleasant Green' becomes a code word that makes an ex-intelligence officer hang up mid-sentence. It's like finding a secret lore entry in a game and realising it connects two completely separate quests you thought were unrelated. This 'Pleasant Green' universe is basically Simpson's grand unifying theory of weirdness, tying together myths, spies, chaos witches, and ancient evils across his entire body of work. It's the ultimate 'meta' achievement in audio drama, and as a clever observer of digital patterns, it's something I absolutely adore.
We're talking about a cast that includes heavy-hitters like Nicola Walker (you'll recognise her voice from pretty much everything good on British telly) playing Eleanor Peck, the ultimate academic skeptic whose catchphrase, 'It's all bollocks,' perfectly encapsulates the audience's initial resistance to the encroaching madness. When characters from Simpson's earlier 'Mythos' series start turning up in *TLI*, seemingly recognising Peck despite never having 'met' before, your brain starts doing backflips. Simpson admits it was 'a moment of exuberance' that might have opened 'a Pandora's box,' but honestly, mate, we gamers live for this kind of interconnectivity. It's a shared universe done right, with subtle nods and deep cuts rather than forced cameos.
And here's another kicker: after a few fantastic runs on the BBC, the series found itself without a home. The BBC, strangely enough, doesn't really do ratings for their radio dramas, so Simpson had no idea how popular the show truly was. So, he nervously launched a Kickstarter, asking for a modest sum. Bloody hell, it hit its target in the *first hour*. Ended up raising well over double! It's like a beloved indie dev launching a crowdfunding campaign for their dream sequel and seeing the community rally around them. This is community-driven gaming, but for your ears – pure, unadulterated player power making art happen. It’s a beautifully optimistic chaos amidst the corporate shuffle.
This crowdfunding success brought us 'Crowley,' the latest series, which sees Heawood and Fisher doing a deep dive into the legendary occultist Aleister Crowley. Imagine 'The Rest is History,' but with more tentacles and unsettling whispers. It's a true, fact-based account told through their fictional eyes, and it's utterly captivating. Plus, there's a bonus 'Mythos' episode that apparently ties up some 'Pleasant Green' loose ends. You just know those actors – many of whom are proper famous now, like Phoebe Fox starring in HBO's *Task* – keep coming back because Simpson's unique recording style is basically a holiday. They don't use studios; they record on location, like actual field reporters, laughing and cooking together. It builds an authentic rapport you can practically hear through your headphones, making the characters feel incredibly real.
So, if you're looking for your next big lore-drop, a universe to get lost in that feels both familiar and deeply unsettling, and a community-backed project that screams passion, *The Lovecraft Investigations* is your ticket. It's remarkably easy to get into, despite the sprawling connections. The first two seasons are now freely available on podcast feeds (search for 'The Case of Charles Dexter Ward' and 'The Whisperer in Darkness'). Seasons three and four ('The Shadow of Innsmouth' and 'The Haunter of the Dark') are on BBC Sounds, which is now even in the US. And for 'Crowley,' you can sign up as a late backer via BackerKit for a mere $23, which also gets you that new 'Mythos' episode.
Trust me, this isn't just a podcast; it's an adventure. Go on, cast that spell. See what happens. Original article by John Walker over at Kotaku, who first cast the summoning circle on this brilliant podcast.
Tags: podcast, cosmic horror, lore, narrative, community-driven
Original article: kotaku