When Cthulhu Calls (and It's a Point-and-Click): Diving into The Dark Rites of Arkham
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Jeff dives into *The Dark Rites of Arkham*, praising Postmodern Adventures for delivering a truly fun, forgiving, and fan-service-filled Lovecraftian point-and-click adventure, while gently nudging the developer to push beyond their established style and explore deeper themes in future titles.
Alright, mate, gather 'round, because I've been tinkering with the cosmic currents of gaming news, and apparently, someone out there still remembers how to cast a proper point-and-click spell. We're talking about *The Dark Rites of Arkham*, a cracking new adventure from the indie wizardry of Postmodern Adventures, and fair dinkum, it's a love letter to Lovecraft that you might just want to open.
Originally reviewed by Jeremy Blum for Rock Paper Shotgun, a source we trust to spill the cosmic tea, this game caught my eye because, let's be real, proper Lovecraftian point-and-click adventures are rarer than a sane cultist. Sure, we’ve got Cthulhu popping up everywhere these days – from JRPG parodies that make your brain do a wiggle, to those big-budget licensed efforts that often feel like they’ve seen too much and remembered too little. But the classic P&C format? That's a niche that's been gathering dust since the early '90s, with a couple of Infogrames efforts that, frankly, you're probably not missing much by skipping.
Enter Postmodern Adventures, the brainchild of Spanish developer José María Meléndez, who clearly knows his eldritch onions. *The Dark Rites of Arkham* swoops in to rectify this gaping hole in our gaming cosmos with a rather well-rounded effort, absolutely brimming with nods to H.P. Lovecraft's most sanity-shredding tales. It feels less like a game and more like a top-tier *Call of Cthulhu* tabletop campaign, lovingly assembled by a fan so well-read they probably sleep with Miskatonic University's restricted section under their pillow.
The game drops us into 1933 Arkham, a place protagonist Detective Jack Foster cheerfully describes as a "supreme hellhole." Prohibition’s on its last legs, FDR's in charge, and Jack’s day starts with some routine mayoral corruption. You know, the usual. But then, as it always does in Arkham, things get weird. A murder, arcane symbols, a dismembered arm – all the ingredients for a truly awful Monday. You and me both, Jack, you and me both.
To unravel this delightful mess, Jack (and by extension, you) has to play by the good old '90s adventure game rules: hoover up every inventory item not nailed down and then trial-and-error them on everything until something clicks. The puzzles, mostly, are solid, though I reckon a few border on filler. Case in point: Jack gets a serum, is about to use it, then, like a bozo who’s just had his perception check critically fail, drops it down a grate. The solution? A turkey baster, naturally. It's the kind of absurdity that makes you chuckle, even if it feels like a cosmic joke at Jack’s expense.
Now, here’s where *The Dark Rites of Arkham* deviates from traditional Lovecraftian horror and, dare I say, improves it. Unlike most poor sods who stare into the abyss and have their brains liquify, Jack can never truly die, nor can his mind be shattered. And praise the Old Ones, there’s no "dead man walking" scenario – that classic P&C trope where you realise hours in that you missed a crucial item back at the start and now have to replay half the damn game. This is a very forgiving experience, designed for relaxation. While that might sound a bit… un-eldritch… it actually makes for a rather pleasant seven-hour narrative ride that’s perfect for kicking back with your Steam Deck.
Jack Foster, while not reinventing the detective archetype, has an endearing "I haven't drunk nearly enough coffee to deal with this shit" vibe. He teams up with the straight-laced Detective Harvey Whitman, and their buddy-cop dynamic is genuinely fun. They gallivant around Arkham, from the grimy streets to alien locales (yes, really), chasing down Salem Witch Trial survivors (who apparently have *really* good anti-aging cream), dodging monsters, and eventually facing down cultists, Yog-Sothoth, and all the world-ending damnation you can shake a ceremonial dagger at.
It’s like someone compiled H.P. Lovecraft’s greatest hits, then threw in a few B-sides from August Derleth and other Mythos writers for good measure. As a fan, I was absolutely delighted. References to everything from the Great Race of Yith (from *The Shadow out of Time*) to a Dagon-descended fishman ranting about the feds (straight out of *The Shadow Over Innsmouth*, a story some might only know from that wonderfully janky 2005 *Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth* game) are peppered throughout. There's even an eleventh-hour twist involving a well-known Lovecraftian character that I won't spoil, but suffice to say, I thought the game had exhausted its repertoire, then BAM! Another fantastic surprise. Meléndez even stuffs several of these gems into an in-game "Arkham Museum of the Unusual" that Jack and Harvey can peruse. It's like the developer's personal fan wiki, but interactive and much cooler.
This devotion to deep lore isn't surprising if you've followed Postmodern Adventures. Starting with 2020's *Urban Witch Story* (a brilliant free itch.io game that makes Sierra's *Police Quest* look like a kindergarten drawing), all of Meléndez's efforts have featured well-researched supernatural geekery. Ghosts, haunted video cassettes, eldritch lore – he covers the lot. And yes, there's usually a museum with a curator who's more than happy to talk shop about what is clearly the developer's passion project.
Now, here’s my moment for gentle skepticism, because even a good spell can have a minor feedback loop. My main critique of *The Dark Rites of Arkham* is that, visually and tonally, it feels very similar to Postmodern Adventures' other games, particularly *An English Haunting*. For newcomers, this is no issue; they're getting a treasure trove of quality indie adventures. But for us long-time fans who’ve been enjoying his work, *Arkham* can't exist in a vacuum. It demands comparison. And amongst its peers, it surpasses *An English Haunting* (which had a rather bland main character and a saggy middle act) but doesn't quite hit the high notes of *Urban Witch Story* or, in my humble opinion, the absolute masterpiece that is 2022’s *Nightmare Frames*. Seriously, if you haven’t played *Nightmare Frames*, you’re missing one of the best horror adventures out there.
Jack Foster and Harvey Whitman's arcs, while endearing, just don't quite reach the heights of Alan Goldberg's transformation in *Nightmare Frames* – that jerk screenwriter who finds redemption while hunting a haunted videotape. Plus, *Nightmare Frames* had a bit more polish, like those detailed character portraits, which are a tad inconsistent here. *Arkham* has close-up interrogation scenes, but only for certain NPCs, which feels a bit like a half-finished incantation.
Finally, while this game is pure gold for Cthulhu fans like myself, those who don't know a Shoggoth from a hole in the ground might find the tale less compelling. And this is where I find myself wishing Postmodern Adventures had pushed the boundaries a bit harder regarding the racism embedded in Lovecraft's original works. There are people of colour in the game, and mentions of 1930s (and, let's be honest, modern-day) racial tensions, but aside from one puzzle involving a Black woman on a bus, it mostly feels like background dressing. Considering *Urban Witch Story* tackled similar issues head-on with a Black cop during the 1992 Rodney King riots, there was definitely untapped potential here to dig deeper. Why not push that envelope further, eh?
But hey, if my biggest criticism of an indie game is "it’s very good, but the developer’s *other* works are even better," then we’re in a rather nice position indeed. *The Dark Rites of Arkham* is a swell *Call of Cthulhu* experience in point-and-click form, a solid weekend play for any fan of weird fiction. But perhaps for the next magical feat from Postmodern Adventures, we can aim to truly push the envelope: a tweaked engine, a fresh graphical style, a non-Eurocentric setting, maybe even a female protagonist? Come on, let's make old Howard Phillips roll in his grave! You know you want to.
**Source:** *Rock Paper Shotgun* – 'The Dark Rites of Arkham review - pure Lovecraftian point and click fan service' by Jeremy Blum (Published: Feb. 10, 2026)
Tags: indie games, point-and-click, lovecraftian horror, adventure game, postmodern adventures
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun