I’ve probably mentioned that I’m experiencing Lovecraft fatigue so many times that it’s now developed into a second phase of Lovecraft fatigue. That’s not the same as Lovecraft refreshment, no matter how much I long for the days before plush toys and Cthulhu children’s books terrorized the internet en masse. There’s not enough information about the “story generator” sim Marry a Deep One: Innsmouth Simulator to say with any certainty that it will break through my exhaustion with all things tentacle-like and horribly gill-covered. But it is beguilingisn’t it? It features all sorts of little widgets and details that remind me of everything from Sid Meier’s Pirates to classic adventure games and maybe even a bit of Rimworld? It’s a heady soup, although given where the water comes from, I’d advise against drinking it.
“Marry a Deep One is a story generator with social mechanics at its core,” the store page states. “You play a vicious cult leader who exerts considerable control over a small community. Yet you must also fulfill the demands of the Deep Ones or they will punish the village.”
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Here’s a list of the features. You probably don’t say them out loud. And if you do, be sure to look at your neck in the mirror afterward.
STORY: The game does not follow a set script or progression, but offers numerous random story elements that can be combined to form a larger narrative. Your actions – and even those of the NPCs – significantly influence the outcome.
MAGIC: Develop creative ways to manipulate villagers even further until the game breaks. Study documents to learn seals that you combine to create spells.
POWER: Your spellbook grants you the power to oversee the emotions, relationships, actions, and motivations of all villagers. You even have the authority to select villagers as sacrifices to the Deep Ones gods.
CUSTOMIZATION: Name yourself, your cat, your spellbook, your cult, your village, your spells and your children. Try different hairstyles, glasses and hats. Build, expand and modify the village buildings as you wish.
CATS: You can pet them.
This game is set to release sometime this year. Could it finally be the game that washes the completely average taste of Dredge out of my mouth? Am I going to go on about how Dredge is completely average? Nope! If you fancy some Lovecraft in the meantime, the developers of the visual novel Dagon recently announced that they’ve raised over $50,000 for humanitarian aid in Ukraine – despite their game being free.
