Cthulhu Nation Online

Posted by Stropp on March 18, 2007

A couple of weeks ago I made a post about five IPs I would like to see made into MMOs. At the end of the post I asked for opinions on what other intellectual properties should be given the MMO treatment. DM Osbon commented that he would like to see a MMO based in the Cthulhu world of HP Lovecraft.

Well, it looks like there is such a beastie out there, and if you are not careful it might drive you insane like much of Lovecrafts world. Trying to pronounce Cthulhu is having that effect on me.

I happened across an interview on Gamersinfo.net about a game called Cthulhu Nation. Cthulhu Nation is bills itself as an ongoing and continuously evolving MMORPG game. It is free to play once you register on the website, however to get access to more lands and quests there is a subscription of about US$5.50.

Now while I haven’t played it yet, it appears a bit more to me as a graphical MUD more than a full fledged MMORPG. First thing to say is that Cthulhu Nation is a web based game. Yes, you can play it in a browser. There are no huge downloads to worry about. The main interface sets out a series of panels with stats, creatures, and the like, and an area of hex panels which are locations you can move to. The location you are in is described in a text panel.

This MUD like look and feel is not necessarily a bad thing. Unfortunately some modern game designers seem to believe that a game is good if it has good graphics and they don’t give a rats about story or gameplay. Ever laid down good money on a game that looks gorgeous but where the gameplay is as interesting as drying paint? If you have you’ll know what I mean. On the other hand, I’ve played several text only games that have kept me engrossed for hours at a time. Cthulhu Nation may in fact be one of these.

The next time WoW has some downtime, or even if you need to play something a bit different, why not give Cthulhu Nation a go? If you can figure out how to pronounce it, it might not drive you insane. Or as insane… Maybe just a little.

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