GM: Toying with the minds of gamers and placing them in an uneasy state is a key element of any survival horror game. Having to then work around the twists and chills that H.P. Lovecraft is famous for will drive some insane. Tell us a little bit about how the characters sanity level plays a part in the game.

CG: In Cthulhu your sanity level is completely hidden, we didn’t believe it would suit the style of game we were creating to have a gauge for the player to judge their madness. Although certain scenes within the game are scripted appropriate to the narrative, the main “sanity” manager is pretty organic – providing a different experience every time. If the player exposes themselves to danger, looks at horrifying imagery, or finds themselves in imposing surrounding then they will start to lose their mind. When they are not being exposed their fragile mind will gradually recover – but as you delve deeper into the world of the Mythos, areas of safe refuge rapidly diminish.

As the player loses sanity they risk developing mental conditions, such as shaking, blurred vision, dizziness, panic, and hallucinations. Some of these effects are design purely to mess around with the players mind through audio and visual stimulation. Whereas others are deeply entwined into the gameplay, with a simple example being the development of panic when you are in the middle of a combat situation. Your controls become more sensitive, the pad starts rumbling as your heart rate increase, and you may find yourself unintentionally firing off rounds.