Using Cthulhu mythos in video games is nothing new. In fact most games that have some type of sanity mechanic draws inspiration from HP Lovecraft’s Eldritch terror. But there is one thing that I’ve always wondered: if Lovecraft was the father of cosmic horror and his creatures are from the cosmos (ie space) then why hasn’t there been a video game in space that has players encounter the Old Gods in space? Well I think developer Rocket Pocket Games and publishers Funcom were also thinking the same thing as they annoucned their new game, Moons of Madness.
From what has been revealed so far about the game, players take on the role of an astronaut on expedition exploring Mars. As he delves deeper into the planet’s secrets, he starts to see strange things and have horrific visions. The basis of most cosmic horror is the fear of the unknown and the madness that occurs when someone encounters something beyond their mental capacity of understanding. This is almost the same with horror stories that take place in space. The crew is isolated from humanity and sometimes each other, there’s the fear of the unknown in a desolate world, the mental breakdown of little to no human contact. A perfect match. Moons of Madness has a release window of Fall 2019, just in time for Halloween, and will be releasing on the PS4, Xbox One and PC.
