This game could legitimately be filed under ‘also cocks’
I had the chance recently to sit down and play an early preview build of Lust for Darkness on PC from developer Movie Games, which oddly enough, was also the final Steam Greenlight game. Successfully Kickstarted last year, the game is set to release later this year on PC and after having survived the preview build… let’s just say I’ve been places and seen things I wish I could forget.
Lust for Darkness at its core could basically be described as a horror game somewhat in the same vein as the Amnesia series. You walk around creepy old-timey interiors (or in this case, a Victorian mansion) in a first-person perspective, fidget around with the mouse back and forth to open doors, and sometimes you run into a humanoid penis monster.
Okay, maybe not that last part. But, this is where Lust for Darkness stands out in the crowd of first-person horror games we’ve seen in the past. It’s oozing with sexual themes and erotic content, all blended together with clear inspirations from Lovecraft and the occult. As for the story, I think the best way I can describe it so far is that you need to save your wife from potentially getting down and dirty with Cthulhu. Maybe.
In Lust for Darkness, I stepped into the shoes of Jonathan Moon, whose wife has been missing for over a year. Shortly after staring at various architecture trophies on his shelf — including a few that were participation awards (and having a good chuckle) — I made my way downstairs. There the game pulled some classic tropes I expected, such as the phone going off a few times with generic noises on the other end, but suddenly, I heard a knock on the door and a mysterious letter fell through the mail slot.
I was hoping it would be a message from Quaid telling me to get my ass to Mars; sadly, it was just a letter from my missing wife, Amanda, telling me I needed to head over to some random mansion and find her. So, after using the in-game internet on Jon’s laptop and locating this place, I’d make my way to the middle of nowhere and begin my investigation. Shortly after stumbling through the woods a bit, I’d discover the mansion and immediately sneak my way in.
Honestly, I expected the scares to start happening the moment I went into the woods and thought I’d be alone during my adventure, but, interestingly enough, Lust for Darkness takes its time building to them by introducing you first to the mansion’s cult inhabitants. After going through a hole in the fence, I snuck my way into the courtyard, and quickly found another letter from Amanda along with a mask and outfit to blend in with the cult-folk.
From there, I began down the rabbit hole of exploring the mansion and its inhabitants which, despite some rough voice acting here and there, were delightfully off-putting and creepy. Making my way upstairs, I caught a glimpse of Amanda and quickly began to follow her, leading me to what I presumed was her room and where I’d also discover another letter after some minor puzzle solving. Soon, things got undressed, literally.
Sadly, I don’t think you’ll be seeing much of this game on Twitch, as this next sequence had me walking through a straight-up orgy. As I mentioned earlier, this game has heavy sexual themes and plenty of nudity — so if you’re not a fan of male and female dangly bits — then maybe pass on this one. After making my way through the orgy and seeing what I think might have been Cthulhu, I made my way through a portal and appeared in a realm straight out of H.R. Giger.
It’s here I began to do some more complicated puzzle solving and even met that humanoid penis monster and other hostile creatures. However, during my time in the preview build, it also introduced another mechanic in the form of a creepy-looking mask. When equipped, this mask lets you see things within this realm you normally couldn’t. So, for example: at one point I hit what appeared to be a dead end in the form of a large gap, but once I equipped the mask, a bridge appeared, allowing me to traverse it just fine.
This mask even has the ability to make you move faster, which you’ll absolutely need to abuse to escape some of the monsters you’ll run into. That said, the mask does have a catch in that if you wear it too long, you’ll go insane, resulting in a game over. Overall, it’s an interesting mechanic that I can see make for some great puzzle solving and unique moments in later sections. But, I am also curious if there will be different types of masks you’ll discover later on, as this was the only one I interacted with in the preview build.
By the time my short stint with Lust for Darkness came to an end, I couldn’t help but wonder if the full game will throw in more unique events and mechanics. Because as I was playing through the preview build, outside of the sexual themes and mask abilities, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons in my head to tons of other first-person horror games. But, if you’re looking for a good scare or two with some interesting interiors and concepts to explore, Lust for Darkness and its creepy cult denizens can certainly still offer up that much.
[This piece is based on a preview build of the game provided by the publisher.]
