Big Bad Wolf (Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong) is back with a first-person “narrative investigation” and “cosmic horror” game titled Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss. We’ve already played it through a hands-on preview and have some thoughts. Plus, learn every detail available so far ahead of its launch.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss Release Date
Following its reveal in 2025, it didn’t take too long before Nacon (publisher) locked a release date for Big Bad Wolf’s next game.
- Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss release date: April 16, 2026
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss Hands-On Preview
Our hands-on preview with Big Bad Wolf’s latest game confirmed our suspicions the studio had a firm grip on the tone and thick atmosphere you’d expect from a current-gen first-person title based on the huge and enduring Cthulhu mythos. It also feels like its own thing thanks to the decision of pushing the narrative into the 2050s versus the “vintage” settings we are used to when it comes to Cthulhu stories and games.
The Cosmic Abyss wastes no time throwing the player into an investigation that isn’t hand-holdy. That said, we can choose from the get-go whether we want the “pure” experience that’s heavy on investigation and puzzles or a more welcoming one where Key, the protagonist’s AI companion, can help out if we find ourselves stuck far too often.
Since combat seemingly isn’t a thing in The Cosmic Abyss, difficulty comes from avoiding danger and, even worse, the descent into madness. But of course, chances are most of your time will be spent trying to figure out how some rocks can help you open a portal or where an entire underwater station’s missing crew could be. Step by step, the game provides plenty of tools and clues to make sense of what’s in front of you, but I like how it, at least during the preview, has no easy answers or “pre-made” investigation paths to follow in a more cinematic style. Player agency seems important here.
As explained by game director Tommaso Sergi, Noah is a fun protagonist in that he can engage with his environments and the madness that lies ahead in different ways to a regular human. First, he’s got access to Key and other advanced tools. Second, he’s augmented in a way (you’ll learn more about this once you get your hands on the game). This is made clear early on, during a prologue set in a flooded area that leads into an abandoned house that already gave me the heebie-jeebies.
An unplanned diving session also was anxiety-inducing, especially when the game (and previous Cthulhu stories) have already trained you to expect the unexpected and suspect that larger, older forces are always watching. Things don’t get more pleasant when you reach the station which has gone silent after drilling too deep…
From what I was able to play, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is a creepy game that can get properly spooky, but don’t expect, at least not during the early chapters, something heavy in jump scares or overly stressful situations. It’s more about the unsettling sensation something isn’t right and piecing together terrifying events and tales that happened while you weren’t present. Don’t worry, you’ll also experience some proper horror first-hand.
Does this mean it’s a walking sim? Not at all. The mechanics were rather dense, actually, during my time with the game. In the first level, there were plenty of objects I could interact with and learn about, and in later stages, Noah gains access to a full-blown “clue wall” of sorts where pretty much every piece of info and object you come across (and there are lots of them) can be freely moved around and tentatively connected to previous findings until you can figure out how everything clicks together based on your current objectives.
It all can be too much at first, and I had a hard time figuring out all the controls based on the provided tooltips until I began exploring the menus and submenus beyond what the tutorials suggested, so I hope improvements can be done to those first beats. Exploration itself is perfectly fine, as the game keeps the first-person stuff simple, with a heavier focus on imsim elements and what you can do with the objects and clues you find inside your head. The Cosmic Abyss isn’t a first-person horror game with narrative and investigation elements. More like the other way around, and that could secure an audience that’s starving outside the usual indie game with far more restrained ambitions.
Alongside the futuristic setting mixed with the sombre and otherworldly location the game renders via UE5, I believe Nacon and Big Bad Wolf might be on to something with Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss as long as they can iron out those rough edges between now and its April 16 launch. The looks, sounds, and narrative chops are all there, so I’m just hoping our next (and final) immersion is as smooth as it can be.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss Gameplay
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is a first-person investigation game with horror elements where your biggest weapon is your brain and how you use the tools and clues at your disposal to uncover a path forward.
During the preview event, we were told about the possibility of finding multiple outcomes to a single puzzle or mystery which is blocking the players’ progress. If the difficulty is too high or we find ourselves stuck, we can also ask our AI companion Key for help, which should help ease players more interested in a pure narrative experience into the game.
Combat isn’t really an option against the horrors that dwell in R’lyeh. Instead, Noah must avoid them in order to preserve his sanity and not succumb to Cthulhu’s influence. “You have to find a way to understand the rules of the universe,” Tommaso Sergi (game director) told us during the presentation.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss Story
“2053. Across the globe, the occult threat grows ever more blatant, and strange, incomprehensible events multiply. As the Earth’s surface resources dwindle, powerful corporations turn to the uncharted depths of the oceans, unaware of the ancient horror they are about to awaken.”
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss follows Noah, an investigator working for an organization with deep pockets. He’s looking into the disappearance of a miners in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. A huge corporation is involved, and maybe it has been involved in awakening something that slept for eons and was never meant to be found…
Ancile is “a secret division of Interpol specializing in occult affairs” that’s provided Noah with an AI companion called Key and more than a few tricks that future technology allows, but is it enough when facing cosmic horrors? Without getting into deeper spoilers, we’d say no.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss Price and Platforms
The price tag and editions for Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss haven’t been revealed yet, but we know it’s coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
During the preview presentation, it was teased the studio and publisher could be exploring a port to Nintendo Switch 2 at a later date, but it’s far from confirmed and will probably depend on the game’s financial performance when it launches.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss Trailers
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