Lovecraft’s Mythos Run Review
Lovecraft’s Mythos Run is a 2D action side-scroller that gives you command over a choice of three characters who are desperately fleeing from a flying polyp, a creature straight out of Lovecraft’s own “The Shadow Out of Time.” As the heroes run through several different locations, they are pursued not only by the polyp, but by a multitude of other enemies as well, which range from cultists to Nyarlathotep’s Avatar itself.
A Return to a Familiar Universe
Lovecraft’s Mythos Run is set in Blini Games’ Lovecraftian Universe. Their first, and most recent game, Lovecraft’s Untold Stories, was an action rogue-like, and released in 2019. The featured characters in Mythos Run are pulled straight from Untold Stories. The same remains true for the pixelized graphics, a high point of both games.
The art style of Mythos Run likely draws the most viewers, along with its Lovecraftian horror theme. The flying polyp is the most visually interesting, its multiple eyes blink and slowly move as it glides after players. Blini Games’ has designed each of the three bosses well, the Giant Spider’s purple and black aesthetic provides a distinctly different feeling to the Night Hunter’s sickly green energy. Mythos Run thrives in its appearance; it is a good-looking game. Each monster is well-modeled, and each attack is carefully animated. Death animations prove creative as well, varying depending on how the player dies. The music adds to the general immersion as well, a haunting melody that repeats throughout your escape. The characters and art style are about the only things that Mythos Run borrows from Untold Stories. The gameplay loop of Mythos Run has been substantially simplified.
A Simpler Format
Lovecraft’s Mythos Run only has three options while playing: shoot right, shoot left and dodge forward. These moves carry the player through the game, as they fight their way through increasingly large hordes of enemies. Each run plays about the same, with the flying polyp closely pursuing the player characters, which quickly falls behind as you run. Each kill gives a slight boost in speed, while each hit reduces the player’s speed, creating an easy rhythm between taking damage and killing enemies. Players begin with three health, but can upgrade using the coins they garner on their runs. The fire rate on weapons originally appears limited, though players can purchase items that increase the rate at which they can fire. That fire rate increase seems necessary, as players face large numbers of enemies on each successive run.
A Shadow [Stuck] in Time
Unfortunately, while the game looks great, the gameplay fails in several aspects. Dodge timing is messy and infrequently works. Enemy density varies immensely through playthroughs, and boss fights are glitchy and often unkillable. Progression is bloated, with minor upgrades requiring hours of gameplay. All of this would be forgivable if Mythos Run’s general gameplay loop was compelling and enjoyable. It is not. Despite the large selection of upgrades, none of them are as meaningful as I’d like, and after several hours of gameplay and a full equipment set, I struggled to see a difference between fully upgraded runs and equipment-free runs. Each run feels the same, unlike other run-based games like Temple Run or Subway Surfers where each run feels like a different level. That proves Mythos Run’s greatest problem; playing feels like retreading a story you’ve played too many times before.
