“In up to four player co-op, form a group of explorers searching for treasure. In this cursed jungle, danger is everywhere and monstrous creatures alter reality. Stay clear-headed and tame the jungle before it devours you…” – Steam Description

The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu is a 4 player co-op horror loot extraction game, or what I like to call an Extraction Horror. Similar to other games of this format, you embark on exploring maps to collect loot, meet a quota, and learn more about the world in which the game takes place. This iteration of that game type approaches a 17^th century conquistador era world where eldritch forces have taken hold, and have our cast of characters exploring a region of Chile for answers on how to subdue these forces. The game has you play one of several predetermined characters on the expedition, each with a unique background which are enlisted by the captain to go ashore with the goal of exploring, finding information or even survivors, and bringing back as many supplies as can be found. The eldritch forces you encounter cause hallucinations playing tricks with your perceptions of the world around you while the creatures slowly awaken and do their best to defend the jungle in which they now occupy. Should you plan poorly your expedition will fail and the wilderness will consume you.

---

Ooh, pretty!

---

Visually the game is beyond stunning. I have yet to see another game replicate the complexity and natural feel of a heavily forested environment to the degree this game does. The eldritch Cthulhu vibe they were going for pays off well with very eerie environmental design. Lighting is fantastic, model details are astounding, the mouth movements that exist alongside the dialogue some characters speak, as well as when your teammates speak in-game, are quite detailed and realistic. Even the ship your crew returns to between missions has every detail any avid colonial ship enthusiast might expect from a real ship. Is this the most hyper realistic game ever? No, but it’s clear every visual aspect had immense care taken to ensure full visual immersion.

---

Let’s hunt some treasure!

---

The overall loop is as you would expect from a game like this. The ship is your hub area, you choose a map and try to reach your quota in treasure and supply value that you bring back on the ox cart you take with you. The other goal is to reach The Mound. To do that you have to find all the wooden Forts in the wilderness left by other explorers and retrieve the logbooks left within them. Doing so opens up the next area along that path. Most people will want to be with other people when playing this game, but the game does provide a competent NPC to accompany any solo player. Solo runs will be just as niche as any other Extraction Horror game out there and only the most experienced, or most masochistic, will be going solo, which does include myself.

In terms of the playing through that game loop it feels quite good, with the understanding that this game does not hold your hand, nor does it hold back. Your best bet in the beginning will be to learn what you can from the Guidebook, which is a series of journal entries that you can access through the Pause Menu which unlock as you encounter new things. It informs you on standard tutorial level things such as the tools and weapons you will have access to, as well as flavorful descriptions of creatures in which those tools will be used upon. Keep in mind, opening the Pause Menu to reach this Guidebook does not actually pause the game. Beyond that, experimentation is your saving grace.

---

The equipment you take on expeditions is split into two groups. The first is the set of weapons, armor and supplies the captain bestows on you, which is a set of randomized items fitting those categories. There are multiple contracted sets to choose from and each one has different goals the captain wishes you to achieve with that set of gear. The other group of equipment is from a small shop you access by interacting with a table which seems to be religious in its theming. From the shop you can purchase torches, crucifixes, a map, and other useful items you may decide you want to invest in using tokens that you earn at the end of each expedition. So far every piece of equipment has a purpose and nothing seems remotely pointless to invest in, which is comforting knowing that you are unlikely to waste what you bring.

There are also immersive environmental effects that play a part in the mechanics at times. Most notably guns becoming unable to fire should the environment be too wet whether from rain or humidity, causing the gunpowder not to light. You can also throw a lantern to cause an enemy to catch fire, should you choose to in an emergency; however, some enemies have lanterns themselves and will do the same given enough time, so stay alert with those.

---

The mind bending mechanics are the most standout part of this game’s systems. Not only will you hallucinate and see things that aren’t there or aren’t what they appear to be, but everyone has different things happening to them at all times, and because of this constant communication with your team is crucial to ensure what you are looking at is actually what you are perceiving it to be. Not doing so could lead you deeper into the wilderness, isolating yourself, or it could cause you to attack a teammate who appears to be one of the creatures, or even a hopping tree.
Yes, I said a hopping tree.

---

What was that…?

---

Sound plays a huge role and your survival depends on it. As you play you will learn to distinguish the sounds of different enemy types, you’ll find communication amongst your team is vital, and you discover that making too much noise can end the run quick. One surprise was learning we had to know and be aware of what weapons and tools made too much noise, and we had to use them sparingly so as to not awaken the jungle and attract monsters to us. From danger to assistance, the use and accuracy of sound was clearly a crucial focus for the developers, ensuring the experience felt just horrific enough while also lending it to us as a tool to master. The different audio ques and effects, even as simple as the sound of gunfire, are very good quality providing the atmosphere needed to make moments feel mysterious and calm or fill you with dread and panic. The mixing is great, nothing seemed too unbalanced in regards to certain things being too loud or too quiet, and the directional audio seems to be on point, which is important when you need full awareness of your surroundings.

---

Wait, I can’t do that?

---

The one thing that didn’t really stand out in a overly positive light was controls. While the feel of the controls is pretty solid most of the time, other times I found them a smidge lacking. The critique I have with them is there are no controls to dodge or block. The closest thing is what the controls menu lists as a Melee Push, which just seems like an attack with your fists or the butt of your weapon, it doesn’t seem to “push” any more than weapon attacks. This may be intentional, since having blocking and/or dodging would make the game easier and feel less dangerous, so if that’s the intent I understand the omission of dodges and blocks.

---

The Lore

---

The story thus far is highly intriguing and builds on the overall premise presented to you from the beginning, but it could get lost on a player if they are the kind to just perform the tasks and not read or listen to dialogue and journal entries because they just want the game loop. There is a way to review the logbook entries you have collected, should you zoom through the game without acknowledging them, so players can always take the time to catch up if they missed out. Other than what I have explained thus far in this review the story hasn’t expanded much more for me personally as I only have seven expedition locations accessible in total and have much more to do I’m sure. That being the case my assessment and rating of the story so far is going to be based on how invested the story beats have made me going forward, which is quite a lot.

---

• Graphics– The visuals are a testament to the dedication of the developers to make an Immersively accurate and realistic game world to ensure nothing visually pulls you out of the experience.
• Gameplay– Just like other Extraction Horror games, collect loot and “make number go up” is a very satisfying loop, but the integration of the world and mind-bending events immerses you to where it doesn’t feel like it gets too easy, but for some this particular iteration may seem too difficult.
• Sound– Audio quality is great and simply how the game communicates when and where things are happening, as well as warping your own perception of what is actually going on, creates a very engaging environment that keeps you on your toes and your head on a swivel.
• Controls– The least standout aspect, but not bad by any means. They’re solid and responsive, nothing seems to feel to heavy or too unwieldy, but you definitely notice there’s no block and no dodge action. That omission does make the experience feel more impactful in a positive light and forces you to become more mindful of your actions, so keep that in mind.
• Story– Reaching The Mound is the overall goal, and I believe this is because it’s the source of the eldritch forces entering the jungle. As you progress you learn more details and see the characters and learn of passed explorers, seeking to enact a religious crusade against the dark forces in the jungle to end it’s terror on the world.