Cthulhu Saves The World was a unique RPG that saw players take control of Cthulhu in a JRPG adventure ( or rather a parody of one). It was a neat game that had many fans, and now developers Zeboyd Games have released a new game in the series, Cthulhu Saves Christmas. How does this adventure stack up compared to the original? Surprisingly well. Cthulhu is once again stripped of his powers, and must team with Santa’s granddaughter and others to rescue the kidnapped Saint Nick, restore his power, and destroy the world by plunging it into madness.
Cthulhu Saves Christmas continues the idea of a parody RPG, but this time with much more depth to it. The combat now takes a cue from Cosmic Star Heroine, where combat commands can be used once then need to be reset, and combines this with the mechanics of the first Cthulhu game. It works surprisingly well, and creates a combat system that works better than Cthulhu Saves The World and Cosmic Star Heroine. The game walks you though the initial steps via a tutorial, but it is also made the subject of self aware humor, like everything else in this game. Overall though, combat is more refined and more fulfilling here, and the system of determining when your next random battle will be and how to avoid it, is very well implemented.
I must praise the writing overall in Cthulhu Saves The World, as it is not only incredibly well done, but better than the first game in so many ways. While some of the Christmas puns got a bit annoying at first, they did not ruing my overall enjoyment of the game. This is a funny piece of work, and dares to go even further than the previous entry ever did. I like that some visual novel influenced ideas that were intended for Cthulhu Saves The World found their way into Cthulhu Saves Christmas, and the game feels much more complete for that fact. There is a lot of replayability to encounter every scenario and I found myself going back a few times. Cthulhu will get a job as a mall, Santa, go to movies, hang out with others and a lot more….in his own unique way of course.
Everything from the UI, to the equipment system is overhauled here, and feels like a game with a lot more experience behind it ( pardon the pun). Zeboyd has clearly learned from their past work, and knows what to do in an RPG and what not to do. The music is exquisite, and the game has a ton of options for players who want to customize the game. With likeable ( if sometimes a bit annoying) characters, and combat that is rewarding, I had a blast with the game.
In conclusion, this is an ideal follow-up to a great indie game, and I highly recommend checking it out. You will not regret it.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided.
You can buy the game here on Steam and here on GOG.com