Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet

In 1834, in the small New England fishing village of Illsmouth, the distinguished British scientist Lord Boleskine lost his mind. After studying ancient manuscripts of evil repute, he had travelled to this place to observe the passing of Halley's comet. What he observed that night, however, turned him into a raving lunatic. Now, 76 years later, Halley's comet is coming back, and young reporter John T. Parker has travelled to Illsmouth to try to uncover the truth in Boleskine's wild claims, and see the comet for himself.

Shadow of the Comet is a horror adventure game, inspired by the terrifying writings of H. P. Lovecraft. Contrary to many adventure games from the early 90s, the game has a keyboard driven interface with a system of actions activated either by pressing the corresponding key (L for look, G for get, T for talk, U for use) or selecting them from the menu activated by the TAB key. The CD release was enhanced with a mouse-driven interface. Typical for Infogrames titles (e.g. Eternam), the game contains vector-based cut scenes with enlarged graphics of the faces of the speakers during dialogues.

The GOG.com release of this game includes both Floppy and CD versions of the game. The main differences are new graphics, mouse-driven interface and full voice-acting whereas the Floppy version doesn't feature any voice-acting. The CD version's launcher screen additionally includes a Museum mini-game where character can walk through a museum and look at various mystical objects and paintings inspired by H. P. Lovecraft.

Added March 8, 2020
Published By I•Motion, Inc.
Electronic Arts Victor
Developed By Infogrames
Media (United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Front Cover (United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Back Cover (United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Front Cover (France,Germany,Italy,Spain,United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Back Cover (France,Germany,Italy,Spain,United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Media (France,Germany,Italy,Spain,United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Other (France,Germany,Italy,Spain,United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Other (France,Germany,Italy,Spain,United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Manual (France,Germany,Italy,Spain,United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Front Cover (United States) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Back Cover (United States) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Media (United States) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Other (United States) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Other (United States) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Front Cover (Other) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Front Cover (France,Germany,Italy,Spain,United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Back Cover (France,Germany,Italy,Spain,United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Front Cover (France,Germany,Spain,United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Other (France,Germany,Spain,United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Other (France,Germany,Spain,United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Media (France,Germany,Spain,United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Back Cover (France,Germany,Spain,United Kingdom) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Front Cover (Italy) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Back Cover (Italy) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Front Cover (Spain) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Back Cover (Spain) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Front Cover (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Back Cover (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Manual (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Media (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Media (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Media (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Media (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Media (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Spine/Sides (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Spine/Sides (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Manual (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Advertisement (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Front Cover (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Back Cover (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Media (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Manual (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Manual (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Manual (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Manual (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Spine/Sides (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Spine/Sides (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Spine/Sides (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Spine/Sides (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Extras (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Spine/Sides (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Spine/Sides (Germany) (DOS) from mobygames.com
Front Cover (Worldwide) (Linux) from mobygames.com
Manual (Worldwide) (Linux) from mobygames.com
Manual (Worldwide) (Linux) from mobygames.com
Manual (Worldwide) (Linux) from mobygames.com
Manual (Worldwide) (Linux) from mobygames.com
Extras (Worldwide) (Linux) from mobygames.com
Extras (Worldwide) (Linux) from mobygames.com
Extras (Worldwide) (Linux) from mobygames.com
Extras (Worldwide) (Linux) from mobygames.com
Extras (Worldwide) (Linux) from mobygames.com
Extras (Worldwide) (Linux) from mobygames.com
Extras (Worldwide) (Linux) from mobygames.com
Front Cover (Worldwide) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Manual (Worldwide) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Manual (Worldwide) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Manual (Worldwide) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Manual (Worldwide) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Extras (Worldwide) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Extras (Worldwide) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Extras (Worldwide) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Extras (Worldwide) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Extras (Worldwide) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Extras (Worldwide) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Extras (Worldwide) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Front Cover (Worldwide) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Header Image (Windows) from Steam
Parker arrives at Illsmouth (DOS) from mobygames.com
Our hero, John T. Parker (DOS) from mobygames.com
Doctor Cobble (DOS) from mobygames.com
Mayor Arlington (DOS) from mobygames.com
Cobble shows Parker to his room (DOS) from mobygames.com
Doctor Cobble's house (DOS) from mobygames.com
Nathan Tyler's house (DOS) from mobygames.com
Myer's general store (DOS) from mobygames.com
Mayor Arlington's residence (DOS) from mobygames.com
Miss. Picott's house (DOS) from mobygames.com
The old Hambleton house (DOS) from mobygames.com
Miss. Picott (DOS) from mobygames.com
Jed Donahue (DOS) from mobygames.com
Will Myer, in his general store (DOS) from mobygames.com
Inside the Dead Horse tavern (DOS) from mobygames.com
Gloria Tilton, Miss. Picott's niece (DOS) from mobygames.com
Mary Matthews, the pharmacist's daughter (DOS) from mobygames.com
Nathan Tyler...Hmm, looks familiar... (DOS) from mobygames.com
A walk in the woods (DOS) from mobygames.com
Parker marks a position on his map (DOS) from mobygames.com
Miss. Picott's house at night (DOS) from mobygames.com
The old Hambleton house at night (DOS) from mobygames.com
Spooky... (DOS) from mobygames.com
The infamous comet (DOS) from mobygames.com
Breathtaking graphics for its time... (DOS) from mobygames.com
Title (DOS) from mobygames.com
A cut scene... (DOS) from mobygames.com
Interaction interface (DOS) from mobygames.com
We've stumbled upon the local cult meeting. (DOS) from mobygames.com
We've been spotted... time to run! (DOS) from mobygames.com
Searching an outlying island for the final clue. (DOS) from mobygames.com
Infogrames... from mobygames.com
...presents a Call of Cthulhu adventure... from mobygames.com
...Shadow of the Comet! from mobygames.com
Intro from mobygames.com
What are you looking at? from mobygames.com
You see, and your Mom always told you not to smoke from mobygames.com
An interesting discusiion... from mobygames.com
Arriving at the sleepy town from mobygames.com
Character portraits are large and detailed from mobygames.com
Dialogue in hero's room from mobygames.com
The interface looks similar to Sierra adventures, but it's keyboard only from mobygames.com
This cu-scene is displayed when you knock on a locked door. Looks great, by the way from mobygames.com
The graphics in this game are amazing! Never seen anything like that on a PC-98! from mobygames.com
Forest entrance. Man, those French surely know how to make eye candy! from mobygames.com
It's easy to get lost from mobygames.com
Do you feel patriotic? from mobygames.com
Hey, don't you think this guy looks like George W. Bush? :) from mobygames.com
The post office lady from mobygames.com
Err... hi? from mobygames.com
Nice decor, but a bit grim... from mobygames.com
Wow, I'm starving here from mobygames.com
What a nice weather... good to capture some PC-98 screenshots... from mobygames.com
Strange room... from mobygames.com
Gimme a mug o' beer!!.. from mobygames.com
The beginning of a sex scene!!... Uh... errr... sorry, been playing too many... ahem!!.. OTHER PC-98 games... from mobygames.com
The hero is dead. Long live the hero. Or something like that from mobygames.com
Our hero. Looks a bit like the protagonist of Broken Sword games, don't you think?.. Or like a young Obi-Wan Kenobi. Before he had the beard, I mean. 'Cause after... ok, ok, I'll shut up from mobygames.com
Launcher screen (GOG release, FD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Opening title (GOG release, FD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Comet passing by the lighthouse (GOG release, FD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
A Lovecraft sea monster (GOG release, FD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
The summoning ritual (GOG release, FD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Talking characters often show a close-up portrait (GOG release, FD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Talking to Mr. Griffith (GOG release, FD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
The gameplay starts in Illsmouth 1910 (GOG release, FD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
The protagonist (GOG release, FD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Dr. Cobble (GOG release, FD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Launcher screen (GOG release, CD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Museum side-game (GOG release, CD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Museum side-game uses same interface as the base game (GOG release, CD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Looking at one of the paintings in the museum (GOG release, FD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Lighthouse scene (GOG release, CD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Passing out on the beach (GOG release, CD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Transformation (GOG release, CD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Some patients appear downright incurable (GOG release, CD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Talking to the mayor (GOG release, CD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Fullscreen mode stretches the game to any desktop resolution while preserving ratio (GOG release, CD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Mouse interface and character actions (GOG release, CD version) (Windows) from mobygames.com
Official Screenshot (Windows) from Steam
Official Screenshot (Windows) from Steam
Official Screenshot (Windows) from Steam
Official Screenshot (Windows) from Steam
Official Screenshot (Windows) from Steam
Trailer

Year of Release:
1994

Genre(s):
Traditional

Graphic Style:
2D

Camera View:
Third-Person

Control Type:
Menu-Driven

Setting/Theme:
Horror

Available From: