Conarium

Genre: First-Person Graphic Adventure

Players: 1

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Review:

Conarium is a First-Person Graphic Adventure released on PC in 2017 and subsequently ported to other platforms, with the Nintendo Switch getting a version of the game in 2021. This game is directly inspired by the H.P. Lovecraft novella At the Mountains of Madness and places you in the role of a researcher at an Antarctic facility who awakens with amnesia and suffering from strange visions, and who must piece together what’s going on and what happened to the rest of the research team.

One of Conarium’s best elements is its presentation. Conarium’s 3D visuals feature a good amount of detail and make some good use of lighting, atmospheric effects, and distortion effects to set a tone of mystery and to a lesser extent dread. This game is rarely scary enough that I would consider it a Horror game, but the ominous tone that pervades the game’s atmosphere is nevertheless effective. This is complimented by a good atmospheric soundtrack and decent voice acting.

The story here is a bit less successful, making players read through a lot of optional supplemental material to have an idea just what’s going on. Players don’t feel like they’re inhabiting a role or enjoying an experience as often as they are scrabbling through bits of paper to figure out the plot.

The gameplay also has some issues here. Progression through the game is gated through a series of places the player needs to go and objects they need to interact with, but there’s often little or no signposting informing players just where they need to go or what they need to do next, and many of these interactions require key items that can be easily missed and will require backtracking to find, with this made even more frustrating due to slow player movement. I’d recommend playing this game with a walkthrough, not because it’s too difficult, but to save yourself the frustration of having to double back and re-explore areas you’ve been through searching for a random item you missed.

Two other things to note before concluding this review. Firstly, be aware that this is a relatively short game, over in 3-4 hours or so. Secondly, know that while the game runs well on Nintendo Switch, it doesn’t make use of any of the Nintendo Switch’s unique features. No gyroscopic motion control, no touchscreen support.

In the end, I would say that despite all its flaws, Conarium succeeds at building a great ominous atmosphere that does a good job of honoring its Lovecraftian inspiration. Fans of Lovecraft’s works looking to spend a few hours in that world should find Conarium to be an engaging experience. Just be sure to have that experience while keeping a walkthrough guide handy so you’re not frustrated with unnecessary backtracking.

tl;dr – Conarium is a First-Person Graphic Adventure game inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and it does an excellent job building an ominous atmosphere worthy of those works in the 3-4 hours it takes to complete. However, the gameplay is somewhat less successful, with pacing and signposting issues that make this a game you’ll want to play with a walkthrough guide to avoid tedious backtracking. If that doesn’t deter you, this is definitely a game that’s worth a look.

Grade: C+

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