You know that feeling when you start a game expecting a standard "find the missing person" trope, but then the world starts leaking neon blue goo and your hands turn into fish scales? That's the vibe. Call of the Sea isn't your typical horror game. Honestly, when it launched back in late 2020, people were calling it "Lovecraftian," and that word usually triggers images of dark, rainy streets and monsters with too many eyes. But Out of the Blue Games did something weirdly bold. They made it bright. They made it tropical.
It's 1934. You are Norah Everhart. You're heading to a nameless island near Tahiti because your husband, Harry, vanished while trying to find a cure for your mysterious blood disease. It sounds like a generic setup, right? It isn't. The game is essentially a first-person puzzle adventure, but the emotional core is what keeps you glued to the screen for the six or seven hours it takes to wrap it up.
The Tropical Twist on Cosmic Horror
Most Lovecraftian stories are miserable. They’re gray, damp, and end with everyone going insane or dying in a ditch. Call of the Sea flips the script by using a vibrant, Technicolor palette that feels more like Moana than The Shadow Over Innsmouth. It's a gorgeous game. The Unreal Engine 4 work here is top-tier, especially the way the water looks and how the light filters through the jungle canopy.
But here’s the kicker: the beauty is a mask.
As Norah explores the island, she finds abandoned camps and old notes left by Harry’s expedition. You start to realize that the island isn't just "pretty." It’s alive. It’s sentient. And it’s calling to her. Cissy Jones, who you might recognize as the voice of Delilah from Firewatch, does an incredible job as Norah. She talks to herself a lot—which is a common mechanic in games like this—but it feels earned. You feel her exhaustion, her love for "old pal" Harry, and her growing realization that she might not be entirely human.
Puzzles That Actually Make You Use Your Brain
Let's talk about the puzzles. They are tough. Not "find a key under a mat" tough, but "grab a notebook and draw diagrams" tough. Each chapter is basically one giant logic gate. You’ll be looking at ancient murals, listening to stone pipes, and trying to align constellations.
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The game doesn't hold your hand.
I remember spenting forty minutes on the organ puzzle in Chapter 4. It’s a massive stone structure built into a cliffside. You have to balance air pressure and frequency, and if you miss one small clue back in the initial camp, you’re just guessing. It’s satisfying when it clicks. That "Aha!" moment is the lifeblood of the genre. If you’re the type of gamer who wants a waypoint marker telling you exactly where to stand, you’re gonna hate this. But if you miss the era of Myst or Riven, this is your jam.
Why Norah Everhart is a Great Protagonist
Norah has this degenerative illness. Her hands are covered in strange, symmetrical spots. In 1934, doctors would have just called it a blood disorder and let her waste away. But on the island, her physical limitations start to disappear. She can swim for miles. She can climb.
It’s a metaphor for self-discovery that works surprisingly well.
Usually, in gaming, we play as the "chosen one" who is already a super-soldier. Norah starts the game barely able to walk up a beach without catching her breath. Seeing her transformation—not just physically, but mentally—is the real "Call of the Sea." She isn't just looking for Harry; she's looking for the version of herself that isn't broken.
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There is a specific moment in Chapter 5 where the environment shifts from tropical paradise to a sunken, bioluminescent city. The scale is massive. You feel small. That is the essence of cosmic horror—the realization that the universe is vast, ancient, and doesn't care about you. Yet, Norah finds comfort in it. It’s a "positive" take on Lovecraft that we almost never see in media.
What the Critics (and Players) Often Miss
A lot of reviews at launch complained about the walking speed. Yeah, Norah is slow. It’s a "walking sim" at its core. If you go in expecting Indiana Jones action, you’ll be disappointed. There is no combat. You can't die. The tension comes entirely from the atmosphere and the narrative weight of what Harry did to try and "save" his wife.
The game also touches on the ethics of archaeology. Harry’s team wasn't just exploring; they were kind of a mess. They brought 1930s technology and a bit of colonial arrogance to a place that predates human history. Seeing the remnants of their technology—wires, generators, and makeshift bridges—clashing with the organic, flowing architecture of the "Old Ones" is a great visual storytelling device.
Technical Performance and Platforms
Is it still worth playing in 2026? Absolutely.
- PC Performance: It runs like a dream on modern hardware. If you have an RTX card, the lighting effects really pop.
- Consoles: It’s available on Xbox (it was a Game Pass darling for a while) and PlayStation. The PS5 version utilizes the haptic feedback on the DualSense controller fairly well, especially during the underwater segments.
- Steam Deck: It’s "Verified" and honestly feels like a great "handheld-in-bed" game because of its episodic structure.
One thing to watch out for: the game has two endings. Without spoiling them, one is significantly more "traditional" than the other. Your choice at the very end determines Norah's fate, and it’s one of those rare instances where neither choice feels like the "wrong" one. It just depends on how you interpret her relationship with Harry versus her relationship with herself.
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The Influence of Firewatch and Myst
You can see the DNA of Firewatch in the dialogue and the DNA of Myst in the world-building. But Call of the Sea has its own soul. It’s shorter than most AAA titles, which is actually a strength. It doesn't overstay its welcome. It gives you a mystery, lets you solve it, and then rolls the credits.
People sometimes get frustrated with the "logic" of the puzzles. For example, there's a sequence involving a shipwreck where you have to use a slide rule and some radio frequencies. If you aren't paying attention to the lore notes, you'll be lost. The game rewards the "detective" mindset. It assumes you're smart. That’s a refreshing change of pace in an industry that often treats players like they have the attention span of a goldfish.
Final Actionable Steps for New Players
If you’re diving into this for the first time, don't just rush to the next puzzle.
First, keep your journal open. Norah automatically sketches clues in her diary. If you see a symbol on a wall, she’ll usually draw it. If she doesn't, you probably haven't "triggered" the observation yet. Look at everything. Every photo, every discarded mug, every letter.
Second, play with headphones. The sound design is crucial. The island whispers. There are audio cues for certain puzzles that you might miss if you’re just using TV speakers. The ambient noise of the jungle and the deep, thrumming bass of the underwater sections are half the experience.
Third, don't use a walkthrough unless you’re truly stuck. The puzzles are designed to be "un-stuckable." Every single piece of information you need is located within the same chapter as the puzzle. If you can’t solve it, you simply haven't walked far enough in the opposite direction yet.
Call of the Sea is a rare gem. It proves that you can take the dark, brooding roots of Lovecraft and turn them into something beautiful, emotional, and ultimately, human. It’s about the lengths we go to for love, and the terrifying reality of actually finding what we’re looking for. Go play it. Just keep an eye on those spots on your skin.