Is this Lovecraftian horror worth the swim to shore?

The complete experience unfolds in The Shore, a first-person Lovecraftian horror adventure that blends exploration and puzzles in a world shaped by ancient gods and forbidden knowledge. You play as Andrew, a father searching for his missing daughter on a remote island abandoned by humanity. As you explore its decaying ruins and twisted landscapes, reality begins to fracture. The island hides secrets older than time and every step forward pulls you deeper into a nightmare shaped by fear, loss and obsession. Ancient gods lie hidden beneath the island, slowly changing the world above. Armed with strange artifacts and fragments of forbidden power, you must survive encounters with eldritch beings while uncovering the truth behind the island and your daughter’s fate. Prepare for a descent into cosmic horror, where knowledge comes at a terrible cost.

The Shore is the first game from Dragonis Games, who have just released a console version of Necrophosis which I have just reviewed here. It’s a bit more grounded than Necrophosis as it’s set on a remote island and you play as a father who is looking for his missing daughter. There’s a lighthouse in the distance and soon you discover ancient artifacts, as well as making pacts with forces you cannot understand…or is it a descent into madness?

Lovecraftian fans will feel at home here as you explore this puzzler/walking sim which took me about 1-2 hours to complete. My major complaint is that there are times where you’ll want to sprint away from enemies, but it won’t let you so you end up dying over and over. Eventually you’ll get a weapon to use against them, but even this only really holds them at bay and takes forever for them to be destroyed, before reforming and coming back at you. Luckily these scenarios are few and far between though.

The rest of the game is fairly straightforward as you collect items and bring them to certain areas, resulting in the story progressing forward with events unfolding around you. I won’t spoil the ending, but it’s clever and while the controls can feel a bit stiff at times, its worth enduring.

The PS5 Pro tries hard here to maintain a solid performance for The Shore and while it does succeed in making it look good, it does have a few hiccups with its framerate and load times between areas seem longer than it should be. The voice-acting is impressive, but the soundtrack itself is incredible.

The Verdict

I can see where Necrophosis gets so much right from The Shore. It may be rougher around the edges, but it’s still an impressive game and any Lovecraft fan will be all over it. If you can endure the clunky controls, then you’re in for a treat.

Score: 7.5

Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from https://www.keymailer.co