"The Allure of Wanton Cove" is like if Sherlock Holmes and Lovecraft had a scandalous love child - mystery, madness, and a whole lot of steamy encounters. You’re the detective in a town that’s equal parts creepy and irresistibly seductive, solving dark secrets while trying not to lose your sanity (or your pants).

The choices are juicy, and let’s be honest, you’ll probably make some questionable decisions - but that’s half the fun. Who needs sanity anyway? And the mutations? Let’s just say they add a whole new level of interesting to your story.

In a way, this game is not entirely my style, but in a way it may be. I'm fascinated by the world H.P. Lovecraft created. It has inspired so many artists to create branching worlds, monsters, art, stories, etc.

This is one of those inspirations, and even though it is a (VERY) mature game, the story is enthralling and twisted. It lures you in with its detective noir approach, then the rest is history. You are now part of this excellent eldritch nightmare story. The art is absolutely stunning, creating a perfect harmony of text and visuals, even in its surreal Lovecraftian horror state.

The game's demo caught my attention back in June (Next Fest?), just as I was discovering my strange obsession with Eldritch terrors and Lovecraftian stories, horrors and nightmares.
Now this game was a bit out of my ballpark. It's a text based, rpg, choices matter, choose your own adventure with an enthralling Lovecraftian story.

Then there's the tiny-big factor of explicit adult content. Normally I even have those words blocked because it's just not my type of game yet here I am. I love a good story. Especially one with a noir-like detective in a Lovecraftian setting.

There are no censors, blurs or replacement. You will get the images as they are. So, If that’s not your jam, that’s alright. I don't judge.
I must admit I felt a little iffy about this one because of the "omg what will they say!?"but I got over it quickly. I'm an adult and I'm mature enough to appreciate a good story and a good game.

Does it show a quite a bit of skin? Yes, but it also shows the blood, gore and guts too. Explicit both inside and out.

It’s a Lovecraftian game after all. It's to be expected.

Between the demo and full game, I've played possibly around 2 hours, and so far, so good. Not the naughty bits mind you., not my style.

Even if it's not something I go out of my way for, the art - even given what it is- was very well done. The creature and monster designs are great. Some are absolutely beautiful yet so damn eerie and unsettling which is exactly what I would expect from this horror genre.

Now, if you are of age, and okay with the mature content (⚠️ Please read the disclaimer at the bottom of the page, there is a lot of content and scenarios ) I absolutely recommend this game. I think it's a great example of a text-based game and how it should be presented.

Yes, it has long pages full of text. A narration from your character's point of view, something a lot of people would run away from, but the way the story is presented is just as good as a reading book.

It keeps you hooked, wanting to know more. It evokes enough suspense to keep you on your toes. It switches tactics and perspectives to better immerse you in the scenarios. It also gives you choices, think of a choose your own adventure type of book. All of this presented in game form with extremely well-developed characters. Also, for some, the bonus of the explicit adult content. Oh, but don't be fooled, this is still a Lovecraftian game. Yes, there's sexy bits but there's also dreadfully terrifying and haunting bits.

Speaking of well-developed characters, every character has a story. It's up to you and your choices how far into their story you'll get.

The game is not only just text-based, but it incorporates RPG (think Dungeons and Dragons) elements. Giving your character attributes that will affect the game's scenarios. You get to "roll" just in a different choice of words. Most outcomes depend on your proficiency in that skill i.e., intelligence or brawn.

There's combat too. It varies from very eerie hooded strangers (likely eldritch creatures or fanatics) to weird townsfolk or…eldritch creatures. You can even lose your sanity if you're not careful.

Ah! Let's not forget why you are really at Wanton Cove, you're investigating a missing person's report! You are still a detective at heart, even if you are no longer in the force. You are there to help a friend find his son. Even if it means reliving some past trauma.

Now for something a bit more technical. In the options menu, you have the choice to enable/disable certain features: Taint, Extra Money, No Mutation, No Encounters. Selecting any of these options (with the exception of extra money) will impact acquiring some of the achievements. It doesn't disable them, but because you are omitting parts of the story, it will eliminate the possibility of a certain encounter or ending that leads to an achievement.

Since money didn't affect anything, I took the free money. 🤑$500 extra sounded pretty good.

One note before I finish.
I noticed one of the negative reviews mentioned the lack of Lovecraftian elements in the game and actually mentioned a few examples. Not to stir any trouble but, most of the examples can be found in the game. I was confused honestly, and kind of sad that a lot of people found the review helpful since the things that were pointed out as not being there, are actually there.
Comments were disabled on their review so I couldn’t let them know. Maybe they didn't get as far, chose a different path or didn't explore enough. Many reasons as to the maybe's.

Anyway…

This is probably the longest review I've written to date so, if you got this far, you deserve an award. Really. 💜 😉

Once I've finished the game, I may revise this (very long) review. Can't promise anything, unless my opinion changes drastically.

You can view my censored and Safe For Work video by going to:
https://youtu.be/TCX0BvSx1JM

You'll also find more reviews and recommendations on my Steam Curator Page , Instagram [www.instagram.com], and YouTube Channel

Remember to Like, Follow and Subscribe! 🧩❤️❤️

⭐I will also be posting a narrated version of the same content in the coming week (after holidays). It is only the first 30 minutes, but it gives you a sense of the game if you'd like to check it out before going down the rabbit hole, or eldritch hole in this case.