Genre limitations and bug aside, Cthulhu Saves the World is everything you wanted from a Breath of Death VII sequel and then some. It's endlessly funny, challenging, varied and engaging, and you'll push through to the very end just to see what crazy thing happens next. I can't say enough great things about Zeboyd's work, and eagerly anticipate their future indie games. With any luck, we'll have Robert Boyd's work to enjoy for the forseeable future. In the meantime, Zeboyd is still king of Xbox Indie Games, and Cthulhu Saves the World is the best evidence yet.… Expand

Confused by the title? So was I! I came into this game with little or no experience with anything about this game. What I mean, is that I couldn't pronounce Cthulhu, and I have abandoned every RPG game from back in the 8-bit 16-bit days that I have tried due to pure frustration and utter befuddlement.

So I can honestly say that this game makes me feel better about RPG games, and that I wish others were more like it.

What makes this game great:
-a serious, believable plot that mixes in humor in such a way that leaves you charmed. A style all its own.
-Quick to the point play. One thing that turned me off every RPG I ever played was getting stuck grinding levels. In this game grinding is minimal on normal difficulty.
- family friendly. Masking his curses in gibberish, or celebrating with...milk over beer, and even free spirited undead, this game keeps it very low on the "should a kid play this" scale.
-save anywhere anytime
-simple, yet challenging combat
-unique branching leveling system
-simple dungeons, that lead you to the end with torches to indicate the correct path.
-Hidden optional dungeons, that makes you feel clever for finding.
-Amazing music. Whoever made this music is a genius. You can download the entire soundtrack from zeboyd game studio's website free, its very catchy stuff.

issues I have:
-There is no real punishment for losing a fight. In the game you acquire "1-up"s that let you redo a battle to prevent going back to reload an old save file. However, there is nothing that prevents you from saving the game before every encounter. I have used very few 1 ups, and I wonder if there could have been another. Still, a player can choose to save only at select points, but the fact that you can avoid negative results all the time is a bit strange.
-does not scale properly. The game can run in 3 sizes, standard 360 or 720 HD sizes on screen, or full screen. However I have found only the 720p to be proper. Instead of leaving things in the normal size and changing how much you can see at once on the screen, the whole game just stretches. if you run 1080p, you will have to run it windowed 720p.
-initially difficult. Though it is short lived, the first encounters are rough, and unlike the rest of the game later on, there is no place to "rest" to regain magic points to make experience gaining less worrisome. However, as I said before, this game is already simple enough, that it could perhaps balance out this concern.

Overall this game is the best game I have played all year, which is sad, considering how much more fun I have had. It is a game for the people who want the experience of an acclaimed RPS, but cuts the junk out that makes RPG games last too long, yet it gives those who do have the time a difficulty option to go ahead as they please.

I give it a 9, 1 point off because there are a few things to be desired, and the save before encounter issue.… Expand

A guy walks into a shop: "Hello, I'd like to buy a steaming pile of manure". Shopkeeper: "Ah, I have just the thing", quickly serving up a double pack of Breath of Death and Cthulhu Saves the World, "That's 89 pence please!" This game is just so bad, where do I begin? Well, I want my 89 pence back! I should have bought that hot chocolate instead... It's a game of hammering the A button on your gamepad for about 30 seconds whist not really looking at the screen, then getting a 10 second break, then repeat... kind of for eternity, or so it feels! Really? Yes, really. Oh come on it can't be that bad? Oh, how I wish... read on, Dear Adventurer, read on!... ****If you've read my review for Breath of Death you'll notice I've just copied and pasted that review here, and that's because ITS THE SAME GAME!!! OK, combat is now more difficult but still really tedious and the maps look cleaner but are now even more badly laid out! What follows is the remainder of my review for Breath of Death, replace pointless combat with utterly tedious combat and you'll get the idea!**** You can't explore for literally more than 10 seconds without having a combat encounter. All the combat encounters save for the boss fights are so ridiculously easy (on normal difficulty) that they are simply an exercise in using the default attack on the first creature for the first member of your team, using the default attack on the second creature for the second member of your team, and so on. As you have to do this every 10 seconds, after 5 minutes you can do it without actually looking at the screen! Still, it got the A button on my Xbox gamepad a good workout (before you nay sayers say "Xbox groupie who doesn't appreciate PC games", I don't own an Xbox, just the controller as it's the most compatible controller for PC games, and no I don't use it for FPSes!) And that is the game, that pointless combat, that IS the game! About 90 percent of it. The rest of the time is spent exploring (only you can't in any type of satisfying manner because after 10 seconds you've got the pointless button pressing combat again) some terribly badly designed maps (on roughly the same tech and inspirational level as Horace Goes Skiing - seriously that lost world of dinosaurs game on the Spectrum 128K had way, way better level design), following a story line that is so shallow it makes Jet Set Willy look like story telling genius, buying weapons and armour and levelling up which is all pointless because the combat is just so useless. Oh yeah, there are special skills and combo moves in the combat, but you don't need them except against Boss monsters so that's about 1 in 30 to 1 in 50 fights then. Oh, and Boss monsters are announced on the exploring map, which is nice because then you know to look at the screen during that combat! Stay away from this game the way you'd stay away from leprosy. If you just want to play an decent indie game, Bastion, Aaaaaaa A Reckless Disregard for Gravity and World of Goo spring to mind...amongst others.… Expand

This game, is probably one of the worst indie titles I've ever played. Initially, I bought the game because I was told it was hilarious, and that it was a great retro title. Well, I bought this game at its ultra-low price, and I gave it the shot it deserved. Honestly, this game should be free. It's not even worth the price of admission. I did not laugh, chuckle, smile, or smirk even once. I love a good parody, I really do, but this is just not done right. It's not a funny game, and even its gameplay doesn't live up to even the retro titles that this game is spoofing. Turn-based combat in an RPG can be exciting, if done correctly, such as Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy IV - VI. This game's combat makes me yawn, the graphics are bland even for a retro title, and the music? Let me put it to you this way, I've heard better music in Jeckyll and Hyde for the NES. There are far better indie games out there than this one. Steer clear until its free.… Expand

Very very overrated game with bad graphics and extremely short playtime for a so-called throwback to the old superNES RPG (5 hours or so). The humor is quirky at best. But at least it's cheap.

Intended to give 3 pts not 1

Think FF1-3 but funny. The game has some enjoyable moments and is funny thoughout but in this modern era the combat and mechanics get tiresome after a while.

This game is simply one large running gag, and I can assure you I mean that in the best and most reverent manner possible. Cthulhu Saves the World is a classic Dragonwarrior-esque adventure RPG reinvented with modern western elements and chock full of Lovecraftian comedy. I want want to highlight the price as a selling point, but it is worth much more than what it costs.

Ridiculous price, great humour, hours of engaging gameplay - what else can you desire from a game? Oh, yes - I forgot about graphics. But thats only one thing that you wouldn't find here...Because its totally old-school rpg ... and that's a plus! Reminding me the times when imagination was more important than astonishing visuals. Thank God for indie developers.

one of my favorite games of 2011! An absolute must play for anyone who grew up with and loved playing classic 8 bit/ 16 bit rpgs.

I give this game a 10 because of its entertainment and enjoyment value.

Not being a big JRPG fan I was not certain about this game, but being a sucker for a steam sale, I agreed to throw down the $2.99 for this game. I was delighted to find out how funny and entertaining this game is. I am greatly enjoying it and have recommended it to many of my friends.

A really awesome game. Can be a little repetitive, but genuinely funny. Also a lot of faults can be forgiven at the ridiculously cheap price point. If you aren't a foaming COD junkie I recommend it heavily.

I thought this game was executed very well for what it is, a retro throwback to the great 8-bit RPGs of old. Looking at it in terms of anything else wouldn't be right to do, so suffice to say, this game works for me. How can you not give it a go when it's so low in price?

Significantly better gameplay and humor compared to BoFVII. The game is longer than BoFVII but this also brings out some of the core problems with the gameplay. Bosses are true damage races because their damage increases in percentages per turn, leaving you to spam your most powerful skills until either you or it dies. The new "Insanity" ailment is supposed to add a layer of tactical depth to your skills but I ended up not even using them much since it has unpredictable (and often negative) results. Normal monsters are also frustrating since later in the game they get gobs of HP, often out damaging you while eating your attacks. If you have played a JRPG before you will find humor somewhere in this game for sure. Be prepared for some rage; all the difficulties are stronger than they admit, but nothing grinding can't fix.… Expand

Really a solid game. It's a throwback to "ye olden times" were games needed humor and solid mechanics to work, CSW does an excellent job of doing just that. It's a nice thing to have read the Lovecraft stories since alot of the mythos will pass by if you dont have, but i do believe that it will prove a enjoyable game even for newcommers to the Lovecraft mythos. Happy gaming

Cthulhu Saves the World is a lighthearted RPG with plenty of serious gameplay. I couldn't put it down until I beat the game! Honestly, the best $1 I've eve spent.

A delight for fans of old-school Final Fantasy style (turn-based combat) RPGs. Very well designed and written game - it distills the essence of the genre with tongue firmly in cheek and is filled with humour. Not much replay value here, but for the price the developer is asking this is well worth a look.

The grind may have gotten annoying time to time, but the humor was great and especially as the game progressed, the battles were fun. Did I mention that the jokes were hilarious? The game is cheap, so if you like a solid old fashioned role-playing experience, this is a game for you!

Funny, simple, and classic. I would recommend to play it on easy mode, because this way you do not have to grind and you can enjoy the funny yet brilliant ideas from the creators.

Definitely a good game, but it does have a few drawbacks to it. One of them was that the front-view battle system. I know some people really like it, but I prefer the more Final Fantasy-esque side-view battle system personally, so that was a bit of a turnoff. Also, while I know it's only a few dollars to purchase and I was NOT expecting a behemoth like FF 6, I was expecting at least an hour or two longer of gameplay. It just seemed as if it were a bit TOO short an experience for me. Otherwise, it is a great throwback to the NES era of RPGs and some good humor to it as well.… Expand

Great retro style game, very fun to play. If you've read some of H.P. Lovecrafts books the fun factor will be increased, but it is not necessary to understand the plot. One of the best games and a must play for everyone, the price is ridiculously low!

If you like Parody games, this is the kind of game for you. I personally really enjoy this game, but the amount of times you have to battle other monsters is absurd. It's almost as absurd as Pokemon...just...not that bad. I really like the comedy in this game...I know, it's really cheesy, but I like it!

If you don't like Cheesy comedy, Pokemon or Parodies, don't get this! If you do, then this is the PERFECT Game for you, and it's only about a dollar!… Expand

This game is so amazing, reminds me of old classics TRUE JRPGs like FF, BOF, DQ, etc.. It's hilarious because makes fun of old rpgs and has a good classic rpg gameplay.
For 1,99

Better than Breath of Death 7, but only by a small margin. It seems to me that Zeboyd always makes minimal efforts for the game to be enjoyable. Obviously it somewhat works but the games are a bit the equivalent of Justin Bieber in the indie RPG world. Gotta look for something else if you want a great experience.

First reaction when first playing this game: "Wow!" After the lack of details of Breath of Death VII, I was honestly impressed by the HUGE amount of improvements made in this game: graphics are obviously better, but just because of a change of style (Breath of Death was 8-bit style while this is 16-bit. I think); music is a lot more varied and actually does sound great, with some good music and tunes (the boss theme is already one of my favourites); there are 8 characters to get (plus a bonus later on), with each their own skills and (simple) skill animations; the humour, even though random, is better thought and it's really fun to watch, especially since they added "cutscenes" that explains and shows better the scenes and such; dungeons are more detailed and actually look better, and there are additional dungeons and secrets to discover, making this game gigantic (almost 10 hours to finish the main game, plus other modes that actually are fun to play,). And all this for a really cheap price! Again, wow, the amount of improvements are unbelievable and I really applaud the game developers for improving the potential that Breath of Death had, but never showed. It has flaws unfortunely, few, but there are. The enemies will still get stronger the more you fight, which encourages you to fight quick and faster, but yet again this limits most of your skills, making you choose the best skills and ignore the others...and this is a HUGE waste because, with 8 characters to choose, you'll never have a chance to create a proper tactic or get to known the skills at their best: you'll just focus on taking the best skills and go on, and there is depth in the character's build...but with no kind of skill reset, you will get lost easily and, again, get the best and more convenient skills at each level up. The game also has a steep difficulty curve that can easily destroy you, forcing you to grind experience, which is always the best thing to do, but not when enemies just crush you within 2 turns. To be honest, nothing else seems wrong: the game is meant as a parody of 16-bit rpgs and it will clearly be loved by fans of rpgs, but it might be disappointing for those who expected a bigger and massive game, or a more serious game. Except for that, if you loved Breath of Death and love good old rpgs from the past, it's definitely worth the purchase: it's a cheap price for more than 10 hours of gameplay. And I have no complains at all.… Expand