I’ve always loved the ocean. Not for summer beach trips, but for dark, stormy days where the waves swell fiercely. Scenes like these make my mind wander, pondering what lurks beneath the whitecaps. In reality, it’s just marine life and pollution. But, in The Shore, developed by Ares Dragonis and published by Dragonis Games, Eldritch horrors await.

You play as Andrew, a fisherman searching for his missing daughter near the beach. Black volcanic sand lines the shore, and a distant lighthouse comes into view, bringing some light to the darkness. As you begin to explore the lighthouse, you uncover clues that set an eerie tone. On the top floor, a painting of a sea creature echoes reality as the same creature briefly emerges from the waves.

It’s this atmosphere that is the shining light in The Shore, accompanied by a surprisingly brilliant soundtrack. You can feel Andrew’s loneliness creeping in as time goes on, slowly spiralling into madness as these eldritch horrors begin to reveal themselves to him.

They promise to help him find his daughter, but only if he aids them in freeing the Slumbering One, Cthulhu. Much of the story is told through brief encounters with these beings, with the lore scattered across the island recounting the fates of other sailors who succumbed to them.

The journey takes Andrew across a variety of locations, including underwater environments littered with shipwrecks and even other dimensions. Blending cosmic and eldritch horror, though the two often go hand in hand, can sometimes feel indistinguishable.

My biggest issue with the narrative is its pacing. Just as the story begins to find its footing, it ramps up dramatically with a huge plot twist involving Andrew’s daughter, only to end abruptly soon after. It wraps up so suddenly that many of the questions it raises are left unanswered. That said, the ending is visually stunning. The art direction, which felt inconsistent at times throughout the game, won me over in those final moments.

The other major issue is with some of the gameplay. While the majority of its short runtime plays out like a walking simulator, it awkwardly introduces some incredibly lacklustre combat. Andrew acquires an item known as the Artifact, which allows him to fire a small laser at enemies, typically humans transformed by these Eldritch gods, or strange, squid-like monstrosities.

Unfortunately, these encounters feel tedious and underdeveloped. The game would have been far better off leaning fully into its strengths, focusing on environmental storytelling and eerie atmosphere that I mentioned above, rather than forcing in combat that adds little to the experience.

Complementing the walking-simulator gameplay are a number of intuitive puzzles that require some genuine thought. One in particular, involving glowing blue spheres and huge pillars, had me stumped for quite a while before trial and error eventually saw me through. That said, I do wonder if a bit more direction would benefit players, even if I personally enjoyed the challenge they presented.

As I briefly mentioned earlier, the soundtrack was a pleasant surprise. Beautifully orchestrated pieces elevate the experience, while more tense tracks appear at just the right moments to add to the atmosphere. However, the audio mixing outside of the soundtrack leaves something to be desired. While the voice acting is solid, it’s let down by inconsistent mixing; at one point, it sounded as if a microphone was knocked over during recording.

Overall, The Shore is carried over the line by its beautifully oppressive atmosphere and striking art direction. However, its tacked-on combat and the many unanswered questions left by its narrative hold it back from feeling like a truly complete experience. It’s a game with strong ideas and memorable moments, but one that doesn’t quite realise its full potential. 

Written by: Dylan Kocins