Hands-On Preview: The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu

The Mound: The Omen of Cthulhu is terrifying The Co-Op the game is set in the middle ages. With every Lovecraftian horror game, some magical and mystical elements play into things, and this game is no different.

I got to sit down with the team behind The Mound, based on the book of the same name, and run a few different tasks while learning some things about what’s going on in this horrible world. It came off as a game similar to things like REPO and Lethal Company, but it went up a notch.

I played the game for about an hour along with a few other previewers and developers. While there is still a lot left unanswered, what’s available so far is very promising and should provide the young team with a few very interesting hours of gameplay. This game is more than just a jump simulator and it does a good job of creating a very scary atmosphere.

What is The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu?

In basic terms, it’s a cooperative horror game that revolves around going on missions to find a certain amount of items. As you move around the island maps, your only two goals are to find the treasure and not to be eaten by any of the land monsters that are there.

You and up to three others will embark on various missions across the island on varying difficulties in hopes of finding any hidden treasure that exists in this New World. You’ll encounter humanoid zombie-like monsters that you can kill again with the weapons you bring and find, or you can try to avoid them in hopes of attracting a little attention.

Every mission will yield a set amount of equipment for you and other players to share. Choosing what to bring and what not to bring is important, as you can only take so many things. The gear you get will improve as the difficulty of the missions also improves.

Each objective works in the same way. Poke around the map, search for treasure as you venture further inland, and place any treasure you seek on an oxen cart. The more wealth you have, the better, but there is a hidden timer, and overstaying your welcome is not a good idea.

The jobs last about 20 minutes, so you have to plan accordingly about how deep you can go before you have to go back. With built-in close-up chat and a very creepy atmosphere, you’ll be slowing down anything that walks by, hopefully not some eldritch scarecrow. When you’re done, you’ll be judged on how much loot you’ve brought back, and that will determine your success in the mission.

Deeply Still Space

One of the first things I noticed about this game is that the atmosphere is incredible when it comes to editing. The sound design, combined with the visuals, really lends itself to the style of the game.

To hear a shout in the distance or to see a figure in the mist, who could be a friend or an enemy, was an amazing experience. Aside from the fact that the game looks great, even if it’s realistic, it does an amazing job with the enemy design. Zombies aren’t just the walking dead; they are distorted versions of human bodies.

While we’ve encountered quite a few eldritch horrors, I’d say they’re terrifying in the best way. That otherworldly feeling is best captured when looking at these disturbing creatures. Another, described as a bat-like creature, would shine light on individuals, making them prey for any nearby enemies.

I’ve played a few games like this, but nothing that’s really come close to making the hairs on my neck stand up. It just didn’t shake in the best way. You’d think that playing with others would take some of that away, but here it seems like the team has taken a lot of care to make co-op even more fun.

A fun Co-op experience

I played in a group of four, so everyone played one character. They don’t have much of a difference, unless you’re looking to role play, which you can totally do. What was most interesting was how different the experience felt to other people.

I had to play the tutorial mission by myself, and while that was suitably amazing, it somehow felt less interesting than when I was playing with a group. There is a great sense of humor when you watch your friend blow up a worm because he got into something he shouldn’t have.

That, combined with the screams from people you might not be able to see as they scream for you to run away from an unseen monster, makes the game one of the funniest horror games out there. The game design seems to encourage staying in small groups to cover more space or break up. There was danger in both being separated and being together, so the balance of the two felt very good.

Playing with strangers isn’t as fun as playing with a group of friends, but this game brings out that sense of cooperation that makes games like this fun. You can’t just do everything yourself, and if you try, you’ll end up killing everyone. They really nailed the hanging danger that encourages players to work together.

A Weird Mix of Gameplay

Since I haven’t had a ton of time with the game, I can’t say for sure how the gameplay will feel in the long run. That was probably my biggest concern when working with the game. There are many weapons that you can use, but almost all of them have drawbacks that limit what you can use in a practical way.

In the rain, you can’t light the fuse, so some guns just go straight up and don’t work. That’s great world-building, but gameplay-wise, it can make you feel stupid for bringing it up. Loud weapons also attract powerful monsters, so it’s a push and pull of what you want to do.

The main reason I bring this up is that I discovered, very quickly, that you can knock back enemies, and it’s basically a one-shot. It’s a little tricky to do at first, but once you do it consistently, there’s almost no reason to do anything else. This may change as the levels get more difficult, but it won’t change the next more pressing concern. This game has an end.

Unlike many similar horror co-op games, The Mound is a limited experience as I’ve been told. That doesn’t mean you can’t go back and replay old journeys, but it seems that once you reach the end of your journey, that’s the real end.

That could always change, and the team might reveal more content, but that wouldn’t happen until after launch, so for now, what’s there is what’s there. That’s not such a bad thing, as what is available is still very good, and if you have a team to play with, it will be a lot of fun.

Overall, The Mound offers a new take on the horror co-op genre with a realistic take. This guidance doesn’t seem to lessen the eldritch horrors that emerge; in fact, it seems to add to that. While there is no way to know what will happen next, The Mound is a horror game that players should keep an eye on.

Released

2026

Many players

Online Co-Op

Number of Players

Single player