H.P. Lovecraft’s horror stories have made overt appearances in many horror games, but these hidden Lovecraft secrets are much harder to spot.
H. P. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu Mythos have made a permanent mark on horror, weird fiction, and storytelling. His style, often called ‘cosmic horror’, focuses on the universe’s indifference to humanity’s plight. His worlds of dark gods, strange magics, and evil cults have fascinated readers since their publication, and the tentacles of his terrors have made their way into other literature, movies, and video games in countless references
Some of these hidden Lovecraft references may only be found by those fans who know where to look, or might be overlooked by those who aren’t familiar with the mass of lore that Lovecraft created. Here are the best Lovecraftian secrets that can be found in video games.6 The Elder Scolls 4: Oblivion — A Shadow Over Hackdirt
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is a game that is full of secrets and mysteries for players to sink their teeth into. Oblivion, as a setting, is huge, and while it can appear dated today, many fans of the series would claim Oblivion as the best game in the series. One of fans’ favorite quests, «Shadow Over Hackdirt», is a subtle reference to Lovecraft’s short story The Shadow Over Innsmouth.
All subtlety goes out the window very quickly, though, when players find out that an NPC has been kidnapped and the perpetrators are pale humanoids with big eyes who worship some kind of ocean deity. The whole area is a spooky send-up of Lovecraft’s fish village and will be a charming find for any Cthulhu fan.5 Fallout 4 — Pickman’s Gift
Another Bethesda game featuring plenty of small nods to the Mythos is Fallout 4. While every Fallout title has been stuffed full of references and roleplay possibilities, Fallout 4 features a murderer with the same name as a mysterious painter in Lovecraft’s Pickman’s Model.