Caput Mortum is pretty direct, so we’ll get right into it. After a short text blurb, you’re plunked in front of a tower overlooking a desolate village. But despite the usual function of a tower, your first destination is the basement, where you’re then put through a number of trials to reach… something.

I just read through H.P. Lovecraft’s short story, The Tomb. In it, the protagonist is drawn toward and then into the titular tomb and does very little to resist its call. It’s a good read, and I didn’t really detect the author’s usual bigoted undertones, so that was nice. Although, I might be naive. The point is that Caput Mortum’s protagonist gives off that vibe; that he’s driven by compulsion and not really resisting it. But, you, the player, don’t have anything else to do in this world, so you’re a good companion.

In any case, that’s what you’ve got: solve puzzles to drive deeper.

KAPUT

Switching over to a different work once again, I’ve also picked up Jurassic Park: Trespasser (or Trespasser: The Lost World depending on how literally you take the title). Don’t ask me why. If you’re a regular reader here, you damn well know why. But the parallel I’m trying to bring up is that both the protagonist in Trespasser and the one here in Caput Mortum are only capable of using one arm. The key art of Caput Mortum depicts the lead character as actually missing an arm, but that doesn’t come up within the context of gameplay. There’s no running narration outside that first blurb. No mirrors, either.

Many of the puzzles are designed around manipulating that arm. Right off the bat, you’re told that you can use a mouse and keyboard with standard controls, but suggests that using a dual-analogue controller is the proper way to play. The developer says that want you to feel vulnerable, which… okay. I can dig it.

The controls are intentionally archaic. Rather than the typical dual-analogue movement system, the shoulder buttons control turning and looking up and down, while the right stick moves your hand around. It feels all right. By which I mean, it feels appropriately crappy. It’s easy to get mixed up on which shoulder button does what. However, I never really felt vulnerable. Enemy brains are really basic, and I found I could hit them, then back up a few steps while they did their attack, then repeat until they died. Rarely took damage in a fight. Most of my injury came from getting slapped by a homunculus.

NO ODDLY PLACED LIFE GAUGE

Yeah, homunculi. The story has you discover that a group of alchemists created a bunch of clay monsters and were trying to educate them and put them to work. While you’re essentially just passing through the remains of something that already happened, the progression down into the basement tells a linear story that unfurls in a satisfying way. There are a few books around that give you the general idea of the narrative, but nothing too blatant. There are no cutscenes, and not much dialogue.

The puzzles that you solve on the way down aren’t exactly the most exciting, but they flow well and tie exploration to logic pretty well. I didn’t get stuck anywhere. I had a few moments with a bit of pacing the floor, but it rarely lasted very long. They didn’t feel overly simple, neither were they too obtuse, so the puzzles are in the “just right” category.

The puzzles also don’t repeat elements, either. Certainly, concepts you learn from one are sometimes applicable in another, but it never resorts to “Okay, do the same puzzle, but harder.” This is part of what makes the game maintain its momentum, which is a rare thing for the adventure genre.

ADVENTURE MOMENTUM

But part of what enables this constant momentum is the fact that it’s rather short. All killer, no filler, so to speak. I was told it can be completed in less than three hours. I clocked in at about an hour-and-a-half. This unlocked additional features for a second playthrough, which is appreciated, but I don’t feel inclined.

And knowing when to wrap things up is important for a horror game, I just didn’t find Caput Mortum to be all that horrific. I was startled rather gently once, but I found that atmosphere to be rather comfortable and the plot to be on the more melancholic with a positive edge. It was just kind of nice, which is… nice. Just not necessarily what you might expect from a horror game.

So, I enjoyed what there was in Caput Mortum. It’s a capable enough little game that is efficiently designed. However, it takes a bit more than that to really stand out in my mind. If nothing in particular moves me, then I’m probably not going to remember it. Even its somewhat unique control scheme doesn’t do much to get me excited. I appreciate skill, and that’s certainly important, but vision is where the impact comes from.

6/10

This review was conducted using a digital Steam version of the game. It was provided by the developer’s PR.