Ace Team, known for titles like Zeno Clash and The Eternal Cylinder, is developing The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu, a new extraction game that draws inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft's cosmic horror and the cooperative gameplay loop of Left 4 Dead. The game casts players as four 17th-century Spanish explorers venturing into a mysterious jungle in search of treasure.
While the original Lovecraft novella "The Mound" is set in 1920s Oklahoma, Ace Team's adaptation shifts the setting to a jungle environment teeming with creatures inspired by Lovecraftian mythos. The explorers, armed with crucifixes and muskets, are driven by the pursuit of loot. Their missions involve sailing to the mainland, searching for treasure, and undertaking tasks such as rescuing stranded sailors or gathering specific items like Dihuene mushrooms.
However, the expeditions inevitably descend into chaos. As players progress, the environment becomes more hostile, with threats such as centipede-vomiting individuals, reanimated dead, and giant bats. The game also features psychological elements where players' senses can betray them, leading to accidental friendly fire or environmental glitches, such as perceived spike pits for some players and solid ground for others. The jungle itself is framed as a sentient presence, akin to Left 4 Dead's AI Director, that awakens as players cause disruption.
The game's environments include open areas and abandoned colonial forts that serve as spawn points, accessible once their logbooks are found. The ultimate goal lies at the heart of the jungle, within the titular Mound, said to contain the greatest plunder. The developers, based in Chile, are said to be bringing a unique perspective to the Lovecraftian setting, given the region's history with Spanish conquistadors and the often problematic portrayals of non-European cultures in Lovecraft's original works.
The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu is slated for release on July 15th. A demo is currently available on Steam for players to experience the game firsthand. The game's development is proceeding despite publisher Nacon filing for bankruptcy in February.