Want to Be the Editor of a Horror Newspaper? Try 'Daily Chthonicle'

The world is dark and bygone. Spikes in mysterious disappearances, an increase in sightings of weird creatures, a surge in popularity of anti-Christ activities and paranormal incidents seem to be the order of the day. But for you, it's just another Monday. Daily Chthonicle is the shining light of hope in a world of witchcraft and supernatural hoardings. As the owner-cum-editor of this newspaper, it's your responsibility to run the investigative agency without any hiccups against the rising tide of goblins and satanic drifters.

The job requires more than just your editorial skills; management and timely role playing decisions are vital for your career longevity, journal popularity and the safety of your reporters. Daily Chthonicle is a monochromatic RPG game that blends Journalism, Management and Horror Literature all in one. The game which was free to download in its first iteration (Early Access) is now available on Steam as the Editor's Edition. Cases are procedurally generated and carry forward the storytelling. That's how Sinister Systems roll - they made the noir detective simulator 'The Casebook of Terry Winter'.

Players will experience distinctive stories. Each case is unique with the only exception being the atmosphere.

The entire game is a misty nod to H.P Lovecraft, bewitched by the aura of isolated small town stories and painted in a retro low-poly mid-90s design aesthetic.

At your disposal are a hexad group of detective reporters, both novice and experienced, reluctant and ready to prowl for a new beat. Cases will lead reporters into abysmal paths trapping them with a 5-headed dog, pushing them into murky waters of floating dead octopuses, interacting with a glowing canister filled with the souls of missing persons, discovering an occult culture hiding in plain sight, chasing a street urchin which ends in a lucid dream, solving a gruesome murder by a ghoul and unmasking a mischievous, ugly affair between God knows what. All these cases culminate at a point, setting up an even bigger picture of clues, patterns and more gameplay.

To pursue such leads is surely exciting, but what about safety? One half of the game is about keeping your reporters alive. Here, managerial abilities enter the fray - basic training and necessary equipment will help your specialist reporters get in and out with enough evidence to publish your daily newspaper and push sales. Budget constraints make the game more exciting. Careful planning will keep a tally and come in handy when reporters get injured and need to be hospitalized or sent to rehab to wear of the effects of morbid hypnosis. Once hurt, a reporter will not be able to encounter enemies. It's the same as sending a mentally shaken reporter to look out for supernatural entities in the forest. It would be highly inappropriate without additional equipment.

Combat is an umbrella term for every playable action in the game. Of course, enemy encounters is the first form of combat. Throughout the story whenever need arises, players will engage in street chases, hacking through unmovables, stealing, lock picking, knocking doors, etc. Mini analytical puzzles are part of the combat mechanics that pop up at nervous intervals in the game. The most popular mini-game is the Ghost Recording Analysis. Saying more will ruin the fun so let's keep it that way.

The other half of game is to keep your readers entertained. The editorial desk is demarcated by a bulletin board pinning the progress of your journalists, a cabinet for storing evidence, a confidential panel of informants you can small-talk with and a 'Martian Mystery' styled lab to test and observe everything weird. Daily Chthonicle comes with different difficulty settings, including a tutorial setting with an easy game that will teach you all you'll need to successfully complete one single gaming session. To mend the faults and assuage your conscience over the loss of your best performing reporters, the game allows 'replayability'.

As the editor of the neighborhood friendly Cthulhu lovin' newspaper , it's exciting to sit long hours watching at progress charts, assigning cases, waiting to read encounter stories, deciding what to print and publish for your beloved screamin' subscribers. Daily Chthonicle is not just about editorial responsibility, it more than that. It's Lovecraftian!

For some reason, I suddenly feel the need to replay Under a Killing Moon :)