The Arkham Horror games represent Lovecraft's stories by featuring his iconic monsters. For example, the Great Old Ones are often a central part of the game's horror elements. The games also capture the sense of mystery and exploration from the stories. Players explore Arkham and other Lovecraftian locations, much like the protagonists in the original stories did.
In the Arkham Horror games, the way the sanity mechanic works is a great representation of Lovecraft's ideas. As players' characters encounter more and more of the eldritch horrors, their sanity drops, just as in the stories where the characters' minds are slowly broken by the incomprehensible things they witness. The game also uses the concept of the Mythos, which is central to Lovecraft's work, to drive the narrative and the events that occur during the game.
The Arkham Horror games do a good job of representing Lovecraft's stories in several ways. They create an atmosphere that is thick with dread and the unknown, much like in the written works. The settings in the games, such as the decrepit mansions and the strange, otherworldly landscapes, are very much in line with Lovecraft's descriptions. Moreover, the stories within the games often involve a group of investigators trying to solve mysteries and prevent the end of the world, which is a common trope in Lovecraft's stories, where characters are often trying to understand and combat the encroaching horror from the cosmos.
The main themes often include cosmic horror, the unknown, and the fragility of the human mind. Lovecraft was known for creating a sense of dread about things that are beyond human comprehension. In Arkham Horror, these themes are manifested through the encounters with otherworldly entities, the exploration of strange and eldritch locations, and the slow descent into madness that the characters may experience.
Lovecraft's body horror stories often involve a sense of the unknown and the cosmic. It's not just about the physical horror of the body but also about the implications of this horror in the grand scheme of the universe. Other horror stories might focus more on immediate threats like serial killers or ghosts.
The personal stories often lead to unique quests or objectives for the investigator during the game. For instance, an investigator whose story involves a family curse might have a specific task to break that curse within the game. This adds a personalized touch to the gameplay and makes each playthrough different depending on which investigator you choose.
Lovecraft's detailed descriptions also play a big role. For example, in 'At the Mountains of Madness', he describes the grotesque and strange creatures in great detail. The way they look, move, and interact with the environment is both fascinating and horrifying. Also, his use of dark and isolated settings, such as the Antarctic in that story or the strange town in 'The Shadow over Innsmouth', adds to the sense of horror. There's a feeling of being cut off from the normal world and being at the mercy of these unknown terrors.
It captures the essence through the use of his signature creatures. The eldritch horrors are a big part of Lovecraft's work, and the game brings them to life.
It brings Lovecraft's horror concepts into a more modern and inclusive setting. For example, it shows how the horror affects different races and genders, not just the typical white male protagonists of Lovecraft's original works.
Plague doctors in horror stories represent fear through their appearance. Their long beaked masks are very strange and make them look like some sort of inhuman creature. Just seeing one approaching can send shivers down a person's spine.
The epistolary style in Lovecraft's stories heightens horror in multiple ways. First, it gives a sense of immediacy as if we are getting first - hand accounts. But at the same time, it's fragmented, so there are gaps in the knowledge. This makes the unknown even more terrifying. Also, the fact that it's often a personal account in the form of a letter makes the horror more relatable, as if it could happen to anyone who stumbles upon the same situation.
Lovecraft's stories have had a huge impact. Firstly, his concept of cosmic horror has changed the way we view horror. Instead of just fearing the things we can see and understand, we now fear the vast, unknowable cosmos and the entities that might exist there. His works also introduced a sense of dread that builds slowly, which is now a common technique in modern horror. Additionally, his use of ancient and arcane knowledge as a source of horror has been picked up by many modern horror writers and filmmakers.
Lovecraft's short stories in this collection contribute to the horror genre by introducing unique and terrifying creatures. For example, Cthulhu is a completely different kind of horror entity compared to traditional vampires or ghosts. It's a massive, indescribable being from another dimension that defies human understanding.