The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu Is Out Now, and Its Sanity System Makes Your Own Squad the Threat

Cthulhu games usually go one of two ways, slow walking simulators or pure jump scare factories, so we were curious which one this would be. Turns out it is neither. The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu launched today, July 15, on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and it plays like a co-op extraction run through a cursed jungle where the scariest variable is your own head.

Video: PlayStation on YouTube

What the game actually is

Developer ACE Team, the Chilean studio behind Zeno Clash and Rock of Ages, has built a squad game for one to four players set during the conquistador era. You sign a contract aboard a galleon, take the gear the captain offers, then row into a jungle full of Lovecraftian creatures to haul treasure out of the massive burial mound that gives the game its name. Publisher Nacon prices the standard edition at $29.99, with a $39.99 Deluxe Edition that adds an exclusive Temple of Yig mission plus cosmetic and gear packs.

The hook is the madness system. There is no sanity bar on screen. Instead the game quietly warps what you see and hear as your mental state slips, from blood rain and false rescue signals to teammates who briefly look like monsters. The only reliable check is talking to your squad, because what they see may not match what you see.

A launch discount the community earned

Nacon ran a wishlist campaign ahead of release, and the game blew past 800,000 wishlists, which unlocked a 20% discount for everyone at launch. That drops the standard edition to $23.99 on Steam right now. Early buyers also get a bonus swords pack during the first weeks.

ACE Team is not sitting on its hands either. A day-one era update already adds a weapon upgrade station on the ship, new guidebook pages, hand-drawn logbook art and extra sanity effects, with more improvements promised based on demo feedback.

Our take

A $29.99 price, solo support and a launch discount make this an easy game to try with friends, and the perception tricks are a genuinely fresh angle for co-op horror. Our caution is the usual one for squad games: they live or die on repeatable content, and we do not yet know how varied the expeditions stay after a dozen runs. If your group burned out on the current crop of co-op shooters, this is the most interesting new option this month. If you mostly play alone, the madness system should still work, but the game is clearly built around a full boat of four.