History VideoGame / ShadowOfTheComet

An Adventure horror game from 1993 by Infogrames. The player assume the role of the British photographer, John Parker, who travels to the isolated town, Illsmouth in New England, on the official business of photographing Halley's Comet's 1910 passing, but he has an objective of his own: Uncovering the truth about what happened to the scientist, Lord Boleskin, who went mad when the comet passed by the town in 1834.

The CD-ROM version is notable for featuring not only full voice-acting, but also coming with a mini-game titled ''Visit to the Lovecraft Museum'', in which the player controls a nameless visitor to a MuseumOfTheStrangeAndUnusual containing exhibits based on or inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and his literary work. It contains very little gameplay beyond simply exploring the museum and examining what it has on display.

Infogrames followed up this game with ''Video Game/PrisonerOfIce,'' which, while not a direct sequel, takes place in the same universe and contains a few of the same characters. In it, players take control of Lt. Ryan, an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army a couple years before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. The events of ''Shadow of the Comet'' are referenced in the first ''VideoGame/AloneInTheDark'', which (unlike its sequels and reboots) was also based on the Mythos.

Infogrames followed up this game with ''Prisoner of Ice,'' which, while not a direct sequel, takes place in the same universe and contains a few of the same characters. In it, players take control of Lt. Ryan, an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army a couple years before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. The events of ''Shadow of the Comet'' are referenced in the first ''VideoGame/AloneInTheDark'', which (unlike its sequels and reboots) was also based on the Mythos.

* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Why Lord Boleskin went insane, he saw the face of the evil gods.

* NiceGuy: Thomas Bishop, he is certainly one of the more friendly townsfolk, and one of the few willing to help you. He also seems to help in the local community, checking on Curtis, and helping to look after Thomas Greenwood, who is deaf/blind and mute and also a friend of Curtis.

* DespairSpeech: It's optional and easily missed, but if you talk to Gloria at the right time on the third day, she will practically ''beg'' Parker to take her away from Illsmouth, both to get away from the village itself, and to escape the influence of her overbearing Aunt. Her voice shakes slightly and she sounds so distressed and genuinely close to either tears or panic when she says it, its pretty effective despite the possible narm factor. Unfortunately you don't get the chance to actually help her, and you don't get a chance to talk to her away from her Aunt again either.

* NiceGuy: Thomas Bishop, he is certainly one of the more friendly townsfolk, and one of the few willing to help you. He also seems to help in the local community, checking on Curtis, and helping to look after Thomas Greenwood, a deaf/blind mute who is also Curtis's friend.

Infogrames followed up this game with ''Prisoner of Ice,'' which, while not a direct sequel, takes place in the same universe and contains a few of the same characters. In it, players take control of Lt. Ryan, an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army a couple years before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

->''76 years ago renowned scientist Lord Boleskin traveled to Illsmouth to witness the passing of Halley's Comet... Instead, he stumbled upon the dark secrets of an evil cult. He escaped with his life, but at the cost of his sanity, and he spent the rest of his life locked up in an asylum, his findings dismissed as the ravings of a madman. Now Halley's comet is returning and photographer/astronomer John Parker is travelling to Illsmouth to uncover the truth for himself. Following the footsteps of Lord Boleskin, can he now succeed in dispelling the Shadow of the Comet?.''

Infogrames followed up this game with ''Prisoner of Ice,'' which, while not really a direct sequel, takes place in the same universe and contains a couple of the same characters. In it, players take control of Lt. Ryan, an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army a couple years before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

* UsefulNotes/BritishAccents: Despite the story being set in America, almost all the characters have British accents.

* {{Badass}}: John Parker himself. He's a human scientist and investigative reporter with no supernatural powers or immortality unlike most of his enemies, yet he still determines to stop the cultists and even faces some of the gods themselves.

Infogrames followed up this game with ''Prisoner of Ice,'' which, while not really a direct sequel, takes place in the same universe and contains a couple of the same characters. In it, players take control of Lt. Ryan, an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Why Lord Boleskin went insane, he saw the face of the evil gods and went insane despite attempting to run away.

* CometOfDoom: While there is nothing to indicate the comet itself is evil, the passing of Halley's comet does coincide with the alignment of planets and stars being right for the Great Ancients to be brought back to earth.

* EvilTwin: Despite Curtis being described as the younger brother he and Wilbur were conceived/born on the same night and are twins. Wilbur is clearly very high up in the cult's order (after Narakamous) and he and his family are some of the more dangerous people you have to cross. Curtis meanwhile just wants you to leave him alone. He won't help you, but he isn't out to harm you, or anyone else either.

* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Why Lord Boleskin went insane, he saw the face of the evil gods and slowly went crazy despite attempting to run away.

* HumanoidAbomination: The Mi-Go and Ghouls are this, they're pretty horrifying, but have a basic human shape.

* TomeOfEldritchLore: The Necronomicon is this, you will need to read it at some point but carrying it around is not a good idea.

* PresentDayPast: Aside from a few references to photography and the horse drawn carriage in the beginning, there's very little to indicate the game is set in 1910. Parker's character design in particular looks more like a 1990's action hero than a meek photographer.

->''76 years ago renowned scientist Lord Boleskin travelled to Illsmouth to witness the passing of Halley's Comet... instead, he stumbled upon the dark secrets of an evil cult. He escaped with his life, but at the cost of his sanity, and he spent the rest of his life locked up in an asylum, his findings dismissed as the ravings of a madman. Now Halley's comet is returning and photographer/astronomer John Parker is travelling to Illsmouth to uncover the truth for himself. Following the footsteps of Lord Boleskine, can he now succeed in dispelling the Shadow of the Comet?.''

An Adventure horror game from 1993 by Infogrames. The player assume the role of the British photographer, John Parker, who travels to the isolated town, Illsmouth in New England, on the official business of photographing Halleys Comet's 1910 passing, but he has an objective of his own: Uncovering the truth about what happened to the scientist, Lord Boleskin, who went mad when the comet passed by the town in 1834.

Infogrames followed up this game with ''Prisoner of Ice,'' which, while not really a direct sequel, takes place in the same universe and contains a couple of the same characters. In it, players take control of Lt. Ryan, an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army during World War II.

* HotGypsyWoman: Subverted. Lilith has the pretty looks, but is neither flirtacious or quick tempered. Of the two times she speaks to you the first is just to thank you for speaking up for her family in the village, and the second is to praise you for having the courage to fight the evil tainting the area, to read your fortune for you, and to give some parting words of encouragement.

* ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder: After Parker collapses and is found and treated by Dr Cobble and they have been discussing his condition / medication.
-->'''Dr Cobble:''' And no reckless pranks. You're young, but I'm only a physician, NOT a wizard.

* BritishAccent: Despite the story being set in America, almost all the characters have British accents.

* MoralGuardian: Miss Picott seems to have appointed herself as this for the entire village, even bullying the village doctor into joining the local Temperance League.

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Jonas Hambleton... The word "zombie" is never used, but he is apparently undead and certainly isn't the typical mindless flesh eating kind of zombie, he will even have a brief antagonistic but lucid conversation with the protagonist before [[ShapeShifting morphing]] and [[RunOrDie attacking]] them.

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Obed and Benjamin Hambleton do this to Walter Webster, apparently due to having a long-standing grudge against his family. They only stop because the protagonist [[BatterUp intervienes]], although some of the other villagers protest as well.

----
!!''Shadow of The Comet'' contains examples of:

* AgentScully: Parker is this at first; he certainly seems reluctant to believe in the existence of an evil race of immortals or that the cult could really bring them back to Earth, although he soon changes his mind when confronted with enough evidence.
* AllDeathsFinal: Played straight. Dead characters do not come back, unless you count Alistair Boleskins' ghost.
* AlmostDeadGuy: Sadly the protagonist finds one of his allies like this after the friend in question is LeftForDead by one of the cultists. Despite their injuries and having to talk around a persistent [[IncurableCoughOfDeath cough]] the character valiantly gives Parker some vital information and [[ImDyingPleaseTakeMyMacGuffin access to a few items ]]

* {{Bookworm}}: Tobias Jugg who works at the Town Hall and is responsible for the town archives and records. He is an avid reader and has lots of books at his house and even [[spoiler: a secret library]].

* CometOfDoom: While there is nothing to indicate the comet itself is evil, the passing of Halleys comet does coincide with the alignment of planets and stars being right for the Great Ancients to be brought back to earth.

--> '''Miss Picott:''' Jed Donahue, will you kindly let the Doctor get on with it?!

* HeKnowsTooMuch: Although they are discreet about it for the most part, at least during daylight hours, the cult members start hunting down Parker for this reason, especially after he is caught spying on one of their ceremonies
* HotGypsyWoman: Subverted. Lilith has the pretty looks, but is neither flirtacious or quick tempered. Of the two times she speaks to you the first is just to thank you for speaking up for her family in the village, and the second is to praise you for having the courage to fight the evil tainting the area, to read your fortune for you, and to give some parting words of encouragement.

* ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder: After Parker collapses and is found and treated by Dr Cobble and they have been discussing his condition/medication.
--> '''Dr Cobble:''' And no reckless pranks. You're young, but I'm only a physician, NOT a wizard.

* IntergenerationalFriendship: Between John Parker and Tobias Jugg
* ItsPersonal: A mild example but Parker seems to take [[spoiler: Tobias Jugg's]] death very much to heart with some of his dialogue. One example is triggered when you visit/look at the grave (you will get one of two variations which seem to change from game to game) and Parkers voice sounds shaky and slightly choked, with some anger creeping in as he is finishing the line.
--> '''Parker:''' Good Grief, it's poor [[spoiler: Jugg's]] grave. This will not go unpunished, this I swear.
--> or.......
--> '''Parker:''' [[spoiler:Jugg's]] grave... those who did this will pay in full, this I promise.

* LovecraftLite: Actually has a happy ending where humanity wins....for now.
* LovableCoward: Walter Webster. He is a polite and friendly enough person, as Parker himself notes, and he is one of the first people willing to help you. Unfortunately he also gets spooked and runs away at the [[CatScare first hint of danger]]
* MagicalNativeAmerican: Natawanga, it's downplayed, but he is clearly shown to have some magical knowledge and powers, luckily he also has nothing to do with the cult and turns out to be a helpful ally to the protagonist. Narakamous is the evil version of this trope.
* MaidenAunt: Miss Picott is this to Gloria
* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: How David Underhouse lost the use of this legs...he annoyed certain members of the cult while trying to investigate/research the Stone Circle, leading to his "accident"

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Jonas Hambleton....the word "zombie" is never used, but he is apparently undead and certainly isn't the typical mindless flesh eating kind of zombie, he will even have a brief antagonistic but lucid conversation with the protagonist before [[ShapeShifting morphing]] and [[RunOrDie attacking]] them.

* RunOrDie: The two chase sequences are this, and a couple of other situations require you to get away fast as well
* SpiritAdvisor: The (sane) ghost of Lord Boleskin serves as this on a few occasions, and in a slight variation Natawanga also acts as this on one occasion too...although as he isn't dead it's more a form of AstralProjection
* TakeMyHand: Ellen Webster saves the protagonist this way. Escaping the tomb/labyrinth and hurridly climbing up a rope the protagonist slips and almost falls to certain death....except Mrs Webster who tends the graveyard heard all the commotion, and manages to grab one of his arms with both her hands and haul him up with the help of her son.

* [[WhenThePlanetsAlign When The Stars Are Right]] : The passing of Halleys Comet every 76 years happens to coincide with an astral conjuncture of stars and planets which is needed to open the portal to let the Eldritch gods return to Earth.

Infogrames followed up this game with ''Prisoner of Ice,'' which is not quite a sequel, but takes place in the same universe and contains a couple of the same characters. In it, players take control of Lt. Ryan, an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army during World War II.

-> ''76 years ago renowned scientist Lord Boleskin travelled to Illsmouth to witness the passing of Halley's Comet... instead, he stumbled upon the dark secrets of an evil cult. He escaped with his life, but at the cost of his sanity, and he spent the rest of his life locked up in an asylum, his findings dismissed as the ravings of a madman. Now Halley's comet is returning and photographer/astronomer John Parker is travelling to Illsmouth to uncover the truth for himself. Following the footsteps of Lord Boleskine, can he now succeed in dispelling the Shadow of the Comet?.''

* {{Bookworm}}: Tobias Jugg who works at the Town Hall and is responsible for the town archives and records. He is an avid reader and has lots of books at his house and even [[spoiler: a secret library]]

* EvilTwin: Despite Curtis being described as the younger brother he and Wilbur were conceived/born on the same night and are twins. Wilbur is clearly very high up in the Cults order (after Narakamous) and he and his family are some of the more dangerous people you have to cross. Curtis meanwhile just wants you to leave him alone. He won't help you, but he isn't out to harm you, or anyone else either.

-> ''76 years ago renowned scientist Lord Boleskin travelled to Illsmouth to witness the passing of Halleys Comet... instead he stubbled upon the dark secrets of an evil cult. He escaped with his life, but at the cost of his sanity, and he spent the rest of his life locked up in an asylum, his findings dismissed as the ravings of a madman. Now Halleys comet is returning and photographer/astronomer John Parker is travelling to Illsmouth to uncover the truth for himself. Following the footsteps of Lord Boleskine, can he now succeed in dispelling the Shadow of the Comet?.''

Infogrames followed-up this game with ''Prisoner of Ice,'' which is not quite a sequel, but takes place in the same universe and contains a couple of the same characters. In it, players take control of Lt. Ryan, an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army during World War II.

An Adventure horror game from 1993 by Infocom. The player assume the role of the British photographer, John Parker, who travels to the isolated town, Illsmouth in New England, on the official business of photographing Halleys Comet's 1910 passing, but he has an objective of his own: Uncovering the truth about what happened to the scientist, Lord Boleskin, who went mad when the comet passed by the town in 1834.