Call of the Elder Gods is pulpy puzzle solving goodness

I played 2020's Call of the Sea in one sitting on New Year's Eve. Rather than go out for dinner to celebrate our anniversary, my wife and I ordered a meal from a nice Italian restaurant and bought the game as our night's entertainment. It had everything we love: pulpy adventure, cosmic horror, and challenging puzzles. Much like the plates of pasta we had that evening, Call of the Sea wasn't revelatory but it delivered a comforting meal with little to complain about. Call of the Elder Gods, this year's sequel from developer Out of the Blue, is much the same. Taking place roughly twenty years after the events of Call of the Sea, newcomer Evangeline Drayton (Mara Junot) finds herself thrust into the same cosmic story that befell Norah Everhart. This brings her in contact with none other than Norah's husband: Professor Harry Everhart (Yuri Lowenthal). The two team up to put a stop to the machinations of a cult intent on… why bore you with the details, they want to do evil. What follows is…