The Necronomicon Horror

Lucidsphere Media's much-anticipated release of The Necronomicon Horror is to be published on Apple's iOS iPhone and iPod Touch soon.

The Necronomicon Horror invites fans of fantasy and horror role-playing games to immerse themselves in the nightmarish world of Jazz-age author H.P. Lovecraft, widely considered to be the father of modern horror.

The great fantasy and science-fiction writers of the 20th Century wrote deeply mythic stories where unlikely heroes emerged from their journeys with a message of hope and inspiration for us all -  that good will always triumph over evil, no matter how great or terrifying.

H.P. Lovecraft was not as optimistic with respect to his protagonists (or world affairs in general), and he was more than a little pessimistic; he did not return from the ephemeral world of dreams with a message of hope and inspiration. If anything, his stories serve as cautionary tales to remind us that there may be something sinister lurking just beyond our narrow range of perception, which allows itself to be seen sometimes. Something horribly evil, and far superior in intelligence and knowledge to us, against whose might we are powerless to stand against.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island, a sickly child whose parents died insane. Between 1908 and 1923, he wrote short stories for Weird Tales magazine, and enjoyed an active friendship and correspondence with Conan creator Robert E. Howard. Between 1926 and 1935 he produced his greatest works which have come to be known as the "Cthulhu Mythos". Lovecraft was consumed by intestinal cancer in Providence at the age of 46, and died penniless on March 15, 1937, leaving behind one of America's most curious literary legacies.

H.P. Lovecraft never lived to witness the popular appeal and influence his tales have gained; on the contrary, he believed his writings would pass into obscurity. In American literature, he remains an undeniable genius in the realm of fantasy, approaching a class comparable only to Poe.

While most pulp fiction of the 1930's is largely forgotten today, Lovecraft's stories were kept alive by a small nucleus of devoted fans, and he has since become almost as mythic a figure himself as his celebrated "Cthulhu Mythos". More than a little cynical, Lovecraft disdained the contemporary fiction and subject-matter of his era, and was one of the first authors to delve into the extraordinary new physics of Plank, Einstein, and Shroedinger in his stories, and its implications to mankind and correspondence to ancient occult lore. He created an unheard of world of fantasy, occult horror, and science-fiction which fans, scholars, and critics today pour over with Talmudic scrutiny.

Lovecraft's tales all share a common mythology, weaving together a pantheon of sinister extraterrestrial entities, fictional locations, and cursed books into their landscapes. He frequently made references to moldering, forbidden tomes which contained secrets that man was never meant to know. Some of these were actual occult texts, but the most infamous one of all, and the one about which he had the most to say, was the abhorred 'Necronomicon'.

The Necronomicon is featured in many of his stories, allegedly written by "The Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazred in the eighth century and containing horrendous blasphemies, evil incantations and otherworldly knowledge better left undigested. Lovecraft generously invited other writers in his circle to use it in their works, believing such common allusions built up a background of evil verisimiltude. One of his other inventions, the fictitious Miskatonic University, also appears prominently in his tales, and its library is where one of the few surviving copies of the evil Necronomicon remains locked away.

Lovecraft always insisted that the Necronomicon was wholly imaginary and came to him in a dream, but to this day some people believe it to be real. Since the author's death, many real-life book publishers have published hoax versions of it to capitalize on its' notoriety. Avon's "Simon Necronomicon" has sold almost a million copies to date, and has never been out of print.

The Necronomicon Horror is a single-player game of arcane horror and mystery, created by Dustin Neff, and designed to evoke the feeling of a role-playing campaign and board game. Players take on the roles of investigators in an attempt to thwart the evil machinations of a sinister cult who have stolen the Necronomicon from Miskatonic Universities library, and have used it to open the gateway to another dimension--threatening the entire world.

The Necronomicon Horror combines the quick, easy to learn, addictive pace of fantasy card games, combined with the strategy of table-top role-playing and board games. You can win achievements in the game to unlock new bonus content, and there will be support for downloadable expansions in the future.

During the game you'll take on a variety of personas, becoming both investigators and innocents swept up in a battle against cosmic horrors. With the help of allies, weapons, secret information, strategy, and a few twists-of-fate, you'll attempt to stop the minions of Cthulhu from entering our world.

The Necronomicon Horror will feature over 90 beautifully painted cards and settings--created by a 'dream team' of talented artists who have worked for some of the biggest movie, book publishing, and game studios in the world.

“We're very excited about how well The Necronomicon Horror has been received since our announcement back in June,” says Designer and Project Manager Dustin Neff. “We had hoped to have the game available over the summer, but we've added a lot of new content and features, expanding the scope of the game considerably, which we believe will more than justify its delay in arrival.”

The Necronomicon Horror will contain the following key features:

•       An evolving game setting based on the pulp horror fiction of H.P. Lovecraft.

•       Hours of game play - a different game and outcome every time you play.

•       Outstanding artwork and production values. Start out with a deck of over 80+ stunning cards.

•       The fast-paced, addictive game play of Collectible Card Games, play on-the-go, anywhere!

•       A modular game board and role-playing elements to add more strategy, depth, story, and complexity to the game.

•       Open Feint enabled, connect with friends, compete for high scores, and unlock secret achievements - experience new challenges over a massive social gaming network.

•       Free Bonus Content can be unlocked during the game. Expand your deck by winning new cards.

The Necronomicon Horror  is a solo player adventure designed to be played in 10 to 20 minute nail-biting intervals. During a typical game you'll play using an 80+ card deck, drawing various investigators, monsters, treasures, weapons, relics, pitfalls, story cards, and special ability cards, which are all scripted to interact with each other in strategic ways. Your goal is to keep your investigators alive while searching the campus of Miskatonic University - represented by an awesome modular game board - where you'll hunt for hidden items which will help you defeat a diabolic plot which threatens all of humanity.

Like most board and role-playing games, the outcome is driven by an exciting interplay of chance, skill, and strategy.

Players will have the option of purchasing future booster decks to expand the game, and 'collect' new and rare cards by winning achievements and high scores.

Lucidsphere Media Games Studio developed The Necronomicon Horror as an innovative way to experience the compulsive fun of horror role-playing, board, and collectible card games anywhere, without investing a large amount of time and money.

The game promises to be unique in its' class, and will be available this Fall on the iTunes App Store.

10/22/2010 - The Necronomicon Horror has been submitted to Apple and we expect it to be available any day now.

Watch the Necronomicon game play video trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9Qghq4AcC4

For more information about the game visit our website at: http://www.lucidspheremedia.com