I’ve had one beady eye on Lovecraftian park management game The Eldritch Zookeeper ever since its announcement last year. Things have seemingly been ticking along nicely since then, with its new trailer flaunting a lot more polish and, more importantly, the majestic HypnoLlama.
The Eldritch Zookeeper is the work of Canadian developer Cranktrain Games and takes inspiration from Bullfrog classics such as Theme Park and Dungeon Keeper. It casts players, tricked by a “particularly well-dressed skeleton”, as the custodian of an accursed zoo – one in which the exhibits consist primarily of antediluvian beasts from beyond the cosmic veil.
On a fundamental level, that means it’s pretty much business as usual in the heady world of park management games. You’ll need to construct an attraction that can cater for every possible whim of your guests – whipping up the likes of ice-cream stands, smoothie shops, bathrooms, and other amenities – and ensure you’ve an appealing assortment of (ideally happy, not hungry) creatures in your enclosures to keep the crowds coming in.
As the new Eldritch Zookeeper trailer above demonstrates, however, the challenges of park management are somewhat different when dealing with monstrosities from the endless void. The newly arrived HypnoLlama, for instance, is capable of mind-controlling your paying customers when it starts to feel a little bit neglected.
Needless to say, the introduction of the HypnoLlama has done nothing to temper my intrigue for The Eldritch Zookeeper. And while us management fans are a bit spoiled for choice right now (what with the likes of Two Point Hospital, Parkitect, Rimworld, Megaquarium, and Parkasaurus), Cranktrain’s offering looks to set itself apart, not just in theme, but in its apparent eschewing of traditional omniscient interactions for a more hands-on approach.
Sadly, there’s no release date for The Eldritch Zookeeper just yet, but it’s said to be coming to “a variety of platforms” soon – and there’s a Steam page available, should you care to keep watch for further developments.
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