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Cthulhu Saves the World has an unofficial Linux port available

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The comedic retro-inspired RPG has been brought to Linux thanks to porter Ethan Lee and FNA. You can now aid the horrifying Cthulhu in his quest to save the world in order to ruin it properly later.

In response to an announcement to a sequel to Cthulhu Saves the World, Ethan Lee AKA flibitijibibo has made a unofficial port for the original and a few other previously Windows-only games. As a quick reminder FNA is a reimplementation of the proprietary XNA API created by Micrsosoft and quite a few games were made with that technology. We’ve gotten several ports thanks to FNA over the years though Ethan himself has mostly moved on to other projects like working on FAudio and Steam Play.

To get your copy of Cthulhu Saves the World working on Linux you’ll need to follow the instructions and download the files posted by Ethan here. The steps are fairly simple:

Instructions
 
  1. Extract the version for your OS

  2. Copy 'CSTW.exe', 'CSTW.pdb', and 'Content' from the Windows version to the executable directory. On Linux it's the 'CSTW/' folder, on macOS it's 'CSTW.app/Contents/MacOS/'.

  3. Get the md5sum of 'Content/Movies/CSTW_intro2.wmv'.

  4. Extract CSTW_Xiph.zip, merging the Content folder with the one that already exists from copying the original game. The password is the md5sum from step 3!

  5. The game should now run! Run ./CSTW on Linux, open CSTW.app on macOS.

 

I got it working without much fuss and played some of the heroic Cthulhu’s quest. The game itself is a few years old and is directly inspired by the RPGs of an earlier era. That said, there’s a few twists that set it apart from its inspirations. Battles are generally faster and have a very Cthulhu-esque twist as inflicting insanity upon enemies has both up and downsides. It doesn’t require much of a grind either; battles in areas become optional after a number of encounters. This coupled with the ability to save anywhere and health restoring between battles makes players able to take the game at their own pace.

As you might also expect, the game has a very tongue-in-cheek tone. The story is silly and Cthulhu only wants to become a hero to unseal his powers and then destroy the world. The cast of characters you encounter and join your party are also odd—you have to have a few screws loose to join up with Cthulhu, after all. Enemies also have creative short descriptions and varied abilities and if you’re into the parody aspects then it’s a fun and engaging ride.

I reached out to the developers of Cthulhu Saves the World, Zeboyd games, to see if there was any chance of making this and Breath of Death VII ported officially and distributed. I have not heard back from them as of the time of publishing this article.

Still, it’s an impressive port and one that underscores just how important it is to have quality cross-platform tools available. It’s good to see Ethan Lee back to porting titles and hopefully he’ll work on more official ports in the future.

If you need a copy of Cthulhu Saves the World to play the unofficial port you can get one on Steam.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Retro, RPG, Steam
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About the author -
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History, sci-fi, technology, cooking, writing and playing games are things I enjoy very much. I'm always keen to try different genres of games and discover all the gems out there.

Oh and the name doesn't mean anything but coincidentally could be pronounced as "Buttery" which suits me just fine.
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8 comments

Alm888 Aug 19, 2019
QuoteI reached out to the developers of Cthulhu Saves the World, Zeboyd games, to see if there was any chance of making this and Breath of Death VII ported officially and distributed. I have not heard back from them as of the time of publishing this article.

They'd better make CSH for Linux, as they promised! :><:

Though cookies, though. They are actively ignoring Linux backers now.
BTRE Aug 19, 2019
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Quoting: Alm888They'd better make CSH for Linux, as they promised! :><:
They have.
Alm888 Aug 19, 2019
Quoting: BTREThey have.

No, they have not. I don't see a Linux logo or system requirements on the Steam page. By hiding "beta version" (with known flaws) under the "beta branch" they took all responsibility off their hands. In case something goes wrong (and it goes) -- we are nobodies and no one promised us anything.

Besides, it is STEAM EXCLUSIVE (like it is any better than Epic Store Exclusive!) and they are promised DRM-free version which is… well, can be found on… less than legal… stores with the apt epigraph: "Providing DRM-free release, because the developers couldn't be arsed to do so."

Just in case, I am a backer.


Last edited by Alm888 on 19 August 2019 at 4:29 pm UTC
EagleDelta Aug 19, 2019
Quoting: Alm888Besides, it is STEAM EXCLUSIVE (like it is any better than Epic Store Exclusive!) and they are promised DRM-free version which is… well, can be found on… less than legal… stores with the apt epigraph: "Providing DRM-free release, because the developers couldn't be arsed to do so."

Ok:

  • It's not a Steam Exclusive and does have a DRM free version: https://www.gog.com/game/cosmic_star_heroine

  • Just because it's on Steam doesn't mean the Steam version is not DRM-free. If you don't have to have the client open to run the game, then it's DRM free.

  • Valve IS far better than most game companies. They have contributed greatly to Open Source (and created a few new projects) in the last several years. Just don't expect them to open source the Steam client. That would take a lot more effort than it sounds like.




Last edited by EagleDelta on 19 August 2019 at 7:11 pm UTC
Alm888 Aug 19, 2019
Quoting: EagleDelta
I seriously did not want to comment on this pile of… arguments.

1) No, GOG does not have the game at all. Or are you suggesting me to "eat what's been served" e.g. the Windows version?
2) It has been discussed to death by this point. Steam IS DRM per se. Period. The thing that you are OK with it does not affect the fact.
3) Just like with Socrates: What is "evil"? Evil is when the other tribe comes to our village and kills our men and rapes our women. So, what's "good" then? Good is when we do the same to the other tribes!
So there are "bad exclusives" and "good exclusives" now? What a two-faced logic!
BTRE Aug 19, 2019
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Can we please keep discussion on the subject of Cthulhu saves the world and its unofficial port? If you want to discuss what is DRM or not, use the forums. No more weird rape analogies or whatever else please.
saffyre Aug 20, 2019
Sorry for the stupid question, but.. if the game is Windows-only, how are we supposed to get the game files on Linux or Mac? I own the game, but it won't install on my laptop via Steam, because it just complains that I'm on an "invalid platform." Is there any way to do this without owning a Windows machine?
BTRE Aug 20, 2019
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Quoting: saffyreSorry for the stupid question, but.. if the game is Windows-only, how are we supposed to get the game files on Linux or Mac? I own the game, but it won't install on my laptop via Steam, because it just complains that I'm on an "invalid platform." Is there any way to do this without owning a Windows machine?
One of three ways:
1) Use the SteamCMD tool.
2) Right click on the game in the library, go to properties and tick "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool" (doesn't matter which since you only need the game data) and you'll be able to install it.
3) Enable Steam Play for all Windows titles in Steam->Settings->Steam Play
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