Cthulhu Virtual Pet

In Cthulhu Virtual Pet players must raise and take care of the Lovecraftian deity. The screen has meters for Cthulhu's hunger, energy, health, happiness, weight and prayer of witnesses. The player must keep Cthulhu well fed, healthy and happy, while keeping him clean and his weight within an acceptable range. To do so, players can buy food (to feed Cthulhu); food items usually refill the hunger and happiness meter, but also makes Cthulhu heavier. To lose weight, Cthulhu must exercise by destroying cities or sinking ships, for instance. From time to time the player has to bath and clean Cthulhu's waste. Keeping him or his environment dirty for too long can make him sick. Most actions cost energy to be performed. Energy can be replenished by turning a lantern off, putting Cthulhu to sleep.

If the happiness meter falls too low, Cthulhu turns against his own witnesses devouring them. He has a maximum of 10 witnesses which can be resurrected if eaten. Keeping witnesses alive is important because their prayers increase his level up bar. Leveling up takes more time if less witnesses are alive. Leveling up is what takes Cthulhu from a newborn to fully grown adult.

Every item bought to satisfy Cthulhu's needs costs a price in "pieces", the game's currency. Pieces are won by playing mini games, which also entertain Cthulhu, raising up his happiness meter. The available mini games are:

• The first minigame is a roguelike, players must move a Cthulhu minion to the exit of a top-down map by moving him one space at a time; monsters will move when the minion moves. He starts with a given amount of energy which is spent by moving or fighting monsters. Collecting food gives him energy. The more days (screens) Cthulhu survives, the more pieces are rewarded in the end.
• In a second game, players must tap the screen to flip Cthulhu's minion, making him move up or down collecting coins. There are spikes in the top and bottom of the screen that must be avoided and there are rocks that come from the sides.
• In the third minigame, players must build bridges to cross gaps between platforms. The bridges are built by tapping and holding the screen, the longer the player holds, the bigger the bridge. Building bridges that are too short or too long will kill the minion.
• The fourth mini game involves unlocking a padlock by tapping the screen in the exact moment a cursor passes over marked dots on a circle. Each new padlock has a lock that requires more taps to unlock
• In fifth minigame players must tap on the right and left sides of the screen to make the minion run through a maze. Passing gates awards pieces.
• In the sixth minigame the player controls a ball running in a circular maze. Spikes will appear on the top and bottom of the track and players must tap on the screen to make the ball avoid those spikes.
• In the seventh and last minigame, called Shoot, players must shoot a ball from the center of the screen. A geometric form (usually a circle) with spaces circles around the ball and players have to estimate the best time to shoot the ball through such spaces.