Identity V is a 4 vs. 1 Survival Horror game developed by NetEase. The game features four Survivors trying to escape and one Hunter trying to catch them.
Hastur as he appears in Identity V
Hastur appears in the game as one of many playable Hunter characters. The characters in the game are known by titles. In the English translation, Hastur's title is The Feaster, but in other languages, his title is The King In Yellow.
Appearance[]
Hastur is a tall octopus-humanoid who has tentacles that act as legs. Although his lower-half appears to be physical, his insides seem to be made of scarlet gas. He has red bandaged arms that can transform into a long, blue tentacle. One can see a total of four eyes on his body: three inside his hood and one peeking out from a hole in his robe.
He dons a yellow and white ragged hooded robe that covers most of his body. A strange circular object floats behind him that consists of sticks, strings, and multiple smaller objects attached to the strings.
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Backstory[]
According to the game's official site:
Once a messenger appeared clad in a yellow robe prophesying the catastrophic arrival of a dynasty; this messenger was known as the Feaster, him who is not to be named. He is the embodiment of calamity and suffering, but those with curious hearts have always tried to seek him out in the hope of being enlightened and learning the truth of the world.
Further Information[]
This game features only limited amounts of information about the characters' stories, leaving a lot up to interpretation. This is mostly revealed through each character's Deduction Clues, short one- or two-sentence bits of story that are revealed as a reward for certain achievements in the game using the character in question. Hastur's Deduction Clues involve a Lakeside Village that is said to be peaceful, and full of "true believers", but after a time, the villagers all disappear. It also mentions a horror novelist who wrote a novel based on a visit to the village, and was later killed.
Characters' stories are also revealed in letters every year on their birthdays, or "commemoration days", for Hunters who are not human enough to have birthdays. Unusually, even compared to the other Hunters, none of Hastur's material is from his own point of view. All of it is from the point of view of humans who are not close to him at all, but view him as a mystery.
The Lakeside Village also exists as a playable map within the game.
Stage Play[]
Hastur in the stage play.
Hastur appears in all three episodes of the stage play series produced in Japan in 2019-2021. He is played by Hino Arata. Though his form is monstrous, he acts as a benevolent deity within the manor, advising and consoling the other characters but rarely taking direct involvement in the story. This is also because he has not been a featured character, but a side member of the very large cast.
Other Mythos Connections[]
Other characters connected to the Cthulhu Mythos include:
Priestess[]
Fiona Gilman, the Priestess, seems to be a devotee of Yog-Sothoth or Hastur. Her name, and her power to create portals, connect to Lovecraft's story The Dreams in the Witch House. She is a playable Survivor character. Unlike other Survivors, who came to the manor in response to invitation letters that they received, Fiona says she was guided there by a spirit.
Dream Witch[]
Yidhra, the Dream Witch, is another playable Hunter character. Her name is derived from a mention in Lovecraft's work.
Evil Reptilian[]
Luchino, the Evil Reptilian, is a former human transformed into a lizard-like being due to a bite from a supernatural lizard that seems to be connected to Yidhra. He is a playable Hunter character in the game.
Other Influenced[]
Several other characters have stories with a general Lovecraftian air to them. These include Margaretha, the Dancer (Survivor), who escaped from the Lakeside Village, and Joseph, the Photographer (Hunter), who experimented with dark magic photography, possibly in search of immortality, and traveled the world in search of books to help him, possibly including the Necronomicon.
These appear alongside figures from history and legends around the world, such as the Heibai Wuchang, Chinese underworld deities; Marie Antoinette, the executed queen of France; several characters associated with a tragic murder in a circus; several characters associated with a horrific orphanage and asylum; an entomologist who likely killed her husband; soldiers, sailors, witches, druids, sports players, and more.