Name: Eternal Darkness
Platform: GameCube
Type: Psychological Horror
Players: 1
Difficulty: Moderate/Hard
Rating: M for violence and fright factor
Review Rating: A scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best, 1 being the worst.
TEASER
You are Alex Roivas, the last surviving member of your family, investigating your grandfather's sudden and violent death. Upon being left alone in his estate two weeks later, Alex begins her search for the key to her grandfather's demise. Her wanderings throughout the large home take her to the library and from there to her grandfather's private study, where she discovers a book bound in human skin and bone sitting in disarray on his desk. This is the Tome Of Eternal Darkness. Intrigued, and hoping for clues, Alex sits down and begins reading the strange book, letting herself in on a centuries-long conspiracy that she is, quite literally, sitting right on top of.
Get used to seeing Alex sitting there and reading, because that's what she does for most of the game except when she gets up to solve an occasional puzzle to recover the next chapter pages. As the chapters proceed, you will find yourself embodied in the previous owners of the Tome and acting out their chapters as they play a part in the overall plot, gradually leading up to present-day.
CATEGORY RATINGS
Graphics: 8/10
They are standard fare for the GameCube.
Nothing horribly extraordinary, but they get their point across and work
with what they have very well. The subtlety of the backgrounds makes it
seem all the creepier when insanity-induced hallucinations start happening
later.
Sound: 10/10
Very well done. The dialogue is believable,
the conversations are fluid, and the noises are very well-placed in their
according atmospheres without becoming annoying. The narrated passage from
Edgar Allen Poe at the very beginning is, by far, an example of atmospheric
noises at their finest.
Music: 7/10
Your typical brooding minor-key music
that seems to haunt all of the horror video games. It sets the scene decently,
but some of the musical jingles get a tad on your nerves. I could do without
the frantic Egyptian music every time I discover a secret, for example.
In other places, the music makes up for its minor annoyances by setting
the atmosphere incredibly well. The melody playing whenever Alex finishes
a chapter and looks up from the book is enough to give you goosebumps if
you're in the right mood.
Control: 7/10
While some of the players have excellent
control and response time, others are a bit sluggish, which makes it hard
to navigate them at crucial moments. There will also come times when you
need something from your inventory and your cursor will merrily skitter
over it five or six times before you can actually select it.
Items: 10/10
You get all manner of stuff in this
game and all of it has a vital use... swords, crossbows, guns, daggers,
lucky pennies, scrolls, torn journal pages, broken vases, the hearts of
sleeping elder gods... you get the idea.
Plot: 9/10
Very involved, very deep, perhaps a
bit TOO deep. My only gripe with this game's storyline is that it becomes
very difficult to understand what's going on after a point and requires
you to actually sit down and puzzle it out for awhile and go back through
the cinema cutscenes a few times to get the whole story.
Size: 10/10
More than big enough with plenty to
explore, twelve very long levels, and lots of ground to cover.
Length: 10/10
Each level takes anywhere from fifteen
minutes to a half-hour to beat, sometimes longer depending on how stubborn
you are about finding a strategy guide to look at. Unless you make a habit
out of camping in front of your GameCube all day, it's hard to beat all
of this in one sitting.
Combat: 6/10
It gets repetitive. If you've slain
one horror or zombie, you've slain them all. The bosses follow the typical
"Figure out my pattern and I'm easy to defeat" scheme, making the final
encounter with them a bit disappointing.
Fear Factor: 9/10
All of the elements of the gameplay
come together to make you feel, at the least, uneasy while wandering the
temples and the abandoned mansion. While the baddies get a little repetitive,
there are other things that more-than-adequately invoke a fear response
from the player. To see what I'm talking about, try visiting the upstairs
bathroom and looking in the tub. Hehehe...
Replay Value: 7/10
It's quite an accomplishment to get
all the way through Eternal Darkness the first time, but when you later
discover that in order to get the actual ending you must play through it
two more times, it gets a bit daunting. However, Eternal Darkness recognizes
this and so it alters your path slightly with different monsters and characters
so you'll have a bit of variety, sugar-coating the fact that you will have
to play it from the beginning all over again.
Overall Gameplay Experience: 8/10
This is definitely one to look at, even if you're not much of a fan of horror. It draws you in, plays with your head, and is like watching a very long and engaging movie.
SPECIAL FEATURES
1. Insanity
An interesting feature this game has,
along with the typical "Health" and "Magic" meters, is that you are also
given a "Sanity" meter. The sanity meter depletes as you encounter various
monsters... the strain of seeing half-rotted zombies, apparently, is too
much for your puny mind to comprehend. However, for every enemy you kill
and finish off, a bit of your sanity is restored. The most interesting/aggravating
part about the Sanity Meter is that as it decreases, weird things begin
to happen to both your character and you, the one behind the controller.
Your player may suddenly begin to hear
whispered voices or footsteps behind them. Zombies will materialize out
of nowhere, even if they aren't really there. There is even a chance,
when playing as a certain character, that upon entering a room when your
sanity level is low, your head will fall off. Your player will then pick
it up, recite Shakespeare to it, and place it in his inventory.
Coupled with the insanity your player
exhibits, Eternal Darkness will also try to share the experience with you.
The game will spontaneously mute itself, your character will freeze and
you will recieve a message that the player-one controller is not plugged
in during a battle, the game will pretend to reset itself, flies will appear
to land on the screen and walk across it, you may recieve a Windows Bluescreen
Of Death (yes, on a GameCube game...), and then there is the ever-maddening
scenario where you save the game and it pretends to reset itself and informs
you that your memory card is completely wiped. Good times.
2. Magic
From the first level of this game where
you are faced with choosing an artifact to summon your elder god of choice,
Magic is a big factor in your gameplay. (Hint: Choosing the red artifact
means the enemies will take more health from you when you're attacked.
Green will have a greater effect on the amount of sanity lost while battling.
Blue will drain you more while casting spells).
A gimmick Eternal Darkness has is the
creation of spells and magic that you will need to use throughout the game
to solve certain puzzles. Before you can remind me that a LOT of games
involve spell-casting, this one does not give them to you ready-made for
use, making it all the more difficult.
The earlier spells you will learn to
do involve basic healing and sanity-restoration, which is where a player's
Magic Meter becomes crucial.
You will acquire various stone tablets
featuring elements needed to make power circles and, likewise, you will
find power runes scattered throughout the levels. While you are given the
basic formulas for spells that can be cast, it is up to you to tailor them
for use in particular situations.
The magic in this game is categorized
into three elements: Red (Body), Green (Mind) and Blue (Spirit). Some beasties
you encounter will be powered by a certain sort of element, and it is up
to you to figure out what it is and enchant your weapon of choice with
the opposing color to defeat the monster. If a certain element-themed blockade
stands in your way, you will need to enchant the key element needed to
dispell it (i.e., a green-enchanted door can be opened with a red-enchanted
key).
Power Key: Red beats Green beats Blue
beats Red.
Another neat thing this game offers
is the ability to cast advanced spells that can do anything from summon
a beastie that will be at your control to casting a barrier of warding
that will hurt all who come near you while it is in effect. The trick is
figuring out which combination of Runes and Codices (Antorbok, Magormor,
Santak, Narokath, Redgormor, Bankorok, Nethlek, Aretak, Tier, Pargon) creates
which circle of power. A hint, for those of you who don't like strategy
guides, is to watch and take notes on later monsters who will cast advanced
spells to protect themselves and attack you.
3. Autopsy
When you play as a character who has
a medical background, you can perform autopsies on fallen bogeys and monsters
to learn more about what makes them tick, information about their species,
and their weak points. A little hard to master at first, but if an autopsy
is successful it will be logged in your journal for later use.
CHARACTER RATINGS
1. Pious: 10/10
You play the first chapter as Pious
Augustus in the year 26 BC. Upon following his orders to look for artifacts
in an abandoned area of Persia, he is drawn into a circle of runes and
transported into a strange ancient temple. As Pious, you have no sanity
level and are armed with a Gladius to defeat the lurking zombies you encounter.
The zombies, at this point, are pretty pathetic and Pious has a long health
meter, so you should be fine... it's a pretty safe assumption that the
creators wanted you to beat this level as, without it, it would be impossible
to set the stage. As you complete the level, you will discover that Pious
has been chosen by the Ancient Gods to be their mortal contact and ready
things for their eventual second-coming to overthrow Mantarok, the Ancient
God already residing on and protecting Earth. AKA, we now have our head-honcho
bad guy.
2. Ellia: 6/10
She is a dancer in the court of Suryavarman
II, in the year 1150 AD, in what is now Cambodia. She is drawn to the same
temple Pious was and has discovered the Tome Of Darkness which she reads,
thinking it is only a storybook, and later finds herself to be chosen as
one of Mantarok's protectors. She is the first character to be given a
sanity meter, and as such is given a moderately normal one -- not too great,
but not too shabby either. Another plus is, on her journies through the
temple, she discovers a magical necklace with the power to heal her back
to nearly-full health ten times. Since you don't know magic yet, this is
a plus. Her weapon of choice is a short sword which, really, is not all
that great of a weapon as you have to be in closer proximity with your
enemy to make any real use of it, and getting within range costs you your
sanity points. She will also find a blowgun deeper within the temple; it's
a good distance weapon but not worth having to wait for the poison to work
on your enemies. Overall, a mediocre character at best.
3. Anthony: 8/10
Anthony is a page to the court of Charlemagne,
in Ancient France, the year 814 AD. He is given a message to take to Emperor
Charlemagne with strict instructions that the words in the scroll are only
for his emperor's eyes. Curiousity getting the better of him, Anthony opens
and reads the scroll himself, finding himself immediately cursed. This
curse gets to be quite annoying as the level progresses, turning you further
and further into a hunchbacked zombie creature that moves at the speed
of paint drying. To make up for this annoyance, however, Anthony cannot
die in this level and also gets to wield one of the game's best weapons
-- The Two-Edged Sword.
4. Karim: 9/10
A Persian from the year 565 AD on a
mission to retrieve an artifact for a young lady he is trying to win the
heart and hand of. He is drawn to Mantarok's temple by a beckoning voice
and soon finds himself at the heart of it. Compared to the other characters,
Karim is fully decked-out with a Tulwar (for fun combat, see if you can
find the second Tulwar later in the level and combine them), 19 Chakrams,
and a Talisman that can heal him five times. He will later find a Ram Dao,
an enormous sword that can knock over several enemies in a single swing.
Its drawback, however, is that it's a slow-weilder due to its size. Add
to this that his health stats are awesome and that his sanity meter is
only slightly less than average, and he's pretty dang good.
5. Dr. Maximillian Roivas: 7/10
He is the first character whose story
actually takes place in Alex's grandfather's manor in Rhode Island, in
the year 1760 AD. He writes in his journal, following the death of his
father, that the mansion is now his and so too are its secrets. A bit on
the chubby side, Max can't run as fast as the others, which makes it hard
to escape when the bogeys are closing in on you. His meters are all good,
although he is slightly lacking in the Magic Meter. His weapons of choice
are a Flintlock Pistol and a Sabre, neither of which are very impressive.
He's a bit aggravating to play as, but its all worth it to see him in a
straitjacket in a nuthouse in the end-of-chapter cutscene.
6. Dr. Edwin Lindsey: 10/10
An archaeologist, in the year 1983 AD.
When the government refuses to finance his expedition, he receives the
necessary funds from a collector, Paul Augustine (uh oh). In the temple,
they draw guns on each other and Paul becomes (Dun-dun-DUNNN) Pious, who
seals him inside. Edwin is an all-around good player. He has come equipped
with an Archeologist's Brush (for dusting off important panels and murals),
a torch (good for lighting darkness, and lacking that it makes a handy
weapon), and an automatic pistol with 56 bullets. Add in the fact that
his stats are about the same as Max's, and he's just awesome. Unfortunately,
the bogeys really start to bear down on you in his chapter and it is not
as easy as it seems to keep yourself sane and healthy, even with all of
the equipment.
7. Paul Luther: 5/10
A Franciscan monk in France, the year
1485 AD. He seeks lodging in a cathedral in the village of Amiens (you
will find that this cathedral looks mighty familiar...). His sanity is
decent, but not extraordinary, and his health is completely pathetic so
it becomes a contest trying to keep him alive. When he starts out, all
Paul has is a meditation rod which he can use to restore his sanity three
times. As you play, you will later recieve a crossbow and a mace as your
weapons. The crossbow, while it gets a good range, is annoyingly-slow to
load and does nothing at a close range. Bah! Paul's death scene, however,
is one of the coolest points of the game and well-worth playing through
his level.
8. Roberto Bianchi: 4/10
An architect in the Renaissance, in
the year 1460 AD. When we join him, he is currently down in a hole being
bullied by soldiers to survey the site. His health is decent, his sanity
is okay, but his magic meter is awful. To add insult to injury, you don't
have anything but a torch when you first enter the temple. He will later
acquire a Saif which, while it is powerful, takes him forever and a day
to swing. However, you will also later acquire a crossbow... yes, the same
sort Paul got in the previous level. Good at a distance, but useless at
close-range and takes too long to load. *Le Sigh*
9. Peter Jacob: 6/10
An English journalist, in 1916 AD, in
the very same Oublie Cathedral as we met Anthony and Paul in, which is
now a field hospital. He writes of the horror that is war, not knowing
the horror he himself will soon see. This guy has decent health, okay magic,
but he is lacking in the sanity department. Peter starts off with a flash
pan, five charges of flash powder and *drumroll* a lucky penny (I kid you
not). There's plenty of ammo for your revolver, and someone's even
nice enough to give you a magical elixir near the end of the level. Unfortunately
this is also where you meet and do battle with one of the hardest monsters
of the game. Not the best, but not the worst.
10. Dr. Edward Roivas: 7/10
This is Alex's grandfather as he appeared
in the year 1952 AD, in the Roivas family estate in Rhode Island. Edward
wanted to know more about his family's tragic past, so he begins to search
the mansion. Immediately, Ed and I didn't get along because his only weapon
to start the level off with is a bottle of moonshine (comedically titled
"Liquid Courage") that contains seven draughts of sanity-restoring goodness.
*HIC!* His health is lower than the buff warriors you've had a chance to
play as before him, but his Sanity and Magic are through the roof. He later
acquires a Sabre, an elephant gun (watch out for the recoil on this one,
it knocks you flat on your back), and a shotgun, along with a bucketload
of ammo so... I can't hold too much of a grudge with him.
11. Michael Edwards: 6/10
A Canadian firefighter in the Middle
East, the year 1991 AD. He's part of a special firefighting team dealing
with the oil fires Desert Storm started, and his team is preparing explosives
to eat up the oxygen in the area to settle the fire. After the charges
go off prematurely and you are knocked out, finding yourself in a cave,
it's time to get down to business. Mike starts off with a flashlight and
a fire axe. It's better than the bottle of booze Ed had, but not spectacular.
He has good health, but his sanity and magic are pretty much non-existant.
Mike will later acquire a pistol and assault rifle (lock 'n load, baby)
from a fallen soldier. It's a shame they gave the character with the worst
stats the best weapons.
12: Alex Roivas: 9/10
That's right, at the very last level, Alex finally gets to do some actual fighting. She's read through the book, she's been visited by ghosts, she's dispelled all sorts of magical boobytraps around her grandfather's house, and now it's time to go fulfill her destiny and stop the rival Elder Gods from moving in. All of Alex's meters are very generous, which is good because you will need all the help you can get by the time you face Pious after slogging through all manner of traps and bogeys. Your weapon is an enchanted Gladius which you acquire early on in the game. It's not spectacular, but it gets the job done.
OVERALL
1. Pros:
Very good plot
No restrictions on the number of items
you can carry (Take THAT, Resident Evil!)
Believable characters
Nice fluid movements
Flowing dialog
Extended gameplay
Good interactivity
Challenging puzzles
2. Cons:
Confusing
Having to play the game three times
to get the real ending
Hard to tell if you're really having
game troubles or if its just E.D. messing with you.
Very time-consuming
Needs 15 blocks for six save slots
on your memory card.
A glitch in Chapter Six -- after the
statue in front of Mantorok opens a door in the back of the room, if you
leave the room and then return, the door will be closed with no way to
open it and you will have to start over from your last save point. Danged
programmers.
Final Note: This is a fun game that
will, if nothing else, help Nintendo shed their "kiddie" image and be used
as a stepping stone for bigger and better things. The only thing that could
make me love this game more is if it someday gets its own feature-length
movie (seeing as how a movie company bought the rights to it not too long
ago, this may not be long-in-coming).
"My Dear Tourist,
I will always be at your side.
There are times when insanity takes
hold, and nothing seems right.
During those times I will help you.
Fear not, for I will keep the darkness
away..."
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