Reviews > Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
(GCN) 9.4
July 22, 2005
Out of nowhere, second party developer Silicon Knights has brought the Gamecube a game that breaks down gamers’ preconceived notions about horror games. Eternal Darkness is a third-person action game that has been dubbed a “psychological thriller” by the team at Silicon Knights, and for the most part, it does exactly what it aims to do.
Eternal Darkness is the story of several characters, all playing their part in an epic tale, spanning centuries. Alexandra Roivas is the first protagonist taken control of, and serves as the main character. The game begins in Alex’s dreams, where we first get a glimpse at the combat system, detailed later on. She wakes to a phone call informing her that her grandfather had been murdered, and ends up flying to his home, which just so happens to be a large, old house. (Don’t get the wrong idea, however, as this is no Resident Evil clone. It is definitely a different type of game altogether.) Alexandra decides to stay for a while, and snoop around the house for clues.
It is here that she discovers many secrets, and the Tome of Eternal Darkness. From the pages of this book, we are presented our story – each chapter leading to a different playable character from a different time, in a different part of the world. Between these chapters, there is Alex, slowly discovering that there is much more to her grandfather’s death than meets the eye. If all the characters and all the chapters in the game were to form a wheel, Alexandra and her exploration of the mansion would be the hub.
The writing in this game is top-notch. There are extensive descriptions of various aspects of the environment, and they are all written intelligently. For those who don’t like reading to be part of their video games, you’ll be glad to know that examining everything is not required to get through the game. The way the plot flows, twists, and turns back on itself makes it one of the better stories I’ve seen in a video game, but because the story is one of the most captivating aspects of Eternal Darkness, I’ll leave it for the reader to experience, rather than describe it here. You can be sure, however, that it involves good and evil, gods and men, magic and mystery (and yes, that was corny).
As previously stated, the game is broken into chapters. There are about a dozen in all, each with its own protagonist. This design serves to break any monotony in the game. Once a chapter feels like it should end, it does, and the player finds him/herself back in the mansion, controlling Alex and searching for the next chapter. This is meant quite literally, as the chapters are actually items that Alex must find – pages from the Tome of Eternal Darkness – before the next part of the story is presented.
It is a refreshing mechanic, and mansion segments are good transitions, rather than making the flow of the game feel choppy. Things characters acquire or learn in chapters serve Alex in the mansion, and allow for well-paced development. Some level design can be pretty basic with simple puzzles, but others are truly inspired with interesting and well thought out obstacles and progression. As the game advances, the difficulty, intricacy and depth curves smoothly to a higher level, and feels just right until the end. Some may find the pace so be somewhat slow, but the way Eternal Darkness unfolds will appeal to those who are tired of games that jump right in at the beginning, and then end hours before the credits. Eternal darkness is a game that is constantly climbing, right up to the final boss fight.
While on the subject, boss fights are few, and those that are there are not the best. There are, however, several mini-bosses, if you will, interspersed throughout the chapters. They are simply the less common enemies, usually guarding a magical rune or item, or sustaining a magical barrier blocking your progress. The lack of boss fights doesn’t leave the game feeling devoid of anything, though, as the chapters are drawn together by excellent storytelling. If there is no boss battle in an area, it is because a boss battle simply doesn’t belong.
All of the chapters begin and end with cutscenes, which are beautiful. The graphics as a whole are quite good, and the game always runs smoothly, even with multiple enemies onscreen. The character models lack the smoothest edges, but are still pretty nice. The playable characters are all different from each other, and represent the era and geographic location well. Facial expressions are especially well done, and bring the characters to life.
Enemy models are artistically very good, as conceptualized in the game’s autopsy reports, but the 3d models don’t always stack up to the playable characters. The rest of the game’s art ranges from incredible to average. The architecture encountered is excellent throughout, as are the designs for most of the environments. The atmosphere created by the game’s visuals is incredible, and really immerses the gamer. Many areas are simply beautiful, with great variety in texture and overall appearance, while others remain somewhat boring. For example, some of the middle-eastern locales are less striking than the European ones. Contrast in lighting is used very well in Eternal Darkness. Dark rooms with patches of light make for an eerie experience, and the many torches encountered cast real time light and shadow on surrounding surfaces. In fact, lighting in general is very fine in this game, as are the particle effects, which are not under- or over- done.
Camera angles are brilliant, and contribute greatly to the experience. There are crooked views down narrow hallways, overhead views through old rafters, and close-ups of your character. Even so, the camera never sacrifices its functionality for aesthetics.
Complimenting the graphical presentation of the game is some of the best audio one can find on the Gamecube (and it even comes in Pro Logic II). The voice acting is excellent. Characters are emotional and believable, and do a great job drawing the gamer in. Probably the worst is Alexandra, who has little dialog. Maximillian Roivas’s autopsy reports are especially good, as are the basic narrations by Edward Roivas, and the voice work of Pious Augustus. The voices of the ancients are all very fitting, and can even cause the gamer a bit of unease at times.
The sound effects are first-rate. Attention to detail brings the audio up a notch. Crackling torches, running water, and chirping birds are some of the ambient sounds incorporated into the various levels. While I was playing the game, one particular onlooker thought that the bird sounds were coming through an open window in the room. Enemy sounds are good, too. Different types make unique sounds, identifying them – even if shrouded in shadow. The sounds used for uncovering items or secrets, as well as the sounds made by the items as they are used, are great. Even the menus sound good, as the pages of the book turn.
The soundtrack is also very nice. The music for each area has its own distinctive feel, and really adds to the atmosphere. The boss fights cutscenes are backed but great music, and the sounds associated with the casting of magic are just as good as the rest.
Eternal Darkness takes a very different path when it comes to magic, (or magik, as the game calls it) and the system is particularly nice when it comes to the game’s smooth pacing. Learning magic involves acquiring circles of power, runes, codices, and optionally, spell scrolls. The system encourages experimentation and discovery, and it’s very rewarding when you figure out a new spell. Additionally, there are three types of magic, represented by red, green, and blue runes. Each type is most useful when used against one of the other three, and there is a broad spectrum of different spell options. Magik even plays a role in much of the puzzle-solving throughout the game. Overall, it is one of the most complete magic systems you’ll find in an action/adventure game.
The controls of Eternal Darkness are pretty basic. First of all, they in no way resemble the Resident Evil control scheme. Whichever direction the control stick goes, so goes the onscreen character. Holding the L button makes the character run and the B button searches the environment, interacts with objects, and picks up items.
The game implements an innovative and intuitive combat system. There are many weapons, both melee and ranged, and they vary across the different settings that the game spans. Each character has his or her own era-specific set of weapons, part of which must be found through gameplay. The downside, however, is that even though there are many different weapons, they basically boil down to the two types mentioned, and within those groups, the assorted options are fairly similar. That’s not to say that there is no variation, because the weapons do vary in strength and speed, but ultimately these differences don’t do much to change the experience.
When a player encounters enemies, the R button must be pressed to take an attack stance. The control stick is then used to direct the attack to specific body parts; up for the head, down for the waist, and left and right for the arms. Releasing and reapplying the R button does a quick switch between enemies, which is useful, because there can be many onscreen at once. After an enemy is thwarted, you can perform a finishing strike using the B button. This replenishes the sanity meter, which is one of the defining aspects of Eternal Darkness.
In addition to the health and magic meters, there is the sanity meter, which measures the characters’ mental stability as they experience more and more deranged circumstances. Each time a new monster is encountered, some sanity is lost, and it’s when this meter is depleted that the effects are made quite apparent. Every subsequent confrontation drains health from the character, and also affects the gamer himself. How? Well, you may be tricked into believing something about the game that isn’t entirely true. Think along the lines of Psycho Mantis, and that’s all I’ll give you. These effects only cease after sanity is recovered, but honestly, you won’t want them to.
Overall, there is no way I cannot recommend this game. It is one of the best on the Gamecube, and one of the best in the horror/thriller genre.
Design - 9.5
Visuals - 9
Audio - 9.5
Control - 8.5
Story - 10
Fun - 9.5
Value - 9.5
Style - 10
Overall: 9.4 (Outstanding)
