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Editorials   Eternal Darkness Impressions
- By Lander Clinton

This isn't an actual review so I put this as an "editorial," for lack of any better idea.

I chose the blue path with Pious Augustus and am right now stuck with Karim. Although I've been running back and forth not knowing what to do, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is one of the coolest games ever made.

First off, I have to say that if this game couldn't be classified as an "adventure" game, the next logical genre would be "puzzle." I shot a rifle in an opening sequence where I have to lose, and I used some blow darts to kill two zombies. Other than that I have shot nothing, which stops all hope of this game being called a "shooter."

The fighting has been almost exclusively hack 'n slash so far, as most of the characters live before guns were available in vending machines (that was for you Critic fans...). Although you can't move while you target an enemy, you can hit them, stop targeting them, and run somewhere else if you want. Running in the game restores magic, which can be used to restore health, which is effected by low sanity, which is restored by fighting. It's a well balanced system. Don't worry, the game teaches you everything as you go.

The puzzles in the game are farely easy to grasp (except whatever I'm supposed to do with Karim right now), but this game is really about humanity adventuring through the ages to save itself.

I've barely begun to grasp the story, but I'd like to offer some spoilers: WEIRD CRAP HAPPENS!

Some insanity effects attempt to freak out my character and some attempt to freak out me, but they make the game feel so alive (or rather, undead). Knowing that insanity can grip you at any time in any room makes the game feel very unlinear. Throw in the fact that there are three paths to take at the beginning and you know you're not seeing the same things everyone else is.

I have a feeling a fourth way through the game will be made available after completing the first three, since I keep seeing symbols colored red, blue, green, and purple throughout the game, but there is no purple path to choose.

Okay, spoiler time, here are the effects I've seen so far:

the world starts to sway

my character's body falls apart

my character starts talking to him/herself

bugs crawl across my screen

walls and ceilings bleed

I hear people crying

my screen suddenly turns off and then comes back on

people laugh at me when I die (that happens a lot though)

doors that can open won't

people knock on doors when I approach them

There are probably some more that I'm forgetting. Often I'll go into a room and one of these effects will happen, then there'll be a flash and I'll have never gone into that room.

Some things that I think happen even if you're sane are:

Alex Roivas sees herself dead in a bathtub

A bust (a stone head and shoulders, not the good kind) watches you

When Alex is reading about Karim he has a vision about her reading about him (like the Never Ending Story!)

Look for a full review of this ADVENTURE game from someone on NAdventures.