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Intro  You've
just inherited the family mansion, congratulations! Well, there is also the small
fact that the house also holds a key to keeping the ancient entities, known as
the Ancients, at bay, all while small groups of people do all that is in their
power to see that the Ancients return. As you read the history, you will reenact
the past and face the future as you're now the chosen one, and it will be up to
you to stand the storm and keep the world from eternal darkness.Gameplay: 9.5/10 Eternal Darkness is played out in several different segments that are spread throughout history. From a Roman soldier to an Indiana Jones-esque explorer, vast amounts of weapons will become available, as will new spells. The game is told through one main story that is set in the present and while all the weapons might not carry over into the current world, the magic does. Each story tells the tale of a normal person who was put in an extraordinary situation and given the task of keeping the world safe from Ancient beings who wish to do it harm. Whether the persons went into the situation for love, fame, or conquest, they all ended up in the same situation, and while some faltered, the others lived up to the task. The game is played with the main character being in present day, but as she reads through a book, she relives the lives of the people that have been given the role of protector before her. Pious Augustus, the Roman soldier, is the first tale told and as he finds his way in a cavern, he will pick one of three ancients, and then he will fold and go towards evil. There are several more characters afterwards, each with their own back-story and place within the overall world. With the stories intertwined, Eternal Darkness has an extremely polished feel to it and really plays out like a fantastic adventure more so than anything else. That isn't to say that there isn't going to be some bloodcurdling screams though. Each of the characters must face trials of vast horrors and try to keep their head about them, for every time a monster is seen, the character loses a bit more of their sanity. The lower the sanity meter goes, the more outrageous Eternal Darkness becomes as the game will pretend to delete your save files, stop in that moment and tell you 'Thanks for playing!' and ask that you pick up the full version, or even show illusions of monsters that aren't really there. To regain sanity, a finishing move must be performed on the monster that was seen. The finishers can be particularly satisfying since specific body parts can be targeted and attack - cut off the head, the monster can't see, cut off the arms and it's can't attack - so it's nice to maul and finish off a nasty that was troublesome. The aforementioned weapons and spells also make their presence known throughout the various segments. Players will get to fight off the undead using shotguns, swords, torches, pistols, and a variety of other sharpened objects. While the modern weapons had their charms, I found the older, melee weapons to be much more efficient and enjoyable. The variety of spells are also as plentiful as the weapons as each spell requires several pieces for it to work, but they also have varying degrees of working depending on which rune is used to cast it; a reveal invisible spell might not work the first few times, but casting it on a different rune will make it work, it can get confusing at times, but there are quick cast spell keys and a list to chose from without wasting time. There are some pretty enjoyable spells that will enchant items, heal the player, or my favorite, put up a force field so the gamer gets the same treatment as the computer as they shoot and hack their enemies, all while an invisible barrier knocks back any who try to break through. In short, the player has a good amount of defensive and offensive mechanisms at their disposal, and all I can say is that it's about time! The game's action keeps the pace up and the puzzles never prove too difficult to solve, helping the overall flow of the game stay steady. Having the game in various segments also lends itself to being the perfect title to play through and leave, but being able to come back to and play some more, without having to backtrack and remember what all was done; at the same time, it is also a great title to play for extended periods because it's always fun and interesting to see what time period will be next. With the atmosphere of Silent Hill 2, the look of Resident Evil, and a play-style all its own, Eternal Darkness proves that a horror title doesn't need to be slow and methodical, it can have fast combat, sensible puzzles, and still retain the creepy elements that make it overly addictive. Eternal Darkness is exactly what the GameCube and the industry needs; the GameCube gets another fantastic title to add to its library and the industry gets another example of how gaming can be just as a powerful of a medium as anything else in conveying a fantastic story.
Graphics: 8/10 Sound:
10/10 Control:
8.5/10 Overall:
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