OVERALL {98%} ---> (VIP Golden Award)
Difficulty: Easy
Silicon Knights first game with Nintendo and probably the best for ages. Eternal Darkness is a survival horror game that moves from the slow yet amazing style of Resident Evil to a faster pace adventure with a perfect story.
Story:
This is where the game stands tall! The story is just awesome! There are several chapters with each unique character for each chapter. As you progress, everything simply evolves, from weapons, enemies to fighters and environments. The game talks about a family branch that experienced the hell of darkness. You start of in a nightmare of Alexandra Roivas (the main character). The plot starts to impress you as you keep shooting at the infinite zombies until the dream is cut out with the phone ringing! Hello! It's a detective reporting that Alex's grandfather had an unpleasant accident so Alex catches the next flight to town to be surprised with her grandpas' murder! Since the local cops aren't doing their investigation job well, Alex will have to do the hard work. You square off in the mansion looking for clues until you stumble upon the book of Darkness and the real action kicks off. You start with Pius Augustus, a Roman centurion and commander. Unfortunately for Pius, his ambition of life (that it has a greater purpose for him) turned out to be right but towards the wrong direction! You find 3 artefacts, blue, green and red. Depending on which you pick, the role of the game will change including the enemies, weak points, magic, etc. A cutscene shows up with the power of the artefact turning Pius into a skeleton like warrior that becomes the leader of the bad guys now but still under the leadership of the so-called God in the game (again, this is determined by which artefact you choose). You proceed to play as Alex and find more pages of the book, each chapter holds a unique character and his level and as you progress, you will uncover the truth after Dr. Edward Roivas murder and the secrets of the mansion.
Gameplay (10/10):
This is a survival horror adventure game which in my opinion overtops Resident Evil in term of story and innovation! The main character is a female and as you progress, the game is divided between chapters and actions as you play with 11 other characters starting for the Roman age with a Gladius and reaching the modern age of machinery. In this game, it's easy for you to manoeuvre through the enemy lines. Another thumbs up for this game is that you can point at a part of the enemies body that you with to attack so you hold the 'R' button and press up to aim at the head, then hit with 'A' to chop it off! Although you can't do the same with the legs, it's still possible with the arms and upper body. As you progress you'll learn more about your characters meters. The red meter is for you health and increases as you progress. The same is with the blue meter (magic) and green meter (sanity). Watch out for the meters especially the green one as the real innovation and uniqueness will be shown through this meter. You're heart may drop to your feet as well!
The controller is comfortable for such actions as holding 'L' allows you to run, 'R' locks on an enemy and changes targets, 'Z' reloads, holding 'X' while moving allows you to sneak, 'A' attacks and is used as the action button in the menu or pause screen. 'B' is the action button in the game as it allows you to pick up and examine items and objects. The + Pad allows you to do quick spells which plays a major role in the game.
Although the camera can't be controlled by the player through the C-stick, it's still decent and nothing to complain about. Using magic spells will require the tome of eternal darkness and a combination of runes. You'll also find scrolls that will guide you and there are 3 magic powers consisting of 3 slots, 5 slots and 7 slots depending on the power and damage you want to make. There are several casts as well, including summoning monsters, healing, breaking an opposing spell and much more. This means you must also choose your coloured spell wisely.
Graphics (8/10):
Although the graphics aren't top notch and can't be compared to Resident Evil (remake), they are still of good quality and decent eye candy's. The characters are nicely designed as well as the enemies (that are several). The cut-scenes while not perfect are still nice to watch. However, the environments are nearly perfect with detailed looks and feeling. The creepy mansion and paths look real enough. Watching the characters talk is another great thing as they move their mouth perfectly and smoothly. The game contains blood and gore however, if you shoot on a wall it doesn't mark or blood stains doesn't stick on ground, but that's not a big issue here. The game is all about art as all the designs are satisfying and completes the story with the runes unique shapes and lightings. Some dodgy bits but you can care less as you'll enjoy the story and game.
Sound (10/10):
I can't think of a word other than perfect! At the present time, this game may have one of the best atmospheres, music and voice over in the industry! Let's start with the voices. It's very well plotted that movies can be ashamed of themselves with this masterpiece! It also very well matches the game type and aims. This adds to the story value and uniqueness. The in-game music and atmosphere is another thing Silicon Knights can be proud of. Even of the game is easy and doesn't offer the same challenges as Resident Evil ones, the atmosphere still provides the creepy structure. You'll get so into the game that you want to continue and hear the story till the end. In other words, it's like watching one of your favourite movies! The effects are great and the sound of slashing and screaming is near as well. Another thing that impressed me and sure impressed many others is the magic sound effects. Listening to the spells being pronounced is pure entertainment! Sound is a main component to complete a successful game and this is the pure meaning of sound! Just listen to Dr. Maximillian Roivas talking!
Replay Value (9/10):
In order to learn everything about the game, you have to replay the game 3 times. This unlocks everything including the a mode where you can choose the chapter you want to play and whether play it with infinite health and ammo or normally. You can also unlock the fourth magic power (violet) for different magic moves. Furthermore, you'll unlock all the cut-scenes plus a bonus one which finished off the story. They can be viewed in the options area. The game takes around 6 to 10 hours to complete depending on how you like to explore (if it's your first time). However, if you are thinking that repeating the same thing 3 times is boring then here is the good news! In the first chapter, Pius chooses one of three artefacts, when you play it again, the artefact you previously chose will be missing so you'll have to go with another one. This change the path of your game with some different cut-scenes and all new enemies. You'll then have to use similar or opposite magic depending on your actions so for example, green beats red. You'll even find zombies fighting against each other on different occasions! The game is so interesting to hear, look at and play so you'll probably return to it for a quick chapter play even after you finish everything that can be finished.
Overall (98%):
Just take away the minor graphical faults and this is a perfect game! The controls and convincing and fits the GameCube controller. It has a finishing off style where you'll have to finish off enemies in order to recover your sanity which decreases as you face and enemy. If it finishes, the sanity effects start to take place and your health gradually reducing after you encounter and enemy. The game progresses in a very unique and entertaining way. Although it's easy and doesn't offer many challenges, the atmosphere is still creepy and the sanity effects can send you crying! Innovation in a game is always welcomed and this is one of the great examples. Basically the game doesn't lack anything! It has the atmosphere, voice, looks, story, innovation, magic, weapons, characters, chapters, art, enemies, and most important of all, variety. I bought the game when it was released and even though I've completed it several times, I'm still playing it every now and then.
Advice:
The GameCube has must own titles, so does the Xbox and the PS2. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is one of the GC top and must have games. It's really unique and very innovative. It has it all and it's a shame if we won't see a sequel anytime soon. In my book, this is one of the greatest game I have ever played!
Good Points:
1- A must have title and one of the top scores in my reviews.
2- The story mode is unique with 12 chapters and 12 characters to play with, each with their own style and weapons.
3- The sanity meter and effects are pure genius.
4- Casting the spells and listening to them is even better than listening to Britney Spears!
5- Variety and the story will differ as you choose your path.
Bad Points:
1- Minor graphical faults including some blocky and dodgy sights.
2- You can't aim at the enemy's legs.
3- The game isn't difficult with no difficulty option.
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