Eternal Darkness
Rated M for Mature
For: Gamecube
By: Silicon Knights/Nintendo
The Gamecube is unfortunately saddled with the image of being a "kiddies console." Nintendo has proved with "Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem" that there is more to the system than Italian plumbers and Pokémon. This challenging and innovative title pushes the boundaries of gaming in twisted new directions.
The game will easily get lumped into the "survival horror" genre, but it has many features that set it apart from the pack. The storyline centers around a woman investigating a mansion for clues about her grandfather's death. While the story seems conventional in the beginning, it becomes more sinister and disjointed as the game progresses. The story is told using excellent voice acting in flashback sequences. In the process of investigating, you get the chance to play a total of 12 characters such as a Roman Soldier and a World War I journalist. Each character has a different style of play, which keeps the game consistently interesting. The controls themselves are the best of any in the survival/horror genre. Combat is a snap with a solid targeting system and the ability to aim your sword or gun at specific body parts.
The game excels in setting a gripping sense of impending doom. This is evident by the most innovative feature I have seen in a long time: the sanity meter. Every time you face a horrifying creature you lose a portion of your sanity. If you lose your mind completely you will begin to have terrifying visions. To describe these would steal a ton of the game's shock value, but never before has a game so openly screwed with its players's heads.
The game does have its faults. It started as a Nintendo 64 game, so some of the visuals are a bit blocky. Most of the puzzles are very simple and the game follows a linear path. The only other major gripe would be the lack of diverse enemies because there are about 20 in the whole game. These slight imperfections are wholly overshadowed by the interesting play mechanics and the story.
"Eternal Darkness" is quite simply the best game out for the Gamecube. This is a must purchase game with only one exception. This journey into madness is involving, difficult and terrifying so those who wish to keep their sanity need not apply.
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