Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

Review by Trent Dickerson
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First of all, let's get something straight right off the bat: this is NOT a survival horror game. It is an adventure game with a very spooky theme. The story of the game is this: long before humanity inhabited the universe, the Earth belonged to enther species - the Anicents - and through the passage of time, the relentless advance of ice and the continental plates, for unknown reasons, these "Ancients" were forced into the deep recesses of our world. However, secret evils are taking measures to resurrect the Ancients through means of black magicks. The world is on the verge of the extinction of a new species - humanity.

You originally start out the game as Alex Roivas, whose grandfather recently died mysteriously in his Rhode Island estate. Alex must refuses to leave the house until she discovers how he was killed. While exploring, Alex discovers the Tome of Eternal Darkness, an ancient book that tells the story of those throughout history who have battled the evil ones who seek to resurrect the Ancients. The coolest part of the game is that you get to play as these "Chosen" protectors of the Light. The characters you play as range through out the centures. Anything from a Franciscan monk in 1485 to a journalist during WWI in 1916, a Persian adventurer in 565 AD, to a fireman in 1991. Because of this, the characters' personalities and of course weapons vary, offering something that will make this game remembered for a long time.

Gameplay is always very smooth. There are never any slowdowns during mid-game, or in any of the cinematic cut scenes. And speaking of cut scenes, those are probably the only thing in the game that truly bothered me the most. There are are ample cut scenes, more than the game probably needs in my opinion. I mean, you'll literally be in the middle of a game exploring a temple or something in 1150 AD, then all of a sudden, it jumps to a cut scene of Alex's grandfather's ghost talking to Alex back in 2000 AD, then back to the game.

Anyways, throughout the game, you collect Runes which, when combined, enable you to learn magical spells that can be used to power up weapons, create force fields, and summon supernatural creatures. There are different spell strengths and alignments, and figuring out which ones to use for specific enemies, puzzles, or obstacles gives the game a strategic depth lacking in other offerings of the adventure genre. Finally, there is the battle system. The battle system is good, as Silicon Knights has implemented a wicked targeting system that enables you to lop off specific body parts of your enemies(head, arms, torso, etc.). It is, however, a bit simplistic and clumsy at times, especially when fighting bosses.

Obviously, one of the biggest attractions to the game is its sanity system(or lack there of), and it’s definitely worth the hype. Each character has a sanity meter, which diminishes whenever an enemy spots you. Depending on how much sanity you've lost, you’ll experience freaky auditory and visual hallucinations. Insanity effects range from blood dripping from the walls, to dead people hanging from the ceiling telling you "the Darkness is coming". More severe effects include walking into a room upside-down, or walking into a room, taking off your own head and reciting the famous piece from the Shakespearan play, Hamlet. If your sanity meter drops too far, your health eventually begins to drop. There are over 50 hallucinations in the game. While some will make your character go insane, others might make you go insane as well.

Graphics are a big part of this game as well. Architecture, character models, and textures are all spectacular, including the real-time lighting and particle effects. You can tell, however, that this game was originally planned for the N64, as there are some apparent graphical seams. Most of the time, you can hardly notice it unless you are really looking for it.

While some would disagree, the sound of the game can easily set the mood. And I'm not just talking about the sanity system's effects. I'm also talking about the great voice-acting and the awesome musical score, which ranges depending on the dramatic need of the current scenario. Sound effects are great too. The crackling fire of torches, the clinking of armor, etc. Silicon Knights obviously put a lot into making everything SOUND realistic.

In conclusion, you've heard the facts about the game, yet you still want to know, "But is it FUN?" In short, yes. This game has tremendous replay value, as there are news modes of gameplay to earn each time you beat the game. I highly recommend this game to anyone over 17 and who wants something new and fresh, away from the world of Resident Evil. Ever since launch day, this game has been a success. Therefore, I would most certainly expect a sequel someday, hopefully in the near future.

My Score: 9.8 out of 10
Advantages: A rival to Capcom's Resident Evil series, ingenious sanity system, intriguing storyline, great graphics, superb sound.
Disadvantages: No multiplayer, too many cut scenes, some graphical seaming.