Eternal darkness is an incredible achievement for the horror genre.
User Rating: 9 | Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem GC
Let me start off by saying that Eternal Darkness has quite a few flaws: the combat is a little on the easy side, the camera angles change Resident Evil style (except now you run in the direction your analog stick is held, making for some awkward direction-changes), and the game is a little on the short side. Despite these shortcomings, Eternal Darkness is a perfect example of what a horror game should be like. The entire game is built around a terrifying atmosphere- the games build up from there. The controls are easy (i.e. they are not like Resident Evil) the combat system allows you to target different body parts for different effects. The magic system allows you combine different words to make spell sentences. It's fun to try and create new combinations. What many will remember the game for is it's insanity effects that can really freak you out- I'll say no more than that in fear of spoiling it for you. Last but not least is the story, it's an H.P. Lovecraft inspired cosmic horror that creates a general theme for the atmosphere and drives the game forward. The sounds in the game will scare you but the graphics look almost N64 era. Eternal Darkness sets out to instill horror not through cheap surprises but through its atmosphere, something the genre could really learn from.
