Like a fine wine, only quicker. By that I mean it "gets better with age". Probably the best thing about Eternal Darkness is that, unlike most games, it does not show its hand in the first 10 minutes of play. Instead, the longer you play the game, the more it impresses. At first sight, the game does not look all that interesting. In fact, it will remind you of playing a more colorful version of Resident Evil. The story is set up and you find yourself in a mansion with stuff to find, puzzles to solve, and un-dead to kill (again). After about an hour of playing, you realize that despite the strangely familiar inventory system, this game is nothing like Resident Evil. First of all, you are free to roam in a fully 3D environment without driving like a tank. You get plenty of weapons and, even better, melee combat. Soon, you are right in the middle of a action game with a "body targeting" combat system that is simple and fun. After finishing a "chapter" its back to the slower paced puzzle solving and story exposition which leads you into the next chapter and so on. In each new chapter you get to play as a new character with different weapons, speed, and skills. This multi-genre gameplay continues throughout Eternal Darkness and the pacing is wonderful. After a few more hours of play, you realize that the magic system (which you initially ignored) is much deeper than you thought. The magic system has three color alignments and about a dozen "runes". Each rune has a meaning which will be revealed when you find do****ents that decode the meaning. Once you find the runes you can combine them to create more spells and you can even try to discover new spells before you even know what they do (very cool). Your characters have a magic level which is used for spell casting as well as a health and a sanity level. Another aspect of the game that improves over time is the graphics. While initially predictable and kind of flat, later levels reveal a great attention to detail and depth. Great textures, colored lighting, and 12 playable characters. In addition to the great art direction of the levels, there are also quite a few special effects including the "insanity" effects. The insanity effects are presented at times when your sanity meter is running low. These "insanity effects" are meant to confuse and make you ill at ease and they often work perfectly. I will provide no spoilers and just say that these effects are very entertaining and are not just gimmicks. It is easy to make the argument that this game has elements of: Survival Horror, Action, RPG, and Adventure. You could take any one element and say that there are games that do it better but there is no game that takes all of these elements and puts them together this well. I have to give this game the highest marks because it is simply a masterpiece. The game is not only greater than the sum of its parts, its one of the best games out there.
Other Helpful Reviews for Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
I bought "Eternal Darkness" half-heartedly. It just didn't seem like a genre I was interested in. I had never been one who played survival horror games. The closest I came was the "Castlevania" ser... Read Full Review
:Good Idea: · This game has such a creepy theme that I had to turn the lights on while playing after a certain point. This is the only game I've had to do this for. Well, besides Dark Seed for PC, but this puts t... Read Full Review
