An overly mediocre game that turns you away before hitting its stride.
You play Alex Roivas... I think... Your grandfather has been murdered and you take it upon yourself to solve the mystery of his death. As you traverse the family mansion, you slowly discover that gramps isn't all that he's cracked up to be, dabbling in ancient artifact collections and the supernatural. What's more is that your family appears to have a long lineage throughout history of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
As Alex explores deeper and deeper, the story splits into specific points throughout history, and here is where the bulk of the game takes place. The concept and story are well thought out and a genuine breath of fresh air to the overly done "rescue him/her" and "kill him/her(?)" scenarios. The supernatural vibe and creepy "sanity effects" are truly something to experience at least for the time being. The concept of traveling through specific points in history that apparently have such a large significance for the entire human race is quite compelling.
Unfortunately, the story is not enough to keep this game afloat. The graphics are decent for Gamecube standards, however, I encountered some clipping and blind corners where I was repeatedly attacked and subsequently killed by an unseen assailant. Speaking of death, SAVE OFTEN. Eternal Darkness is a game that is free of checkpoints, but loads your last save point if you die. So if you've been playing for quite some time and perish, all of that hard work you just put will be for not. I understand this being part of the difficulty, but it is quite unnecessary to have to repeat certain areas over and over.
I believe my biggest gripe with this game is the combat system. Not being able to maneuver while attacking is the single biggest problem of this game. Enemies attacks are quite powerful, and can kill you within seconds. There is no dodge or counter system in place, so basically, your character must go toe to toe with groups of as many as 5 enemies at once, and pray you can hack away at them before they kill you. There is some evasion technique, which is basically walking a few steps, re-setting yourself and then getting a quick hit or two in before having to repeat the process.
This became so obnoxious that the poor combat and controls eclipsed that fact that the story was quite thought provoking and on the verge of sucking you in. I was not even able to get passed the 3rd chapter before I ended up throwing in the towel. Which is unfortunate as the more information gathered on this game suggested that the "sanity effects" really ramped up.
If you don't mind the tedious, monotony of ETERNAL DARKNESS, then by all means, give this game a thorough play through. The combat is just too frustrating and the controls sluggish to really immerse yourself in and enjoy the game. It's quite a shame too because this really had the makings of being a fantastic game and a stellar new franchise.