Wow, what an interesting game. I really enjoyed this. There are some parts where it was a bit annoying, but I needed to know what happened. Nintendo needs to put Gamecube games on NSO and add this. It should also figure out the legal stuff and remake/remaster this game (or make a new one).
I hate that this game is stuck on an old console with no rerelease, remaster, or anything to keep it available today.
The story spans millenia, and is full of cosmic horror. If I had to criticize anything about it, I'd have to say the combat isn't all that great.
The game did an amazing job just messing with the player in ways that I hadn't seen at the time, except for maybe select portions of Metal Gear Solid.
The story spans millenia, and is full of cosmic horror. If I had to criticize anything about it, I'd have to say the combat isn't all that great.
The game did an amazing job just messing with the player in ways that I hadn't seen at the time, except for maybe select portions of Metal Gear Solid.
In some parts the writing sucks - everyone is just super trustworthy, especially early in the game or just straight up insane. In other, it's full of very precise item descriptions and occasional really good dialogs. It's weird... and that's not where the weirdness end. How the game plays with trolling the player when the protagonist is low on sanity (or just in scripted segments) is something else and it is FANTASTIC!
Gameplay-wise - it plays like an old horror games. Fixed camera perspectives, where you run picking up items figuring out what to use and where - I don't think it's particularly scary, despite having some scary visuals - but then, according to interviews - it never was meant to be. If it really was suppose to be a B-horror-like - it certainly nails that absurdity and it certainly makes sense why sometimes the characters react in some nonsensical ways. It apparently was also never supposed to end up being another survival horror - and in that sense, I can see that. As - I think - there is a single section in the game, where there is a chance you can end up in a state when it's impossible to progress because of you running out of items - and even then, you can still use "Damage Field" magick to work around it - totally unlike other horror games around that time. If it wasn't for how hard it sometimes gets to figure out what to use and where - this would a very accessible spin on early 2000 horror games... but sadly - the puzzles still will likely make you check internet at times, especially late in the game. And speaking of magic system - it's really good. It never got old to using the magic in the game, despite each spell slowing the progress and forcing me to wait for the spell to finish.
I can clearly see why so many people hold this game in such high regard. It's really solid and it aged for the most part gracefully.
Gameplay-wise - it plays like an old horror games. Fixed camera perspectives, where you run picking up items figuring out what to use and where - I don't think it's particularly scary, despite having some scary visuals - but then, according to interviews - it never was meant to be. If it really was suppose to be a B-horror-like - it certainly nails that absurdity and it certainly makes sense why sometimes the characters react in some nonsensical ways. It apparently was also never supposed to end up being another survival horror - and in that sense, I can see that. As - I think - there is a single section in the game, where there is a chance you can end up in a state when it's impossible to progress because of you running out of items - and even then, you can still use "Damage Field" magick to work around it - totally unlike other horror games around that time. If it wasn't for how hard it sometimes gets to figure out what to use and where - this would a very accessible spin on early 2000 horror games... but sadly - the puzzles still will likely make you check internet at times, especially late in the game. And speaking of magic system - it's really good. It never got old to using the magic in the game, despite each spell slowing the progress and forcing me to wait for the spell to finish.
I can clearly see why so many people hold this game in such high regard. It's really solid and it aged for the most part gracefully.