I've somehow managed to make it twenty whole years not really knowing what Eternal Darkness is beyond the basics: a survival horror game with "sanity effects" that kick in the more spooked your character is, though even then I had no concept of what those could be outside of tilting the screen at a dutch angle (which is a fancy way of saying "sideways.") As a result of being kept in the dark (har) for so long about the specific ways the sanity effects prey on the player, I actually got spooked a couple times, though in ways that were perhaps made more unique to the time and setting I experienced them in.
The first was when the game simulated a CRT shutting off. This tricked me only for a moment, but in that flash I thought "oh no, it took me forever to find this CRT, I can't go hunting for another one." A half second later I realized the set was still humming and all was well, but the thought of my TV breaking and having to scour the Facebook marketplace for a replacement put the fear of God in me.
A short while later I wrapped up the game's second chapter when it transitioned to a screen thanking me for playing the demo of Eternal Darkness and to look forward to the full game. Anxiety crept over me as I was tricked into thinking I just wasted two hours playing an extended demo and would have to repeat all of that. After all, I'm playing this on a modded Wii and it's not like I've never accidentally downloaded an ISO of a demo version of a game before (in fact I did that with Rogue Squadron III while gathering games to put on the system.) Had I experienced this back in 2002 I wouldn't have doubted myself for a second, I'd have a genuine disc and box assuring me that I did in fact have the full game, but in 2022 Eternal Darkness' little demo and CRT fake outs take on new life.
I also found the game's structure to be really interesting. Rather than controlling one character in a confined location, you're treated to 11 survival horror vignettes, with protagonist Alex Roivas' investigation into her grandfather's death serving as a framing device. Each chapter features a different character, and each character shares the same dungeon with at least two others. It's fun to see how these locations slowly open up over time, becoming more involved and deadly the closer you get to the modern day. Spells introduce another unique twist on the standard survival horror formula, requiring you to enchant items with the right elements both to solve puzzles and get an edge on enemies, all while preserving your sanity.
A consequence of this segmented design is that progression feels pretty linear. Each chapter has a well telegraphed route through it with not much room for experimentation, and puzzles aren't always given enough room to unfold. Later chapters also start to drag as there's a whole lot of running back and forth to ferry items over great distances. While this is a staple of survival horror games, Eternal Darkness' linear design means running down straight hallways with little deviation, and after a while it starts to feel like it's just wasting your time. This is especially bad during a late game segment where you're tasked with activating a teleportation device. You have to jump through a portal and activate a rune, then survive a short combat encounter before dragging your ass back to the teleporter. You repeat this nine times, and a couple chapters later you get to do the whole process over again. It sucks.
Combat is also a bit wonky, requiring you to hold the right trigger and move the analog stick to select body parts to target. Removing specific body parts will disable enemies in unique ways, with different enemies having different body parts you need to prioritize. This is a really interesting system on paper, but in practice it just feels off. You could excuse this by saying it's similar to tank controls, it's not meant to feel good because that's what builds tension. I've made this argument for poor design choices in survival horror games before, but even I know that after a while the excuse stretches thin and is just used to mask things that are shitty without being purposefully so. In this case, I think it's just another example of the Gamecube's clown controller making things feel like crap, and jankiness that's more generally characteristic of this era of games.
My gripes aside, I think Eternal Darkness holds up. I was surprised by the way the game was able to get to me, and I think its structure is pretty unique. Reminds me a little of Clock Tower 3, and I think more survival horror games should be like Clock Tower 3. Just a shame what happened to Silicon Knights, virtually blowing their own legs off at the kneecaps trying to go after Epic Games like that. But, hey, at least you can get Too Human for free now! You can't beat free...
The first was when the game simulated a CRT shutting off. This tricked me only for a moment, but in that flash I thought "oh no, it took me forever to find this CRT, I can't go hunting for another one." A half second later I realized the set was still humming and all was well, but the thought of my TV breaking and having to scour the Facebook marketplace for a replacement put the fear of God in me.
A short while later I wrapped up the game's second chapter when it transitioned to a screen thanking me for playing the demo of Eternal Darkness and to look forward to the full game. Anxiety crept over me as I was tricked into thinking I just wasted two hours playing an extended demo and would have to repeat all of that. After all, I'm playing this on a modded Wii and it's not like I've never accidentally downloaded an ISO of a demo version of a game before (in fact I did that with Rogue Squadron III while gathering games to put on the system.) Had I experienced this back in 2002 I wouldn't have doubted myself for a second, I'd have a genuine disc and box assuring me that I did in fact have the full game, but in 2022 Eternal Darkness' little demo and CRT fake outs take on new life.
I also found the game's structure to be really interesting. Rather than controlling one character in a confined location, you're treated to 11 survival horror vignettes, with protagonist Alex Roivas' investigation into her grandfather's death serving as a framing device. Each chapter features a different character, and each character shares the same dungeon with at least two others. It's fun to see how these locations slowly open up over time, becoming more involved and deadly the closer you get to the modern day. Spells introduce another unique twist on the standard survival horror formula, requiring you to enchant items with the right elements both to solve puzzles and get an edge on enemies, all while preserving your sanity.
A consequence of this segmented design is that progression feels pretty linear. Each chapter has a well telegraphed route through it with not much room for experimentation, and puzzles aren't always given enough room to unfold. Later chapters also start to drag as there's a whole lot of running back and forth to ferry items over great distances. While this is a staple of survival horror games, Eternal Darkness' linear design means running down straight hallways with little deviation, and after a while it starts to feel like it's just wasting your time. This is especially bad during a late game segment where you're tasked with activating a teleportation device. You have to jump through a portal and activate a rune, then survive a short combat encounter before dragging your ass back to the teleporter. You repeat this nine times, and a couple chapters later you get to do the whole process over again. It sucks.
Combat is also a bit wonky, requiring you to hold the right trigger and move the analog stick to select body parts to target. Removing specific body parts will disable enemies in unique ways, with different enemies having different body parts you need to prioritize. This is a really interesting system on paper, but in practice it just feels off. You could excuse this by saying it's similar to tank controls, it's not meant to feel good because that's what builds tension. I've made this argument for poor design choices in survival horror games before, but even I know that after a while the excuse stretches thin and is just used to mask things that are shitty without being purposefully so. In this case, I think it's just another example of the Gamecube's clown controller making things feel like crap, and jankiness that's more generally characteristic of this era of games.
My gripes aside, I think Eternal Darkness holds up. I was surprised by the way the game was able to get to me, and I think its structure is pretty unique. Reminds me a little of Clock Tower 3, and I think more survival horror games should be like Clock Tower 3. Just a shame what happened to Silicon Knights, virtually blowing their own legs off at the kneecaps trying to go after Epic Games like that. But, hey, at least you can get Too Human for free now! You can't beat free...
5 Comments
@BlazingWaters, absolutely take the time to do so, it's a phenomenal pulpy experience.
Oh yeah I should mention the save deletion also got me, because it didn't actually trigger until fairly late in the game, well past the point where I would just start mashing my way through that screen. I wonder if it's set up to only trigger after a certain amount of saves or after a specific chapter just to take advantage of your familiarity with the screen.
Agggghhhh the typos, I hate fast typing on mobile lmao
But yea it's for sure on my list, I really can't think of many games that take advantage of the whole sanity aspect like ED does
But yea it's for sure on my list, I really can't think of many games that take advantage of the whole sanity aspect like ED does
My CRT has somehow held up for 20 years, I'm still fearing the day it just doesn't turn on anymore and I have to start browsing street corners and garage sales for another one or otherwise spend a ton of money on a PVM and new hook ups.
BlazingWaters
1 year ago