"Almost perfect, not quite, but closer than anyone else has come."

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

Graphics: 9

Though Resident Evil for the GameCube still holds the crown for overall best looking game as a whole, Eternal Darkness has grabbed the crown for best looking 3D environments easily. The attention to detail in everything from the table in the dining room to the cracks in the ground in the temple areas is absolutely amazing, and the camera manages to (for the most part) keep up well and not get in the way. There are a few instances where you can't see key areas, but they hardly ruin the game. The lighting effects in the game are superb, everything from torches to spell energy to the enemies glowing eyes cast their own light. Best of all, the frame rate never flickers no matter what is happening on screen. It remains rock solid, and the animations are as smooth as a river. The only possible downside is the somewhat blocky look of the character models, you can tell they were originally intended for the N64. The facial animations are great however, and overall the faults in them are easy to overlook.

Sound: 10

Normally I don't pay much attention to the sound effects in a game, only occasionally caring about the music if it's really good. This game though... it's kind of hard to describe. The sounds play such an intricate roll in the whole thing that it's hard to not notice their quality. The music is excellent, but it's the noises that shine more. The sounds of voices laughing, doors being knocked on when you know nobody's there, creaking footsteps sounding right behind you, a demonic voice whispering your name and beckoning you onward. It all comes together to bring a sense of insanity the likes of which nobody has ever captured in a game before. Perhaps the best surprise of all, is movie quality voice-acting. No half-rate actors who sound nothing like they look here, everyone has their own voice, their own dialect (since many live in different era's) and all of them sound superb. Even if you hate the game, the sound quality and the haunting quality to it all draws you in.

Gameplay: 9

The only thing that may be considered a fault is perhaps that the game is a little on the easy and, sometimes, repetitive side. Hacking off heads and then mopping up what's left is fun to be sure, but it's about all that's required. Of course, that doesn't mean it's all you can do. Magick is a very important, and very cool part of this game. You can summon ''Trappers'', summon zombies, erect a force-field, enchant your weapons, create a shield around yourself, and I'm only about halfway through I believe. One thing about the magic system is that, while it's easiest to get spells with the combination of runes, codex', and scrolls, it's not required. In fact, all you need are runes. If you know what runes you need to combine (and indeed, it's not that hard to figure out early on when there are few choices) you can combine them yourself and in a sense get the spell before you were ''supposed'' to. This kind of self-discovery element gives you a sense of being in real control for a change. The game itself is clever in how it handles progress through the game. Oftentimes you'll have to use a skill or knowledge you gleaned in a ''flashback'' in order to open up a new area in the mansion Alex is in. If you don't know what to do, you can be sure it has something to do with the segment you just completed. On a side note, some characters do get long range weapons, pistols, shotguns, rifles, crossbows, but they feel very underpowered. I usually stick to short-range weapons because of this.

Controls: 9

It’s easy to move around, and do just about everything you have to do. The only problem here is remembering what spells you assigned to which quick-keys. This knowledge can save you in a pinch, and forgetting can spell trouble. This isn’t really a control flaw, but it is kind of annoying. Also, I find it unnecessarily difficult to change targets once you’re locked onto one. You have to release slight pressure on the R button (not let go, just ease the pressure), and then press it down again. It’s too sensitive for my tastes, and I often wind up simply un-targetting and then targeting the same enemy again. This isn’t a game-killing flaw, you can simply slash some enemies back until you have ample room to target who you want, but it would move smoother if changing between enemies was much easier. Of course, that would make combat easier than it is and we really don’t need that, so this works well enough considering.

Features: 10
(SPOILER ALERT)
While all games have a gimmick, (and the ''sanity meter'' has actually been used before I believe, or something similar) none have ever had the impact, or been as cool, as that of this game. Few people seem to realize all the stuff that can happen as your sanity slowly wears thinner and thinner. Walk into the dining room and see a man hanging from the ceiling with a noose around his neck. Walk into the bathroom and find a woman dead in the bathtub. Enter a room, and find yourself back in the room you just left in almost a dream haze until they snap out of it and return to normal. Go to the menu screen and find the item squares empty until it flashes back to normal. Walk in a room and watch the screen flash advertisements for Eternal Darkness until it finally returns to normal. The screen will black out like it glitched or someone turned the power off before returning a moment later. Whenever your sanity meter gets below a certain point the screen tilts slightly to the side and voices begin to rise from nowhere in a torturous scream. It's a surreal feeling that prevails when this happens, though it is painfully easy to avoid. It's possible to go the whole game it seems without seeing the best the game has to offer, because sanity is so easy to restore once you get the right spell. My advice, don't be TOO quick to restore sanity. It doesn't REALLY get in the way very often and it can produce some great creepy effects that, to me, really add to the atmosphere of the game.

Story: 10

Storywise it is almost unparalleled in the video game industry. Forget Metal Gears government conspiracy, Resident Evils corporate conspiracy, Silent Hills… um… spiritual conspiracy. This game spans over 2000 years, a dozen different people’s lives all weaving together seamlessly and leading up to a single point in time, a single character. Every character has their own unique adventure, though some take place in the same area. The area is always changed however due to the immense time between the characters’ lives. Ellia and Lindsey for example explore the same place, but while Ellia explores a fully constructed temple, Lindsey explores it centuries later when it’s become a ruin overrun with plantlife and many corridors have crumbled. The game truly is a masterful example of what can be done in a game. Despite all the cutscenes though, they don’t seem to intrude in the gameplay itself. You never sit and wait for the game to let you take control again, it constantly rewards your efforts with its story and practically makes you play simply to see the next sequence. One of the best stories ever in a game, even if it’s not exactly clear in the first few “stages” of the game. It all is explained later how it ties in, and that, I think, is one of the best ways a story can be told.

Overall: 9

Not perfect, but the closest you’re likely to find for the moment. A nice combination of story, action, complexity in the magic system, and adventures around the world. A truly excellent game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/28/02, Updated 06/28/02