Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem [GC]

IGNcube recently played through roughly seven hours of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. We completed several chapters of the Silicon Knights developed psychological thriller, unlocked never-before-seen areas, explored the deep magic system, encountered new levels and enemies, acquired new weaponry and generally got a much better feeling for the game than we've ever had before.

Following, editor Matt Casamassina provides you with his most detailed impressions of the game ever, based on his recent play time.

Please note that there are several spoilers in the hands-on to follow. Some secrets, from insanity effects to the complexities of the magic system and the development of the story, are freely detailed. Read at your own discretion.

The demos from Space World 2001 and the various Cube Clubs showed main character Alexandra Roivas as she explored her family's mansion, blasting zombies with her shotgun. This portion actually does not exist in Eternal Darkness. The demo from the Electronics Entertainment Expo 2001 showcased Knight Templar Joseph de Molay as he explored a dark monastery. Joseph is not featured in the final game. So why all of the trickery, why all the secrets? It's simple, really -- developer Silicon Knights does not want to spoil what really does await gamers in Eternal Darkness, and there's a lot.

There is a clear philosophy behind the company's motives, I think. It believes, according to president Denis Dyack, that games are the ultimate form of entertainment, that they provide a means to tell a beautiful story and also enable a level of interaction that no other medium can offer. It's true, but only when executed upon properly. Silicon Knights' first big console hit Legacy of Kain proved that the developer's attention to detail and willingness to break from the videogame mold could captivate audiences on a level few other software houses could achieve. Eternal Darkness, though, succeeds all the more.

The visual presentation of Eternal Darkness is very impressive. The opening of the game features an ambient transition to the Nintendo logo a la Rare-style. It begins with a camera zoom to a zombie's face, which growls and then seems to dissolve as if caught in an ocean wave -- particles floating everywhere -- into the Nintendo logo, an aqua blue one. Then a creepy voice says Nintendo. My description doesn't do it justice -- it's a very moody, atmospheric opening. Also, if one's television supports it, the game can be booted in progressive scan mode and can also be run in 16x9 letterbox mode. This is a small godsend so far as I'm concerned. Thank you Nintendo and Silicon Knights.

In my play experience with the game, I was treated to several full-motion animations (videos) of various storyline sequences, all moody and very well done. Silicon Knight's art style, dark, realistic and overflowing with stunning architecture and smoothly animated characters, is very developed and right up there with some of the Square FMVs that have dazzled RPG goers for years. There is, on the other hand, some compression artifacting due to what I presume are the limitations of trying to fit such a story-intensive title on one GameCube optical disc.

As I noted in my previous write-up, the first couple of levels are fairly straightforward. Alex explores the mansion, which is deserted, and searches for clues to her grandfather's death. She finds chapters to a mysterious book that tell the stories of would-be heroes and heroines throughout time, and all seem connected in some intangible way. For example, while playing as Pious Augustus, one travels through an underground lair somewhere in the middle of a vast desert. Hundreds of years later players must come back to this lair as a different character, and it has changed significantly, offering new plant life, some rearranged areas and other subtle changes. I wasn't sure what the advantage of returning to the location was or is, but according to Silicon Knights, this is all part of the twisted storyline.