Eternal Darkness is a game, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's stories, that spans over hundreds (thousands?) of years. You play as twelve different characters, if I recall correctly. The main protagonist is Alex, who is staying in her grandfather's mansion after he has been murdered. You begin reading a tome you found in a hidden office, which then tells the stories of all the other characters and how/why you've ended up at your grandfather's estate.
This is the only game to ever give me nightmares. And it's because it is so similar to Lovecraft's work. I love Eternal Darkness with all my heart, but I hate playing it because it makes me a nervous wreck.
Honestly, the gameplay isn't the best. It's not bad, but it could be better. To fight enemies, you'll sometimes have a gun, but I never really bothered to use them. I prefer fighting with swords or any other melee weapon you find lying around. They seem to be the most effective. You'll also learn different spells along the way that do various things to further the game along.
This is an example of a story being so incredible that the gameplay just doesn't matter. Eternal Darkness is so interesting and there's so much depth to it that I would play it even if all it required me to do was spin around in circles for a few hours. As a Lovecraft fan, I really appreciate what the developers did with the story.
There's also a gimmick involved here. But don't think motion controls and 3D. Those are bad gimmicks. The gimmick Eternal Darkness uses is fun and unique, and it is implemented so perfectly. It's an insanity meter. The crazier your characters go, the more sanity effects you begin to see. Some target your character directly. They'll begin to hear screams and see blood drip down the walls. Others...Will target you. Your TV will appear to mute itself, your save data will be corrupted, you'll see bugs crawl across your screen. It's especially fun when you don't REALIZE it's part of the game. I wonder how many people cried when they saw the game blue screen the first time.
Eternal Darkness is my second favorite survival horror game. If you're a fan of H.P. Lovecraft, you should give it a try. Hopefully you'll be able to handle it better than I can.
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