Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem for GameCube

GF Rating

10

Perfect

One of the Gamecube's Best

posted by Emmenite (GOLDSBORO, NC) Jun 30, 2006

Member since Apr 2005

34 out of 34 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

Eternal Darkness was one of the Gamecube's early titles and it was greeted with great acclaim from both fans and critics. Sales, however, told a different story. Many people will dismiss this game as a Resident Evil clone but this is completely untrue.

In many ways Eternal Darkness is closer to an adventure game with some elements of a horror game. Awkward cameras and controls are non-existent in Eternal Darkness. You still have some of the same types of puzzles you may find in a Resident Evil game but combat is much faster and action oriented (it's no RE4 but it gets the job done) and controls make navigation much easier.

Production values are excellent in Eternal Darkness. Anything from the brilliant storyline to the excellent voice acting will leave you impressed. The game is full of tiny touches, such as a group of Roman soldiers early in the game speaking authentic Latin.

You will play as 12 characters over a 2000 year time span. These chararacters may range from a French journalist reporting WWI to a servant trying to save King Charlemagne from an assassination. While these characters may be hundreds of years apart, their stories will intertwine over the course of the game and all will play an important role in aiding the main character: Alex Roivas. I don't want to go into detail on the story but I will tell you that it is excellent, and in many instances actual history is made an important part of the game's story.

One final thing worth mentioning is the Insanity System. This separates Eternal Darkness from any game of it's kind. When a character sees an enemy or a disturbing image, his or her sanity will drain. As sanity will start to drain the camera will start to tilt, you will hear strange noises, but as your character really starts to slip you will see some freaky stuff that may even fool the player. It's really not a gimmick, it's awesome.

Really, Eternal Darkness is up there with Metroid Prime and Resident Evil 4. Play it.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Sadly a little known jewel

posted by zsunda (COLLIERVILLE, TN) Sep 22, 2007

Member since Sep 2007

4 out of 4 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

Some games are good ;Fun, light, nothing amazing. This is not one of those games. The story was began slow .Basic beging to the plot then when the action comes its amazing. the sanity meter is amazing and infuriating .

The combat is fun and the controlls are tight .Graphics are not amazing but there running on the gamecube so there prety good considering . This is one of those games everyone needs to play just cause. Youll find yourself thinking of it fondly

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Best Gamecube game

posted by tonykabage (PHOENIX, AZ) May 9, 2010

Member since May 2010

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

This was my all-time favorite Gamecube game, one I have played many times and plan to play many more. This game was a complete game that is all by itself. I recommend it to everyone that wants a fun adventure that has no flaws.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Must have title for GC

posted by Arshus1 (INDIANAPOLIS, IN) Apr 7, 2010

Member since Apr 2010

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

Challanging, unique, historic, sci-fi, murder-mystery, horror survial, this game has it all. Graphics are decent, gameplay is enjoyable, story is amazing and unique. Play it over repetitivly and it still holds interest. Only setback is how linear it is. For all mature players out there this is a title that is a must have for the GC

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Awsome

posted by MissRose (LINCOLN CITY, OR) Dec 4, 2009

Member since Dec 2009

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

I lived with some friends that had this game...Started it. Moved away....found someone with a game cube....bought it....played it....I haven't had a game cube in years but I keep this game and the memory card with my movies and will NEVER get rid of it...oh yeah just got a game cube on ebay for 35 bucks go me! Will be playing again soon.....Lets put it this way the GC was worth the 35 bucks just so I could play this game!

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

An Outstanding Game!

posted by sweetruin (HENRICO, VA) Jun 20, 2009

Member since Jun 2009

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

9/10 Rating - Easily one of the best games I have played in years, on any platform and in any genre. Although some of the concepts have been utilized in other series (dark magick, time-travel, waring gods) the combination you experience while playing ET:SR is an enjoyable, novel experience.

The neatest feature, I would have to say, is the presence of the "Sanity Meter," and the consequences of allowing your character's sanity to falter; strange sounds, visual effects, the game feigning a "reset" and other such tricks designed to surprise and startle the -player- of the game.

Absolutely one of my favorites, with a decent "replay" value due to the storyline options and alternate paths. The graphics are impressive, the voice-acting is suburb, and the "tricks" from sanity are both alarming and ingenius.

I highly recommend!

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Amazing...simply amazing

posted by AwesomeAJ1 (NATCHITOCHES, LA) Jul 9, 2008

Member since May 2005

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

This is a hard game to come by ( I work at GameStop and we had somebody trade it in and I was able to pick it up for around $9 after a few trade ins and my discount but it normally runs $20 - $30 used and $50 - $70 new ) so be thankful that you have a subscription to GameFly. Put this game at the top of your list because it has everything you could ask for; a great storyline that spans hundreds of years, it's one of the few games in existance that can literally screw with your mind, and it has great gameplay. The only thing I would have to fault this game is that it is very easy to get lost. It kind of puts you somewhere and that's it. You don't get much direction but that is a small blemish on an otherwise perfect game.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Muy Excellente

posted by Airwave (COLORADO SPRINGS, CO) Jun 10, 2006

Member since May 2006

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

Thi game was awesome, that's basically the only way to describe it. The suspense and horror was an excellent element of the game, but the action and thrill of the game wasn't half bad either. A little creepy to play by yourself, but i would suggest playing alone in a dark room because that again just adds to the experience of the game. I guarentee you'll have fun with a game like this one.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

very fun scary game but not hyped enough

posted by outlaw (PHOENIX, AZ) May 3, 2006

Member since Nov 2005

7 out of 9 gamers (78%) found this review helpful

this game is one of the best horor games i have played. good story line lots of suspence and alot of creepy things to keep u on the edge of your seat and i like how it messes with your tv. i would recomend this game.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Trust me, It will change your Paradigm

posted by DustyRyu (PEORIA, AZ) Oct 29, 2006

Member since Mar 2006

3 out of 4 gamers (75%) found this review helpful

What can I say? This game is amazing. The combat system in solid and enjoyable; you can hack off an enemy's head so they can't see you, or chop off their arms so they can't hurt you. The magic system (runes/circles) is unique and easy to use, especially with hotkeys. But it's the storyline, and the incredible Insanity-Effect system that really shines.
Without giving too much away, suffice it to say that as Alex reads the Tome, reliving the deeds and sufferings of the past, each disparate thread slowly weaves together with all the others to form a subtly disturbing tapestry that will have you questioning how much humanity has ever done of its own will. And as she questions likewise, the world gradually shifts around her, becoming a mirror of the disturbing Truths she reads within. As she spirals to madness, you will not be far behind, as you find that you can't always trust everything your own eyes show you. The "fourth-wall" insanities are particularly effective, and will have you lunging for your remote control or Gamecube before you realize that you too have been tricked.
Even if you're not a huge fan of survival-horror, this game is worth a look. The Lovecraftian atmosphere is perfect; a few scattered fragments of hope amidst an otherwise certain doom.
And the next time you meet someone for the first time, whose eyes are just a little too intense, and whose words and diction seem just a little off, maybe you'll catch yourself wondering... and you'll realize that it got you again.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

The Story Lovecraft Wanted to Write

posted by HCFLink (LONGVIEW, TX) Jul 21, 2006

Member since May 2005

2 out of 3 gamers (67%) found this review helpful

This is my favorite game out of all the games out there on all the other consoles. The story is one of the best. The Gameplay is solid. The pacing of the game may be a little slow for certain players, but the designers intended it to be this way, because the game slowly builds to nail biting tension. Many homages to Lovecraft smattered throughout. A must buy.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Great game!

posted by Joshua3886 (ARCADIA, CA) Jun 4, 2010

Member since Oct 2009

1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

I love the realistic gore, this is the only game I'll dust off my old Gamcube to play every now and then. Too bad Nintendo went down hill, for like a third time. They need to realize that kid games don't sell, video games are for adults.

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GF Rating

7

Good

Eternal Darkness: Overrated?

posted by linkboy222 (Bridgewater, VA) Jul 3, 2008

Member since Jun 2008

1 out of 5 gamers (20%) found this review helpful

Eternal Darkness is a pretty good game. Having played it through, I'm not exactly sure why it's one of the highest rated GCN games available. It's not bad, but it's certainly not amazing, either. Here are a few of my ratings on the game's qualities:
Graphics: 6
This game has a lot of strong points, but I'm afraid to say its graphics are not one of them. Considering the fact that it was originally intended for N64, they're not too bad. However, compared to some of the incredible graphics work of other titles for GCN (Metroid, especially), the graphics aren't all that great.
Gameplay: 8
A lot of cool gameplay elements are used here, including the ability to play about 12 different characters throughout the game. Unfortunately, you really only play each character once (barring Alex), but still a cool concept nonetheless! Another great element is the magic system. The player creates spells using many combinations of 3 alignments and about 12 runes. One part of the gameplay I didn't like was the combat system. While the real time combat is great, fighting in this game felt awkward and cumbersome. The other main part of the game was puzzles. I'll be honest: the puzzles in this game are overly simplified. Most of the time I felt like the game had been created for a 10-year-old because of the lack of complexity here.
Sound: 7
I have no complaints with the sound. The music tracks are good, and represent the time periods and settings very well. The sound effects are also pretty good, if a bit repetitive.
Story: 8
Story is, in my opinion, probably the most important element of any game, and the storyline in ED wasn't bad. It's pretty epic, spanning over 2000 years between the various characters. There were no notable surprises along the way and it follows a pretty linear plot: Girl finds dead grandfather; she swears to avenge his death; she fights lots of strange creatures; she must keep evil undead guy from summoning a demi-god.
Overall, not too bad, but why all the hype?

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GF Rating

5

Fair

"Meh" seems appropriate

posted by Ragnex (SILVER SPRING, MD) Jun 19, 2006

Member since Jun 2006

2 out of 24 gamers (8%) found this review helpful

I wasn't wowed. That's pretty much all of an overview I can give. Not a bad game, it had a solid engine, but they didn't do much with it.

Pros:
Puzzles!
Creepy
Good story

Cons:
Gameplay was weak
Slow paced
Graphically unstable

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

After 10 years, it's still top notch

posted by yourdog23 (DENVER, CO) Jan 6, 2013

Member since Jan 2010

I never played this game when it was new, so there's no nostalgia here for me, but I loved this game. Yes, there are a few problems with this game, but those problems are all explainable by it being 10 years old, and are quite surprising when you consider this was supposed to be an N64 game, and not GameCube. The graphics aren't the best, but they're better than most Wii games. Lack of a camera control really bothered me, but I rarely complained about needing a better camera.

The story here is engaging. I mean really engaging. The game play is simple enough to figure out without any guide, though one of the boss battles did annoy me enough to look at gamefaqs.com. Supposedly, the cut scenes shift a bit, depending on which of the 3 bad guys you're fighting, but seeing as how this is no longer for sale via "Keep" I won't be holding on to this one (but this is one of the rare ones I'd want to keep).

You might get an initial feeling of Resident Evil with basic magic when playing this, but the RE feeling will go away after a short time, since it feels much more cerebral in the story. You'll end up using a sword or mace much more often than a gun, and playing different characters though time (always coming back to the character in the game's present between characters, as she reads about their stories).

If you've just looked at this game for some reason, don't think, just put it in your queue, and keep it at the top. Gamefly does have it shipping, even if they have only a few copies. It's worth the wait.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

excellent supernatural action thriller

posted by doomcow (INDIANAPOLIS, IN) Oct 21, 2008

Member since Oct 2008

I absolutely love this game.
The characters are all fantastic: some you love to hate, some have great empathy built for them, and others you can just enjoy kicking the tar out of the enemy.
The spell system allows you to experiment with new runes and discover spells they haven't even told you about yet, as long as you can figure out how to use them, that is :). The voice acting is very good though sometimes the diaglogue is over the top hokey. The story is intricate and interesting. The atmosphere is very creepy, especially when your sanity starts to drop and your characters' hallucinations start to make gameplay strange! They keep it very fun though, and don't let insanity harm true gameplay. It feels really good as a player to finish off monsters in the creepiest moments, and gives your character back sanity as well! I always like games that reward realistic behavior.
The game has enough realistic fairness that you're always kept sweating: enemies attack all at once, and you're forced to let them come ever closer while you watch your character slowly reload. Intelligent decisions are rewarded in this regard: keeping a shield spell at full strength at all times or enchanting your projectile and melee weaponry for extra damage before you walk into the dark room is very handy.
The story is linear, but twists enough, and with so many varied characters, that it rarely gets repetitive.
There are a few levels that you return to as different characters, and sometimes it's cool and nostalgic, but eventually it's gets a bit tiresome, though that's right before the end of the game, so I made it through.
Replayability is very good, though you may need a bit of time between play-throughs.
The cutscenes are different for each of the 3 ways to play, and very well done in general.
You can save most times when enemies aren't present.
I was only ever confounded maybe one and a half times in the puzzle-esque parts, but never had to get hints.
Extremely fun.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Edge of my seat gaming experience

posted by fadanz (PEARL CITY, HI) Feb 12, 2008

Member since Feb 2008

There are many games out there that promise non-stop action or the best graphics available and few usually live up to the hype. This game truly takes the genre of psychological thriller to a new level. The only unfortunate thing about the title was that it was only release on one system, making it difficult for dedicated system-gamers to enjoy it as well. However, with the release and popularity of the Wii, even those who were skeptical about the Gamecube can still enjoy the terrifying adventure that this game will twist and turn your mind through to the very end. So, if you enjoy action-packed, first-person adventure games, check out something else. But, if you enjoy getting a terrible case of the jibblies at nearly every bend and curve, while the game plays tricks on your eyes, ears, and mind (some might even say your sanity itself would come into question), then play Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem and feel it for yourself!

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Best GameCube game I've played.

posted by Ace3342 (POMPANO BEACH, FL) Nov 3, 2007

Member since Sep 2003

This game is absolutely amazing. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good scary game. I have nothing bad to say about this game. Easy to learn how to play and a lot of fun. This game gets my award for best GameCube game.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

posted by adampepper (REDDING, CA) Sep 18, 2007

Member since Jun 2006

This game is really awesome! First off , the sounds and game speaking totally freaked me out. If you want a great scare, play this game at night with all the lights off and preferably when you're alone. The only downfall is camera angles are a little nerve racking. Overall i give this game a 5 out of 5!

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

AWSOME; STILL AFTER 5 Years!!!

posted by miko25 (LARGO, FL) Jun 4, 2007

Member since Nov 2004

I bought this new (without renting first); the stratetgy guide at my super walmart. This game has the best story that you can go through it years later and it is still pretty tough. I hope there will be more games like this for the Wii; I know Silicon Knights is doing Too Human for 360 but they did mention they loved Nintendo!!

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

wow!

posted by manicpaw (ELWOOD, IN) Apr 17, 2007

Member since Mar 2007

wow this game is amazing, i want to buy it but it is not up for, have searched all over and found no copies of it :( it is so in depth and the control method is great and easy to pick up, and afet 11 hours i still have 3 diffrent endings to get, loads of fun and tones of stuff to keep you going for hours!

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

posted by wolfie1377 (LAYTON, UT) Aug 16, 2006

Member since Aug 2006

i love this game. you can dispose of enemies however you like, so i would cut off there arms and let them bump into each other. i have played all 3 branches many times. i love the torture your character goes through. to bad there may never be a sequel.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

pretty bizarre, a most play

posted by Buliwyf (JOHNSON CITY, TN) Aug 9, 2006

Member since Jan 2005

This game is one of the strangest games that I ever had the pleasure of playing. You follow a long family lineage through time who guard against a great evil.

I love how the characters go insane for a split second. You think your dead...not...you just went temp. insane.

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Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem for GameCube Reviews by Gamers

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