There are few more iconic survival-horror franchises than Capcom's Resident Evil, a zombie-shooting romp that has produced heart-pounding thrills for over two decades. Since it's groundbreaking PlayStation debut in 96, the series has seen a slew of changes, tweaks, and outright overhauls.
Still, there is a far more obscured, but hardly-less enjoyable horror game whose GameCube origins never quite gave it the exposure it deserved. Enter Eternal Darkness, an action-based psychological horror that favors dark mythology and trippiness for the main source of its thrills and chills. The game features a slew of playable characters from different time periods working together to battle the forces of darkness. This is tied together by a modern-day protagonist working to solve the mystery behind her grandfather's murder.
Of course, it's hard to understate both the quality and significance of Resident Evil, and that's certainly not the intention here. But, with that said, this list will touch on the merits of this hidden gem for the GameCube and highlight key areas where this game actually excels over its undead-slaying counterpart.
10 The Voice Acting And Sound Design
Though this probably rings less true for recent entries of RE which tend to hold better production value, it's hard to deny the convincing voice acting and sound design in Silicon Knights' thriller. This is certainly the case when it comes to the cheesier efforts on the PlayStation games.
Just about every one of Eternal Darkness' twelve playable characters brings depth with some intense and emotional voice work. It can be pretty unnerving hearing the rattled cries that "this isn't really happening!" upon being woken from a character's hallucination. Moreover, the creepy ambient sounds and cries that kick in when the insanity increases add to both the atmosphere and creepiness. This is something that even the likes of the nail-biter Amnesia doesn't quite replicate.
9 The Element Of Mystery
One area where Eternal Darkness shines is its mysterious qualities that keep the player enticed and guessing throughout.
From the mythological lore of the game to the puzzle-solving and document-reading by Alexandra in the mansion, the game offers many secrets and revelations to unearth. In a sense, the game feels like a dark, fantastical version of a mystery tale, as Alexandra must literally shed light on the unknown forces behind her grandfather's death.
8 The Range Of Characters
Sure, Resident Evil has had plenty of cool and interesting heroes and villains rounding out their various entries. Yet, Eternal Darkness' lineup of twelve distinct, memorable characters—just in a single game—is pretty impressive.
Players will take on the role of protagonists ranging from an ancient Roman soldier to an American colonial doctor to a modern-day firefighter. Each offers its own personal flair and takes on a fairly unique playstyle. Some wield melee weapons like a Gladius, while others sport shotguns and assault rifles. In a sense, Eternal Darkness almost feels like several games in one, and the unique cast is a major reason.
7 Never Overstays Its Welcome
It certainly helps that there's still been no successor to this one-off game even after two decades. Still, as a whole Eternal Darkness scarcely feels overdone or stale.
Even when replaying the game multiple times to get the "proper" ending, the variance in spells, characters, and circumstances keep the experience feeling fresh. With a campaign that runs at just under 14 hours, it never overstays its welcome. On the other hand, one can make the argument that the Resident Evil series may feel a bit tired by now—the inventive RE7 notwithstanding.
6 It's Added Incentive To Replay The Game
As was briefly mentioned - Eternal Darkness comes with a subtle but effective way to entice players to replay the game multiple times. Near the conclusion of the campaign, the player will be prompted to make a choice related to the Magick system used in the game.
Finishing the game with each of the three forks in the road will unlock "Eternal Mode," which greatly enhances the player's power. Meanwhile, beating the game with just two of the options available with open up a "Jump to Stage" option. Minor as they may seem, they go a long way in creating some pretty robust replay value.
5 The "Magick" System
One of the coolest aspects to Eternal Darkness is its surprisingly deep system of magic, specifically tagged "Magick." This spell mechanic runs on a color-coded system of red, blue, and green, each of which has different traits and excels against different colored monsters.
These spells can do everything from heal the player to enchant items to even summoning controllable monsters. Not only this, but runes can be mixed and matched to create new spells. This adds a fun strategic element, as ideal spells will often depend on circumstances and monsters one is fighting.
4 Individual Limb Targeting And Its Effects
The shortlist of monsters in Eternal Darkness may not always be the most inspiring. Still, there is one "ace-in-the-hole" that makes the combat particularly fun and interesting. This is the ability to target a foe's head, limbs, or torso—not unlike a simpler version of Fallout's "V.A.T.S." system.
What's really neat about this mechanic is that blasting or slicing off each limb will affect the enemy and hinder them in a different way. Beheading them will cause them to wander around aimlessly, while hacking off a leg will make them collapse and crawl towards the player. This does quite a bit in adding to the depth and entertainment value of combat.
3 The Mystical, Imaginative Lore
Sure, the premise of a virus gone awry works well enough, though there's only so much that can be done with this. With Eternal Darkness, Silicon Knights take players on an epic journey through thousands of years of history, and this is set to the backdrop of some dark, mystical lore as well as fantasy elements.
The story and themes take on an almost biblical nature, complete with magic relics and doomsday prophecies. The blend of fantasy and horror makes Eternal Darkness a uniquely rich experience in terms of storytelling and world-building.
2 The Diversity Of Settings
When it comes to great games, the environments tend to be a key factor, as they can add to the entertainment value and sense of immersion. Eternal Darkness certainly excels in this area. Not only is there ample depth and detail to the areas, but Silicon Knights offers a plethora of unique settings.
These range from the eerie mansion of the Roivas family, to ancient temples and dark crypts, to Medieval cathedrals.
1 The Mind-Bending "Sanity Effects"
Ultimately, Eternal Darkness is renowned by the few who have discovered it for its unique gameplay. This largely stems from the creative "sanity effects." These are essentially deceptive visions, alterations, or other trippy happenings experienced by the player that turn out to be false. They occur when gazing upon monsters.
Beyond just the monster attacks, it's these events that truly take things to another level and make things unsettling. Silicon Knights further add to the immersion by making the player question what is real in the game and what's just a hallucination. Examples of these include shrinking rooms, guns accidentally backfiring, and even fourth-wall-breaking bouts like fake corrupted save messages.