An eternal darkness and ancient magick threaten to destroy the world as we know it, and all you have is a dirty old book, bound in flesh, and the stories of the people inside. Learning spells, how to wield weapons, and trying to keep my sanity, I delved into this Silicon Knights GameCube classic from 10 years ago hoping to smite the oncoming darkness and save all of humanity. Keeping your mind from going completely insane, both inside and outside the game, is a constant theme in Eternal Darkness. While many of the gimmicks used to achieve this state are a bit antiquated in the era of HDTVs, and though I had a slight knowledge of what was in store, I would still find myself creeped out by the game’s aesthetic and the thought that this could actually be happening (probably not, though) in the real world without my knowledge of it.

I’ll be honest, I usually don’t get into games like Eternal Darkness simply because they creep me out and sometimes give me nightmares. After hearing so many good things about the game over the past decade (coupled with finding it at a used game shop for $3 with the case and manual), I thought it was about time I put aside my fears and delve into the experience headfirst. As I expected, the game is still as creepy as it was the first time I played it nigh 10 years ago.

Even for a game released seven months after the GameCube launch, the controls are well implemented and hold up very well. Combat is responsive and feels great. There is something satisfying about targeting specific body parts of enemies and seeing them fall to the floor after a bit of hacking at them with a sword. This accompanied by the great camera work create a compelling experience that hasn’t been duplicated since. For example, I would be exploring an area and then upon going to the next room, the camera would be focused on me but I could hear zombies behind the camera moaning and limping towards me, and usually toward their death. It’s a really great touch that is very reminiscent of older Resident Evil games minus the cumbersome tank controls. Whether I am playing an engaging game or watching a thought provoking movie, I tend to really, and I mean, really get into the story. Eternal Darkness was no different. The ease of the controls helped transport me to these ancient (and sometimes not so ancient) locations to almost make me feel as if I were really there. Each satisfying swipe of my sword coupled with the great camera work enhanced this. The sanity effects were just the icing on the cake and even when I stopped playing, I would sometimes hear or see things that shouldn’t have been there only to find it was just my imagination. Thankfully, my own “sanity meter” was never low enough to make me scream, “This...can’t...be...happening!”

Visually, Eternal Darkness is not going to overwhelm you and wouldn’t have even done so upon its release. Originally developed for the Nintendo 64 before being moved to the GameCube, you can tell with some of the games geometry in the game is very N64-ish with higher resolution textures on them. The human character models as well aren’t really anything to write home about. Where the game really stands out visually is with the enemy designs. Seeing a creepy, zombie who is basically a skeleton with flesh, or the Gatekeepers, who’s bat-like wings and creepy way of walking are enough to send shivers down your spine. These creatures, horrifying in their own rights, stayed with me outside of the game. Even though they aren’t picture perfect, they were realistic enough to be believable and I would sometimes have daydreams wondering what I would do if one of these creatures were to come crashing through my sliding glass door right into my apartment.

Where the game truly shines is in its sound design. For a game from 2002, the voice work is pretty well done and beats the pants off of voice acting in other games from the time period. Enemy moans are creepy and foot steps are squishy and convincing. Once the green sanity bar is really low, the sound and tone changes quite a bit. Babies crying, doors being pounded on, the occasional cry of your character pathetically saying, “This can’t be happening!” and the slight off-balance camera shift really add to the mood and set this game apart from other horror games on the market. Unlike Resident Evil games, which are usually more surprising more than they are creepy, the sounds used in Eternal Darkness are truly those out of your worst nightmares. They really made me think, “If this stuff were real, it would have to sound something like this.” As a gaming experience, if the sound design didn’t work, the product would not have delivered.

Eternal Darkness isn’t perfect, but it is definitely one of the most unique and undoubtedly the most creepy experience you will find on the GameCube. I don’t know why, but I always played the game at night and would constantly feel uneasy while and after playing. Upon going outside at night to throw out my garbage, I would swear that the bush a few feet away from me was a Xel’lotath zombie, but found out that perhaps I needed to refill my own sanity meter. In a way, playing through Eternal Darkness was kind of like a quest to keep my sanity. Of course, I don’t think I’ll need to check into a psyche ward anytime soon (thought, don’t all crazy people say that?!), but this game can be incredibly disturbing and made me think some crazy thoughts and creeped me out even when the controller wasn’t in my hands.