Game:

Eternal Darkness (2002)

Duration: 2:45:29

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Originally recorded: October 6, 2022
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I was feeling pretty arrogant going into this stream. I thought I'd be able to clear four more chapters, just like I did the first night. I thought maybe I'd be able to wrap this game up in three streams. Boy, was I ever wrong. On the plus side, I did manage to make *some* progress... and I managed to get my hands on a secret that is going to make things significantly easier moving forward. But it cost me a lot of time in the process. Finishing in three streams is definitely no longer viable, but I'm hoping to recover enough to wrap this up in four.

In retrospect, I feel pretty stupid for not understanding how to unlock Chapter 5's page from the start. The whole differentiation between "equip" and "use" in this game feels a bit clunky, but I kind of get it. You would think that actually holding the damn item you need in your hands would be enough, but can you really call something a "survival horror" game if nothing about its mechanics are convoluted? What was even worse was taking so much damage with Maximillian that I was left hobbling while trying to figure out where to go next and what to do. What was left of my "run" button was a relief, but only because it made his slow speed go from the previous excruciating to a passable annoying.

But it all ended up being worth it, once I finally got my hands on that damned red rune. KI says that choosing the red rune at the start of the game is generally considered "hard mode", due to just how powerful the red-aligned monsters are. I see his point, but getting the ability to heal at will sooner has to pay off to some degree. He also claimed that "blue" was Medium difficulty... but if I remember my order right, you get the element you chose second... and the one that's weak to it first. So wouldn't that mean you'd get red first? Eh, KI doesn't think it really matters in the first place.

Chapter 6 ended up taking way longer than it should have, but playing it that way ended up paying off. I got the most powerful element the game has to offer, which means that I can start ignoring the game's "rock-paper-scissors" balancing mechanic from here on out. I guess if I have any regrets, it's the fact that I'm probably going to miss out on more sanity effects moving forward. But honestly, they were more annoying than scary in my case. Apparently, I missed a really good one at the end of Chapter 4.

KI didn't think I'd have enough time to do another chapter, so I just decided to find the last chapter page before calling it a night. I think I've seen enough of the game to come to a proper conclusion. The game's fine from a mechanical standpoint, but it falls into the same pitfalls most "survival horror" games do with me: I find it more annoying than scary. Clock Tower is probably going to end up being the only game I played this year that actually ended up giving me that tense feeling these games are supposed to. I don't know, I just find that there's something a little sad about that.

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