The combat system is totally connected to
the use of magick, or spells and
enchantments, in the game, which are
every bit as important, if not more so.
Basically, as players make their way
through the adventures, they acquire
runes that form various magicks. There
are three primary colors of magick: red,
green and blue, or (RGB) if one prefers.
Red spells work against green spells,
green take out blue, and blue conquer
red. It's this formula that is the base for
the amazingly detailed and satisfying
magick system. Gamers can perform just
about any spell they'd like, from
enchanting a sword or gun so that its
more powerful to shielding themselves,
putting up magick walls that enemies can't
walk through, dispelling these same types
of enemy walls, and more. It's possible to
cast a spell to transform into a trapper, a
small scorpion-like beast that shoots out a
ray of energy, and then take the animal to
spots on levels that the regular character
might be too big to go through. Similarly,
players can cast magick to turn into a
zombie. Or cast a 'See Invisible' spell to
make a secret door hidden in a wall
suddenly appear. It's also possible to cast
magick to restore health, sanity, or magick
even, all
of which
are
measured
in bars on
the item
screen.
Players
must also learn to balance their magick
resources with their health and sanity, a
task that is integrated into the strategy of
the game, and very well so.
The magick system runs even deeper
though. Players will eventually be able to
make their own spells. It's a language. The
runes symbolize nouns, verbs and
adjectives, and if gamers can correctly
complete a magick sentence, a unique
spell will be born. Different gamers will be
able to conjure original spells. According
to Silicon Knights, even members of the
development team who have played
through the game several times have
been amazed at the different spell
formations they have been able to
construct each time through. There are, in
fact, several instances where players will
be challenged to form the correct magick
sentence in order to conjure a spell
needed in a particular spot. The level of
satisfaction after correctly doing so cannot
easily be measured. Indeed, the magick
system as a whole is one of the most
intuitive and comprehensive we've played.
Brilliantly done.
There are other elements to Eternal
Darkness though. There are puzzles, of
course, and a great many of them. Some
are incredibly easy to figure out and
others require the use of magick and