Clive Barker's Undying

I suppose the day will come when I feel a sense of fond nostalgia for this game, but for now I just feel a bit frustrated. If nothing else, Undying is certainly a unique game -- well told story, effective graphics, atmospheric soundtrack, and well done voice work make this game artistically impressive. Unfortunately, the combat system is one of the most cumbersome arrangements I've come across in quite some time -- no hotkeys to speak of, instead a slow cycling through weapons, spells, and inventory (which, granted, works most of the time once you know what's coming). Hit and miss combat spells (some practically useless, weaponry which looks promising but proves largely ineffective, and gimmicky boss battles requiring either hours of trial-and-error (I would imagine) or a peek at a walkthrough for the 'solution'. (On the plus side, medkits are abundant in this game, so possibly the fiddly battle system is by design.) Undying would have made a wonderful adventure/puzzle game -- yes it's fairly linear, but every level grants enough latitude to find the odd goody here and there. I'm told the game is legitimately scary, (games don't scare me half as much as bad controls), and given the excellent production values, immersion would be complete were it not for the frequent reloads owing to another fiddly battle sequence. I finished the game out of sheer stubbornness, but lacking rose-tinted glasses it's hard to recommend this to any but the curious.

Never heard of the game itself, but when i saw it on gog discount i thought '' let's give it a try'', and i wasn't disappointed. Really entertaining horror fps with story written by no others that Clive Barker, it mixes horror clichè with some nice surprises and a strangely addictive gameplay, with both a wide variety of guns and magic However, you character is far from invincible, with a shaking camera every time you get hit and some immortal eneis, the game keeps the player on its toes. So, to summarize, enganing horror/ mystery story( almost tipical movie/book plot written in the 90'), with some good gameplay and a feel of tension while walking through the mansion and other places you ll visit throughout the game. So yes, totally worth it ( even if you are not a fan of horror games).

The game shows some nice ideas and (initially) a very creepy atmosphere that is soon replaced by hordes of respawning enemies. Luckily, just before this happens, you get a gun with infinite ammo! Yes, a supposed survival horror throws at you a doom like arena filled with enemies (one type of an enemy, you know, so that variety wouldn't confuse you >.>) and a gun that doesn't need any ammo... Any trace of fear will be gone in less than 30 minutes in and that is really disappointing. Add mediocre combat, dated graphics and below average level design (that mansion feels like god damned mall) and you understand why this game didn't sell well back in 2001. 2 out of 5 for that initial atmosphere - buy only if you think that 30 minutes of relative fun is worth your money. Oh yeah, just so you know, the reload button is named "Weapon Action" in the key-binding menu... Weapon action... ffs.

I played this in 2001 and I just finished it for a second time. This game is all about the story and that's the reason why you should play it if you've never experienced it. The mood that it sets in almost all of the varying locales is great and the backstories of each of the Covenant siblings is entertaining and remains interesting to the end. As a shooter, it's ok. Some weapons are great fun but most are lackluster. You'll find three great ones and the rest range from mediocre to terrible and you'll only use those ones when you're forced to use them. The magic spells, however, are mostly winners and I love how you get to dual-wield the weapons and magic. You'll find your favorites and stick to them. The giggling skull missiles are pure fun. The biggest problem with the game is the last stage, which is hot garbage. Just "Haste" your way through it as much as possible and get to the end.

I really wanted to love Undying but finishing it honestly became a chore. The set up is pretty interesting, mixing themes of Poe and Lovecraft with a pretty spooky Mansion setting. The gunplay starts off pretty limited but does start to open up a bit at least - using weapons and casting spells gave me BioShock vibes. However, the magic spells aren't too crazy and nothing besides the shotgun felt that great to me. The gunplay just never gelled, Patrick isn't your average mad-hopping FPS maniac and moves pretty slowly. So many flying type enemies are thrown in too, they're definitely overkill. The cool story also just goes off the rails though and hours in I didn't even know what the hell was going on anymore. The progression is also hindered by some awkward puzzle designs here and there. Undying is still worth giving a shot since it's goes for dirt cheap now, but beware it just might not be that fun as expected. 10x better than Jericho at least.