Clive Barker's Undying

An amazing game from back when EA knew how to make good games

One of the most underrated (and now forgotten) Lovecraftian horror shooters. It was good when I played this when it came out, and it still holds up (even if the graphics and gunplay could use some improvement). Gamelay is solid, and it never feels slow or tedious. The levels hand together, and the enemies are appropriate to the level. A good mix of baddies (with more added with progress in the game), and a good mix of guns and spells (yes, this is a shooter/caster). Spell casting system feels natural, with everything being handles through the left mouse (as in most ARPGs). Just a good, fun, game that'll keep you on the edge of your seat.

I'm a fan of Clive Barker's work. Haven't read too many of his books, but JERICHO was one of my favorite games back in the Xbox 360 days, so I knew I'd have to play this at some point when I saw it. Starting off positive, I can see why people like this game. Compelling story, unique combat, Clive Barker's classic occult horror oozing from the walls. The magic in particular is one thing that definitely sets this game apart. A variety of spells that can be upgraded to cost less and be more effective is pretty satisfying, and I found myself utilizing almost all of them (except lightning, which outside of needing to be used a couple of times for doors/contraptions, felt pretty bad to use). I especially boosted the haste spell almost as soon as I got it because who doesn't like going super-fast? It was all good fun, and while overall I did enjoy my time with Undying, by the end I was ready for it to be over. Moving on to the negatives, I found a few parts of the game really dragged on much longer than really necessary. Especially in the later half where it felt like the story would peak, only for it to just keep going. It didn't help that combat started to feel like a trivial formality after getting the infinite-ammo-having ice-launching war cannon that slows enemies to a crawl. The arcing projectile was pretty managable after getting the hang of it, and it made dealing with most encounters almost mind-numbing. It also doesn't help that for a surprisingly large portion of the early game you're basically fighting the same "technically not a werewolf" monster over and over again. Enemy variety does start mixing up eventually, but it feels like it could easily lead to a scenario like that meme of the dude that stops digging right before he hits diamonds. There's just that many of them! I have more to say, but I'm almost out of characters for this review. It's a cult classic for a reason, and it's not super expensive, just be sure to steel your expectations going in.

I like how the game looks. Levels, arsenal, monsters... I'll remember them for a long time. But game has problem with explaining of gameplay. For example - journal. How should I have guessed, that open the journal on button F3, if it's not written in settings? Or finding Mercury flash, how should I have guessed, that this rock is chest, not just decoration of level? Killing booses without guide for me was hard task. Lizbeth - first boss. How should I have guessed to cut-off head? Or Ambrose, how should I have guessed to knock-out rock for his axe? Aaron - just to cut-off hand and head. Okay, maybe I'm not attentive enough to guess. I'm ready to agree with this. But the biggest disadvantage of game - final boss. This is the worst, or one of the worst bosses I've ever seen. The battle with him is incredibly drawn out. I hope, only me had the same problem. And the last - crashes. Game сrashed 5-8 times, and last 2 on boss. If it weren't for the final boss adn crashes - I would give the game 4/5. And in this case - just a good game.

This game is as innovative as it is frustrating. +Atmosphere (only if you like horror!) +Weapon/spell system +Varied locations +Not your standard storyline +Interesting enemies and weapons -Pointlessly frustrating (PO: We need to make the product more challenging. Designer to dev: OK, please add another 40 Howlers to this level) -Monster animations can't be broken, frustrating when e.g. fighting Howlers or Skeletons -The manor is pointless since you are railroaded onto a single path anyway (doors to everywhere else are locked) -Too long vs. not polished enough -Laggy graphics with low FPS and low resolution