There isn't too much to say about Undying if you're already in the FPS and Horror game circles, but if you are somehow not, then you owe it to yourself to try this game out in its entirety. With a focused narrative, solid gameplay and shooting mechanics, loads of secrets and optional areas and great example of cosmic horror story, Undying has become a regular of my annually played games and still gets me hours of solid fun. Even if the pacing issues of the last level are apparent and can be slightly confusing and the final boss can be spongy and time-consuming, it makes up for it by a solid overall experience. Visually, the graphical fidelity of the Unreal Engine can be jarring, but after getting immersed, you'd find that it's very easy to look passed or even enjoy the stylised visuals. I always found the art style overall to be charming and adds character to the game and its atmosphere.
While the second half of the game does not live up to the great buildup of Insmouth, it shows the plans the development team had for the final product. While the GoG team tried their best to offer most stable and working version of the game, the engine itself has underlying issues which can be addressed with the fan patch. However, the fan patch is only a must if you're having trouble with the final escape sequence due to the engine's weird behaviours or if you wish to get more out of the game after completion. Among all the Lovecraft-inspired games such as the older adventure titles or the newer titles, this game has a bit of all of them, including some rather difficult or obscure puzzles and some adventure game logic. Following a guide is something most people will end up doing eventually as the game can be very punishing. As time has passed, the cracks have started to show on this old title, but there's a very good reason why this game is a cult classic.
