Barker and company set a new standard for both horror stories and FPS gameplay...
Even though there was a lot happening in and around the Coventry mansion, the quiet, still moments were balanced well against the many sudden and shocking assaults that Patrick Galloway must survive. I found myself creeping down empty passages, listening to the rain pattering on the roof and outer walkways, just waiting for the telltale hiss of a phase-gating Doomflier or the approaching clop of a loping Howler’s claws. In keeping with Barker’s ubiquitous worlds-hidden-within-worlds theme, I was overjoyed to simply sit and watch the Scried pantomimes of past atrocities as they formed out of thin air; the shifting images in a few of the game’s paintings were especially interesting.
Undying’s selection of weapons and spells were varied enough in their strengths that many different combinations of the two were useful throughout the game: whether using the Gel’ziabar/Ectoplasm combination, a short-range War Cannon/long-range Skull Storm mix, or a frenetic Scythe/Haste blend, no two playthroughs were the same with sufficient experimentation. And no matter how many weapons were at hand, using the Invoke spell to temporarily form a sizeable army of reanimated enemy corpses was always a preferred option. However, once Patrick found enough Amplifiers, Mana Wells, and generous health packs, the game’s battles were easy even on the most difficult setting.
Undying’s settings were among the best of any FPS, as were the sound effects. Both elements were as strong in the dank, drippy darkness of an abandoned monastery and crypt as they were in the island’s breezy, hilly outdoor areas. Patrick’s trips into a different dimension – to the floating platforms of nebulous Oneiros, or back in time to the familiar spaces of an intact monastery, or to the prehistoric land of Eternal Autumn – served as an excellent departure from the real-world locations in Ireland. The adventure as a whole covered a lot of ground even though many sections of the mansion were repeated throughout each quest.
Clive Barker’s skill at creating fascinating yet repulsive characters, creatures, and plot twists found a good home in video games. When coupled with solid coding and well-balanced gameplay, Barker’s story of the cursed Covenant family and their island of mysteries provided a near-perfect balance of interesting visuals, chilling sound effects, and dreadful moments of anticipation satisfyingly shattered by visceral destruction.