Undying has some interesting ideas, but the games flaws are too big to overlook.
The start is promising the mansion looks foreboding as you are introduced to its owner. But here lies the first problem now i have many irish relatives and none of them sound like Galloway. His accent is laughable at best and the acting and dialogue is extremely wooden. Some of the audio is qiute chilling whispers and screams etc although it feels a bit corny.
Second problem is the sloppy level design , sure their is variety in the scenery. But some levels fall flat the catacombs is too dark and bland rocks and corridors are all the same and without a proper map or guidance its easy to get lost. I presume darkness is to increase tension but it just makes it difficult to know what route to take. Backtracking can happen a lot and even though the game tries to convey a feeling of open ended gameplay, its still a predictably linear adventure.
Also my version is full of bugs creatures not attacking me or when i kill the Lizbeth boss a scroll spell doesn't appear and i am unable to escape from her lair. This is all lazy programming and it hampers the enjoyment a lot. Graphics are okay but obviously dated by todays standards, some colors are bland and the distant scenery looks like a painting. Characters are drawn okay as are the creatures , although the skeletons are extremely annoying.
This also follows the golden rule of most FPShooters in that your initial weapon the pistol is rendered useless once you gain more powerful guns. Some weapons are interesting such as the Tibetan War cannon although it's not that powerful. Also the spells you aqcuire don't really have the impact i had hoped for. The bland colors dull enemies and characters contribute to make the whole experience a bit boring.
If you are a Clive Barker enthusiast and are looking for a horror game with some cheap thrills that doesn't require a hightech PC , then it may be worth having a look. On the other hand a hardcore PC gamer on Crysis etc won't even look at this game. And considering that it's hard to recommend it.