Heart of Darkness has been in the making for over 5 years, and it shows. From Amazing Studio, the creators of the highly acclaimed Flashback (which I personally loved), is a brand new 2D side scroller in the mold of games of old. Similar to that of the much more popular Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Heart of Darkness pitches you as a young schoolboy who is equal parts Dennis the Menace and Jimmy Neutron. In this story, we find that Andy, our protagonist, has lost his dog Whiskey through a solar eclipse into the world of darkness and shadow. Using his skills, (and home-made flying ship), Andy will rescue his beloved dog. Okay, so the plot is dumb, the game is not. The game takes shape as Andy lands in this world and befriends Amigo, a loyal and friendly alien who takes Andy under his wing and helps to save Whisky. Gameplay is fun, with hundreds of shadow creatures sometimes attacking at once. Different "weapons" become available to Andy throughout his progression, but these are also used against the environment, and also the many puzzles that are scattered throughout the game. It will require some lateral thinking on the gamer's part to get through. Graphics are incredible. Spanning 2 disks, the graphics are a showcase for what the Playstation can do when its been put in good hands. Beautiful backdrops and lush environments filled with all manner of baddies give a sense of awe. Sometimes there will be CG based backgrounds which will really make you stop and look. While it's still based in 2D, this game does allow you to (in a small part) use the environment. The game just looks so pretty. Sound is excellent too. Good speech and excellent music round out this package. I loved the malice and screechs of the shadows, and the effects are also really good, bringing this game to life and is pleasure to the ears. For a 2 disk game though, it is suprisingly short and could be finished over a weekend. Unfortunately, there is also little replay value, although you may just want to look at the cinematics again, which are available in the opening menu. Sadly, you can see that all the extra disk space has gone to the brilliant CG and not to the game. Had this been longer, or had replay value, it would have scored higher. Nevertheless, this is a fun game which I recommend.
Only heard about this game in the odd magazines over the years and this is one of those games that you don't hear much about very often. Heart of Darkness was directed by the same mastermind Eric Chahi who created Anothe... Read Full Review
2D lives on! If you’re one of those idiots who looks at a game and says ‘That’s crap – its 2D’ then prepare to feel stupid. This game has it all: awesome graphics (yes, 2D) brilliant sound and an excellent combination of... Read Full Review
