History VideoGame / EternalDarkness

The gameplay of ''Eternal Darkness'' is known for two things. The first is its "magick" system that functions more akin to ItemCrafting, allowing players to create new spells by using runes.[[note]](In practice, they're more like sigils or glyphs since these represent words and not letters, but you get the idea.)[[/note]] The second and far more infamous is the titular "sanity system." In addition to health and magic meters, the game has a SanityMeter that drops every time an undead creature sees you. You can regain sanity by decisively finishing the creatures off, though the recovered amount will always be less than that taken away in the initial shock. If the Sanity Meter drops low enough, players will experience random in-game hallucinations. At first, these hallucinations will be minor, such as books spontaneously flying from one bookshelf to another, or hearing footsteps when there's nothing there. But the longer you go without replenishing your sanity, the more devious they become, with your body parts exploding during unsuccessful magic casting or statues and busts watching the player character as they walk by. This eventually culminates in the game messing with the ''[[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou player themselves]]'' via InterfaceScrew: from the controller ceasing to work in a room full of enemies, to the video or audio signal cutting out, to seemingly erasing your memory card.

* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Easily'' the dreariest game Creator/{{Nintendo}} has ever made, which [[CosmicHorrorStory says a lot]] considering their usual penchant for [[SurprisinglyCreepyMoment unexpected creepiness]] even in most of their family-friendly works. The darkest games of their main series like ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'', ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'', ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers'', ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'' and ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'' are not as frightening as this. Not even leaps of faith like ''Videogame/SinAndPunishment'', ''Videogame/Mother3'', ''VideoGame/{{Geist}}'', ''VideoGame/PandorasTower'', ''VideoGame/DevilsThird'' and ''VideoGame/AstralChain'' clear the bar this one set.

* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Easily'' the darkest game Creator/{{Nintendo}} has ever made, which [[CosmicHorrorStory says a lot]] considering their usual penchant for [[SurprisinglyCreepyMoment unexpected creepiness]] in their other, more family-friendly stuff. In fact, even their darkest games including ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'', ''VideoGame/Mother3'' and ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'' are nowhere near as dark or frightening as this.