The story of the game is fairly unique, and well constructed. You begin the game as Alexandra Roivas, a young woman who finds out her Grandfather has died. When you arrive at the family mansion, the police take you to his body, to find him dead, and decapitated. Frustrated that the police cannot find the killer, you set out to search the mansion for clues into what Professor Roivas was researching. The story takes you through time, playing as many different characters in differing time periods - all centered around 4 key places on the globe. Honestly, that's really all of the story I can tell without giving away too much and ruining the game for those of you who have not played it. But believe me when I say it's a well-written game, and it defiantly will hold your interest.

The interface is very straightforward and easy to pick up. When you come near to an object of interest on the screen, an icon will appear in the upper left hand corner to alert you how you can interact with the object. The menus in game are simple to navigate, and beautifully presented as pages in the "Tome of Eternal Darkness", where you can access your inventory, save/load games, see autopsies of creatures you have killed, and even watch cut scenes you have seem in the game. The combat system is also simple, employing the R button and control stick to target the head, arms or torso of an enemy, allowing you to take the head of rendering the enemy sightless, and therefore unable to target you. There are both firearm and melee weapons available, and both are equally as effective for use. The magic system is also very straightforward, using runes arranged in a specific order to create spells.

Visually, the game still holds up, even being 2 years old. The cinematic camera is perfect, creating a look at feel that drive the game. Forcing the perspective at times has you wondering what is around the corner, or worse, what's directly in front of you. The backgrounds are quite beautiful, and the lighting adds a feel to the game that is at times, downright creepy. For fans of graphic games, there is plenty of blood and hacked up bodies, as well as strange and very well designed creatures that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Aurally, this is a reference quality game. While there isn't much as far as music goes (what is there for music is great) it's the sound design that is so wonderful. It created an atmosphere so engrossing at times, I would freak from people coming up to me because I was so into the game. I didn't notice them. The sounds of soldiers screaming in the background of a WWI field hospital, the nearly inaudible whispers of demonic forces, or the sound of a headless monster jumping from out of nowhere, all are done to perfection, and will have you at the edge of your seat.

The truly innovative feature of this game however, is the "Sanity Effects". As you encounter more and more supernatural forces, you must struggle to keep from going mad, as both your character, and as a gamer. I won't give any of them away, but I found myself on more than one occasion shaking my head and saying to myself "They got me again!" You need to see this part of the game to truly enjoy it.

I personally would liked to have seen more challenging puzzles, but admittedly, I tend to figure out puzzles in games easier than most, so that is more of a personal gripe than a real knock on the game.

I recommend this game to anyone who is looking for something different, and fun to play. I do however suggest that you make sure you're not easily rattled by the imagery. My roommate told me that while he could watch me play for hours, he couldn't do it himself; the game is just too creepy for him. For those of you with a stronger constitution, pick this one up, and be sure to play in a nice dark room.