Eternal Darkness: Scent Of the Spider
source: omcgames.com
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System : Atari Jaguar
Type: Action/ RPG
Release Date: sometime in 2001
Medium: Cartridge
Number of players: 1
Rating: Mature (17+)
Difficulty: Moderate
Genre: Cyberpunk
Plot: Take the role of superhero Eternal Darkness as he tracks down a serial
killer known only as The Spider. Only he gets more than he bargained for.
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NOTES:
This game actually came about while we were working on The Assassin. I
know many of you are wondering why make a game change when we were
feverishly working on something else. Well, it really had a lot to do with
a number of factors: money, talent, time, medium, and money. In order to
bring The Assassin to life it's going to cost considerably more money than
the meager budget I had set aside. It became apparent that the few guys I
had working on the game at the time wasn't going to be good enough to do
the game justice and if we would have continued at the current pace we'd
be working on the game for another 2 or 3 years. So in our frustration we
opted to refine some of the engine we were working on for The Assassin and
make a little game we could cram on a 2 or 4 meg cartridge and hopefully
this would generate enough revenue to continue with The Assassin.
At the time, it seemed like a good idea and we even started really working
on it before the summer of 2000, until life kicked in. It was our
intention to have something ready for JagFest 2k, but as we all know, it
just didn't happen. Fast forward to today, and the project is back in full
swing.
The game itself is based a lot on the engine of The Assassin, except it's
seriously toned down. Now there are only 3 or 4 stats intead of 7 or 8.
There will also be less items as well as items your character can carry.
So in a sense it's Ys (remember Turbo CD game) except the main character
uses a gun instead of a sword. I figure the player will get only 20 - 25
hours worth of play out of it, but that number may change depending on the
size of the cartridge we use. The AI will also not be as good as it would
be in The Assassin, but how detailed the fuzzy logic is depends on space
and processor time available during a fight.
As with most games we're working on in this genre, there is an age
consideration. We are considering toning down the language and the
violence, but it's another thing that will be decided as the project goes
along. I know it sounds bad, but really, I didn't pull any punches in the
plot, so it's an adult game. In the sense there are a lot of adult
situations. At the moment, there isn't any nudity or sexual content, so
those looking to get their jollies on this game will be out of luck. Of
course, there are some things that may change as the project goes on. If
such a change is made, one of us will be sure to inform the general
public.
Eternal Darkness is a character I created a few years ago when I was into
writing heavily. Eternal Darkness is actually the alter ego of a
government agent by the name of Max Freeman. Due to some chemical
experiments at the hands of his arch-enemy "The Demon", he now has
superhuman strength and reflexes. But he suffers from a major
drawback...he's addicted to a drug called K2 (a syntheic drug). Due to
it's introduction into his system, it has replaced itself into his cell
structure, but his body does not produce the chemical naturally. If he
doesn't take it daily, then he'll die. Over the years he's managed to
rework the formula enough so that he only needs to supply himself with a
fraction of the dose per day. This means he can go longer and it's effects
are minimal, but he'll never be able to shake his need for the serum.
Interestingly enough, the concept for the character was inspired by
Stephen Costigan of the Skullface series by Robert E. Howard. A great read
for those into detective fantasy.
Max lost his parents due to violence in his early and mid twenties. His
mother was brutally murdered by 3 members of a major crime syndicate. His
father tracked them down under the guise of "The Bandit", tracked two of
the members down and murdered them. His father died at the hands of an old
war enemy while Max was being held captive by "The Demon" in Cairo, Egypt.
After he escaped, Max became Eternal Darkness and avenged his father's
death. Since that time, Eternal Darkness has become an urban legend, and
has setup operations in Chicago. Eternal Darkness is cold, ruthless, and
deadly. Those hunted by Eternal Darkness never live to tell the tale.
Because Max has an alter ego, the player will be able to switch between
the two personalities and whichever personality is chosen for a particular
situation determines the type of information gained. The player is going
to have to be smart when deciding when and why a change of personality
should be made. Sometimes brute force won't get you what you need, but
then again, a government employee would never be able to break into
someone's house or an office building.
Scent Of the Spider is actually an intermediate game as far as difficulty
is concerned. Unlike The Assassin which is for seasoned veterans. The
amount of needed deduction in ED: SotS is not as heavy. I'm a major fan of
detective stories, so this game follows in those footsteps. Information
gathering is key, and keeping a notebook handy will be a must. This will
not be your ordinary RPG.
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