Clive Barker's 
Undying
review by Mickey Juice

Unable to come up with an insightful and witty introduction to this review I turn to the back of the CD game case…

Set in Ireland of the 1920’s, players take on the role of Patrick Galloway, who has been summoned to an ancestral estate by its lone descendant Jeremiah. Death has claimed his four siblings each who have reanimated intent on slaying their living brother, the last of the family, so as to free the Curse of the Undying King.

Sound like every other haunted house game you’ve ever played? Games like Alone in the Dark 4, Realms of the Haunting? The difference here is that this one is actually good.

That’s the basic storyline of the PC game Undying, which, now being a few years old, still retains a lot of the original scares, as well as having a solid storyline, making it an enjoyable game to play.

I’m sure you’ve noticed Clive Barker’s (author, artist, director, playwright and creator of Candyman and Hellraiser) name stamped above the title credits of the game. I know what you’re thinking; it was just put on to help sell a few more games, just like a lot of game developers do.

This game is an exception; Barker actually had a fair share of input into the game, mainly in the aspects of the storyline and character design, which is all for the better. The team behind Undying had been working on the story and a unique weapons system before Barker came on board, and he helped write the storyline, as well as flesh out the characters and even had a hand in designing some of the monsters. The original hero of the game was to be a burly WWI veteran named Magnus Wolfram, but Barker’s first decision was to replace him with the more gentlemanly character of Patrick Galloway. A wise choice, as Patrick fits into this time period a lot better.

At the beginning of the game you arrive at Jeremiah’s huge gothic mansion (along with the stormy weather, which makes it look great) and make your way through the house, chatting to the servants until you get to your weak and feeble friend Jeremiah. He asks you to help him out with some family problems. Basically Jeremiah’s siblings have been dabbling in the dark arts and have been tormenting him, in the hope of killing him.

You then embark on a journey which will take you throughout the house & gardens, different parts of the island, a ruined monastery and even back in time, to when the monastery was first occupied by monks. As you can see, the storyline is one of the stronger aspects of the game. You’re not just restricted to wandering around a gothic mansion; you are transported through time and to other dimensions. You also have a diary which constantly gets updated throughout the game, providing some background information on characters and environments, as well as providing game play tips. Horror fans will enjoy most parts of this story.

Just like the recent Doom3, this game excels at creating some seriously spooky atmosphere. This is especially apparent at the beginning of the game when you’re first wandering around the mansion (look in a mirror and someone may suddenly appear behind you). I thought I was going to be on edge throughout the game, but some of the large outdoor areas provide a change of pace from creepy indoor corridors such as the house and crypts. The Unreal engine handles all these environments with ease, especially the expansive outdoor areas.

Being a few years old the graphics still hold up surprisingly well today. The Unreal engine was a good engine in its day, and the difference with today’s PCs is that you can crank all the settings up to 11 and really enjoy the eye candy.

Adding to the atmosphere of the game is the cloth modelling system. For example; curtains will billow and flap in the breeze as you (or something else), walks past them. There are some problems with the texture seams but this was fixed with the official game patch. Other than that the game ran fine on my P4 2.4Ghz machine, with no crashes whatsoever.

The sound design of the game is also well done. Voice acting and monster sound effects are excellent, making full use of surround sound. The Howlers can send a chill down the spine when you hear them off in the distance. You will always be hearing whispers and voices throughout the game. The childlike giggling of the poltergeists can disturb! The music is also a positive of the game, which varies from gothic chants to African drum beats.

Now onto the weapons system…

Patrick uses a variety of weapons including the standard revolver and shotgun, plus a huge Scythe and an ice throwing Tibetan War cannon. As well as these weapons, there are a variety of spells you can cast with your right hand. These are acquired throughout the game and can be upgraded as you get further into the game. It doesn’t take long to get used to the dual hand weapon system. The initial spell that you start off with is the ability to Scrye. For a short amount of time Patrick can watch or listen to past events as well as see into alternate realms with this spell. You will usually hear a muffled voice or a whispering as to when you should use this spell. The variety of the other spells is also very good, and I found myself using these a lot, especially when reloading or when trying to save on ammo. Some spells allow you to raise your recently killed enemies to fight by your side. There are also shields, lightning spells, ectoplasm spells, and my favourite, ‘skull storm’ which rips skulls from the ground which you can throw at enemies, having them explode on impact rocket launcher style. My only gripe is I found it a bit tedious and slow at times trying to change between spells, especially when getting attacked by scores of enemies.

The enemies of Undying are varied and well designed. Some are vintage Barker, including Jeremiah’s brother who is reminiscent of something from Hellraiser; hooks and all, although, after a while you will have met pretty much all the monsters and will only be fighting upgraded versions of each one (eg; the howlers).

The designers have also added fatalities to the game, i.e. a death animation each time you get killed. These could have become annoying after a while, but they’re actually pretty well done. Who doesn’t like seeing your beating heart get ripped out and eaten by a screeching skeleton?

Some of the negatives of the game include the poor use of quicksaves and load points. Sometimes you can walk through only 2 doors and be faced with another load screen! This can get annoying fast, especially if you have a slower computer where the load times take even longer!

The quicksaves also annoyed me, as when you die, the game would automatically load the autosave from the beginning of the level. You’d have to wait for this to load, and then reload your latest quicksave. This can be annoying especially with end level boss battles, when you can die a number of times. The game should load your latest save game or at the least provide the player with a choice.

These are minor quibbles for a game in which the positives outweigh the negatives. The storyline is well executed and there is a nice balance between action and puzzle solving, probably leaning more towards the action element. The length of the game is also pretty good for a FPS.

There isn’t much replayabilty in the game. Most people will finish it once and move on. There also isn’t anything groundbreaking about Undying , but for a game that you should be able to find in the bargain bin, it’s well worth a look, for new comers and FPS veterans alike. Even if you don’t like it, it’s not a game that will break the bank! Horror fans will appreciate Clive Barker’s influence on this game.