Editorials
Why ‘Eternal Darkness’ Was the Last Great Exclusive Nintendo Horror Title
Nintendo hasn’t been a huge advocate of the horror video game genre in recent times. The company’s family-friendly aesthetic, coupled with a lack of well-received horror titles on their consoles, has ensured that other platforms have become the go-to for scary franchises.
This wasn’t always the case. Nintendo was as likely to greenlight a survival-horror, psychological thriller, or other spooky game as much as anyone else back in the 1990s and early 2000s. One such title – Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem – even holds the distinction of being one of the most critically-acclaimed games on the Nintendo GameCube. Few have been able to force themselves into this elite class of game since, particularly in the horror genre. Can it be argued, then, that Eternal Darkness was the last great first-party Nintendo horror game?
Upon its initial release in the US in June 2002, Eternal Darkness drew widespread praise from critics for its unique gameplay mechanics, spooky allure, and intriguing plot. Boasting a 92 out of 100 aggregate score on Metacritic, it stands out as the only horror title to deserve such a rating. Players take on the role of Alexandra Roivas, a university student who returns to her childhood home after her last living relative is found brutally murdered. After she uncovers the Tome of Eternal Darkness, the narrative jumps between present day – where Alexandra is controlled – and multiple playable characters within “chapters” of the book. Taking place across four different locations, players must use these characters to prevent a powerful enemy from enslaving humanity forever.
Eternal Darkness took plenty of its inspiration from the Resident Evil series, but the implementation of a ‘sanity meter’ mechanic added a bold layer that often confused and scared gamers in equal measure. Its timeline jumping mechanic and multiple story path endings won it acclaim as well. No other horror title has come close to matching Eternal Darkness’ score since, albeit with little in the way of true competition. Only 10 exclusive Nintendo horror games have been released since Eternal Darkness 16 years ago. Of that number, just three have broken the 70 out of 100 barrier on Metacritic – Dementium: The Ward, Project Zero 2: Wii Edition, and ZombiU – but all failed to overthrow Eternal Darkness at the top.
Score aggregation websites aren’t the solitary marker by which video games are judged, however. Titles can still sell well in spite of what the media thinks. ZombiU, a 2012 launch title on the Wii U, is proof of this. Its score pales in comparison to Eternal Darkness’ – 71 to 92 – but it shipped almost twice as many copies as the Silicon Knights developed game. Some would argue that this barometer is a truer reflection of what should be considered a classic, and yet ZombiU isn’t viewed this way. Thanks to the short shelf life of the Wii U, and a lack of spectacular launch titles upon the console’s release, ZombiU was the pick of the bunch in November 2012. This, if anything, was a perfect summation of the Wii U in general, and gamers quickly moved on from ZombiU and the console entirely.
In something of a U-turn, Nintendo has begun to soften its stance on horror games in the past 12 months. Titles such as Outlast, Doom, Resident Evil Revelations, and more have been ported to the company’s Switch console since its launch in March 2017. The reception to these excellent games would be good enough to potentially rival Eternal Darkness but for one obvious problem – Nintendo’s lack of involvement in their development or publication. Eternal Darkness was published by Nintendo, which protects its rightful claim to the exclusive crown.
Eternal Darkness didn’t get everything right to be considered a truly iconic Nintendo franchise. Despite being lauded by critics, its failure to ship more than 500,000 copies worldwide ended any chance of a potential sequel being developed. Silicon Knights’ financial problems, too, resulted in the developer being closed down in May 2013.
Nintendo still holds the game’s trademark, should they wish to revive it down the line. The company’s lack of in-house published horror games, alongside its desire to refresh and develop its core franchises such as Metroid, Pokemon, and more, means that won’t be happening any time soon though.
Eternal Darkness may not have been well-received by the public, but its uniqueness in certain gameplay aspects and interesting, scary plot allowed Silicon Knights to deliver on its promises. It isn’t iconic in the way that Mario, Zelda, or another Nintendo property is. However, its consistently high review ratings mean that it has gone toe-to-toe with established franchises in the upper echelons of review scores. Eternal Darkness’ rarity as a Nintendo published horror game sets it apart from others on the company’s long list of platforms too, and cements its place in an often overlooked genre for the Japanese gaming giant.
It might not be the unmitigated success that had been hoped, but Eternal Darkness can hold its head high as the last truly great first-party Nintendo horror game.
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
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