22. Clive Barker’s Undying (2001) – PC
This incredible first-person fantasy/horror game was released to almost no attention. The reviews were extremely positive, and the technology really pushed the limits for PCs at the time; perhaps this contributed to its poor sales. But Undying is really one of the best horror games I have ever played, one of the only ones to effectively combine a cinema-quality scarefest with a first-person shooter, and, honestly, the best adaptation of a Clive Barker story aside from Hellraiser. Undying absolutely has all the trademarks of a creepy Clive Barker thriller: an intricate family drama, mysticism and the occult, demons from another dimension, over-the-top violence, and shocking twists and revelations. It’s nothing short of genius that all this was captured flawlessly in a videogame.
In 1923, World War I veteran Patrick Galloway travels to the coast of Ireland to visit a dying friend, Jeremiah Covenant. Galloway has a reputation for dealing with matters of the occult, and so his friend pleads him to help end an enduring family curse that the Covenant family has been able to keep secret for hundreds of years, despite their last name. Along the way, Galloway must fight off the re-animated spirits of the dead Covenant siblings, and uncover a dark, forgotten ritual on an island of standing stones that holds the key to undoing the evil.
The first chunk of the story takes place as you explore the depths of the Covenant mansion, but just when you think this is all the story has to offer, you travel to neighboring islands, home to extinct civilizations, pirate coves, ancient castles, and even a mystical dimension. This is compelling, horrific storytelling that is as unpredictable as it is adventurous.
This incredible first-person fantasy/horror game was released to almost no attention. The reviews were extremely positive, and the technology really pushed the limits for PCs at the time; perhaps this contributed to its poor sales. But Undying is really one of the best horror games I have ever played, one of the only ones to effectively combine a cinema-quality scarefest with a first-person shooter, and, honestly, the best adaptation of a Clive Barker story aside from Hellraiser. Undying absolutely has all the trademarks of a creepy Clive Barker thriller: an intricate family drama, mysticism and the occult, demons from another dimension, over-the-top violence, and shocking twists and revelations. It’s nothing short of genius that all this was captured flawlessly in a videogame.
In 1923, World War I veteran Patrick Galloway travels to the coast of Ireland to visit a dying friend, Jeremiah Covenant. Galloway has a reputation for dealing with matters of the occult, and so his friend pleads him to help end an enduring family curse that the Covenant family has been able to keep secret for hundreds of years, despite their last name. Along the way, Galloway must fight off the re-animated spirits of the dead Covenant siblings, and uncover a dark, forgotten ritual on an island of standing stones that holds the key to undoing the evil.
The first chunk of the story takes place as you explore the depths of the Covenant mansion, but just when you think this is all the story has to offer, you travel to neighboring islands, home to extinct civilizations, pirate coves, ancient castles, and even a mystical dimension. This is compelling, horrific storytelling that is as unpredictable as it is adventurous.
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