I should start this out by putting one thing on the table – I am heavily biased in favor of Shadow of the Eternals. I think it looks like an excellent game thus far, I have pledged more money to it than any Kickstarter I’ve previously pledged to, and I want to see it get made. Which probably makes you wonder why I’m writing this article. Quite simply, I am writing to all of you because a year old article has seemingly ceased the flow of money to this campaign, and I want to convince you that Shadow of the Eternals is worth donating your hard earned cash to.
Since I am a classy guy, I won’t mention where this negative article came from, or quote it directly. I don’t want any false allegations of bullying on my part. However, I am beyond incensed by the apparent truth that, ever since a large group of people were made aware of this article, the money has dried up for Shadow of the Eternals. It would be one thing if the article in question sourced actual proof to back up their claims, like the “fact” that Denis Dyack is a tyrant, or that Silicon Knights supposedly embezzelled money from publishers, or other similar nonsense. Again, it is important to note that absolutely none of these “facts” are proven, sourced or otherwise shown to be anything more than sensationalistic fantasy. But I’m sure some of you still aren’t convinced. So rather than prove that the article was intentionally slandering Denis Dyack and Silicon Knights, I thought I’d remind you what Precursor Games is now doing that is so exciting.
In case any of you missed it, Shadow of the Eternals is the spiritual successor to a classic GameCube game called Eternal Darkness. It’s being developed by many of the same talents from Silicon Knights that crafted the original masterpiece. And while not a direct sequel, it looks to employ many of the same themes and core concepts. What is very cool about this game is that it essentially looks to be a graphically improved, larger version of Eternal Darkness. While $1,350,000 is a lofty goal for Precursor to attain, much of this funding will go towards utilizing the CryENIGNE3 to power the game. What this means is the creators behind Shadow of the Eternals want to make a realistic, deeply immersive environment to explore. Take a look at this video to see what I mean :
Another very exciting aspect of this project is that it will retain the single most compelling concept introduced in Eternal Darkness: The Sanity Effects. Only now, Precursor can create much more crazy, realistic looking events, and they really seem geared up to make the player truly uncertain of whether or not what they experience in the game is real or just a crazed delusion. This differs from the Sanity Effects in Eternal Darkness in scope only, since in the original players could usually tell when they had gone mad.
Now there are probably still some cynics saying that, again because of the notorious article, that they are still not convinced. They are concerned that Precursor Games won’t deliver on their promised product OR that they worry that Precursor is asking for more money than they actually require. To those naysayers, I offer the following video :
The final, and perhaps most important, reason I urge you to support this project is this. It is beyond evident to me that Precursor Games is staffed by passionate, creative and hardworking individuals. They have established a forum just so fans can contribute their ideas to the game, and perhaps even see them utilized in the final build. They are also well organized, and ready to make a stellar and compelling game world. The very fact that Shadow of the Eternals is composed of 12 episodes, each 2-4 hours long, that all focus on various characters, also tells me that they aren’t just sitting on their heels. They are actively working, thinking and creating, since they are even more motivated than their passionate fans for the world to see their game. I’ll offer a couple more videos to back that assertion up :
So that’s really all I can say. I hope I’ve made it apparent why you should be excited about this project, and pledge some money to Precursor Games and Shadow of the Eternals. They have about 24 days left, and still need to get around $1,250,000 to reach their goal. If you’re interested, you can find out more on their Kickstarter Page.
