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Heart of Darkness
Completionist Info
Heart_of_Darkness_Featuring._Caddicarus_The_Completionist_Episode_77
Episode Number 77
Date Released October 12th, 2013
Completionist Rating Burn It!
Link [1]

Heart of Darkness is a cinematic platform video game developed by Amazing Studios and published by Ocean Software in Europe and Interplay Entertainment in North America for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. A Game Boy Advance port was announced in 2001 but it was never released.

The game places players in the role of a child named Andy as he attempts to rescue his dog who has been kidnapped by creatures known as The Dark Souls. The game has about half an hour of storytelling cinematic sequences, thousands of 2D animated frames, and uses pre-rendered background scenery. The game was supervised by game developer Éric Chahi, known for Another World, this time with a team of artists and developers. The game also features an original score by film and television composerBruce Broughton.

Heart of Darkness is a cinematic platformer in the vein of Eric Chahi's previous game Another World in which players control Andy, who faces various dangers in search of his dog, Whiskey. Players progress through the game's linear storyline by navigating various environments and solving puzzles, all whilst attempting to keep Andy from being killed by evil shadows, hungry wildlife, and perilous obstacles. Along with basic movement, such as running, jumping, and climbing, certain sections of the game give Andy additional abilities. The plasma cannon allows Andy to shoot lightning at shadows in order to disintegrate them. Magic energy, which can also be used offensively against enemies, can additionally be used to grow and destroy trees born from seeds. The player has unlimited tries, with Andy returning to the most recent checkpoint when he is killed.

This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).

The Completionist

Jirard reviewed this game on The Completionist for his 77th episode, collaborating with Hidden Block member and British video game reviewer Caddicarus. It also serves as the second episode of Collaboration Month 2013.

Jirard played some of the game while younger, but Caddicarus had never played it. Despite acknowledging that it's a cult classic, and praising the music, they have mixed views on the art style (especially that it conflicts with everything else), and they criticize various elements of the story, the morbid imagery (especially for an E rated game), and sound. Their main issue with the game is its punishing difficulty, which relies heavily on trial and error, unfair combat situations, sluggish controls, and confusing presentation. They also get angry that the end of the game reveals everything was a dream.

Throughout the review, Jirard and Caddicarus communicate over satellite, with numerous instances where satellite lag leads to awkward pauses.

Trivia

  • This review was done in conjunction with a review of Jaws Unleashed on Caddicarus' channel, which Jirard was a guest reviewer in.
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