10 Times Nintendo Games Were Not Family Friendly

Eternal Darkness opens with the heroine, Alex Roivas, arriving at her grandfather’s mansion to investigate his murder. Things go from bad to worse for Alex, as she discovers the Tome of Eternal Darkness, a book crafted from human skin and bone in his collection.

The discovery of this grisly item starts Alex off on a quest to discover the history of the book, having to combat various monsters and magicks experienced through the eyes of previous holders of the Tome as well as her own paranoia and fear. The latter are represented to the player through various sanity effects, such as the statues around the mansion turning their heads to follow Alex, the sounds of footsteps when there is nobody else present, the game pretending to delete your save data and/or inventory, the sound being muted accompanied by a typical television “mute” sign, and all manner of other weirdness. One of the most shocking moments involves Alex exploring a bathroom, only to be suddenly confronted with a hallucination of her own dead body in a bathtub full of blood. Lovely.

Unfortunately, low sales relegated this one to “cult classic” status, making this one of the best games you’ve never played. Definitely different for Nintendo, and well worth your time if you can track it down.