Come to know fear as I have! Let's Play Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

The upstairs area is vacant, but worthwhile. Aside from the usual bits of ammo...



We find the Two-Edged Sword again. Good times!



Yeah, you should know what to do here.



Unfortunately, the door that is hidden here is lacking a handle. Weird.



Checking the organ, however, reveals a tattered sheet of music, stained with blood.



One more time!



Oh, there's the door handle. Who put that there?



Weird. Did that door lead anywhere? Because it looks like we're back in the cathedral again.



Wait a minute... the stained glass window is intact, the area is covered with mist, and the medical tents are gone, replaced with pews?



THIS ISN'T REALLY HAPPENING!!

This run is yielding quite a few sanity effects I haven't seen before! Interesting, that.

Incidentally, I don't have sound on my setup, which is a shame, because sound is pretty well handled with sanity effects. At low sanity, the music changes, and different sound effects will play depending on the character. Sometimes they'll gibber fearfully, sometimes they'll hear a sound specific to them that causes distress (Karim, for example, hears Chandra weeping). It's pretty interesting, which is why I'm annoyed that I can't get sound while screenshotting. If this effect does have sound to it, I can't hear it, but treating it as completely silent was pretty eerie in its own right.



This next room has a ladder that leads down. I think the last Soldier's Letter is around here, too, so I may as well post it here.



Back to the catacombs we go.



The four zombies right near the entrance caught me off-guard, so I forgot to screenshot them until Peter was already in the thick of them doing his finishing move.

It's the same as Paul's, incidentally.



After descending this staircase...



Peter finds himself face-to-face with a Horror!

Maybe I'm just too good at the game, but they really don't pose as much a threat as they used to.



Anyway, what's behind this door?



Trappers, that's what!



Hey, it's the cult library again. This time, a bonethief guards the area.



The library is fairly interesting because of how each character views it. Paul, classic priest to the bone, doesn't even touch the stuff for fear of being exposed to the devilry within. Anthony regards it warily, but not to the same extent as Paul, since he's more loyal to Charlemagne than God. Peter, in a time when magick has largely been disproven (current situation notwithstanding) finds it ranging from unholy to ludicrous.

But as far as gameplay goes, it's an excuse to make you push the same damn shelf in again and again.



A lone zombie guards the final altar.



Atop it is the key to the Hall of Binding. You might remember that place as the last place Paul existed in more than two dimensions.



Before you go there, head through this door. Trust me.



Remember this area? Well, there's no Augustine around to trap us, but the area is crawling with Trappers.



On the altar, we find a Magickal Elixir.

It has five doses, which might seem excessive for what feels like the end of the chapter. And you'd be right, but not as much as you think you are.



As Peter descends towards the Hall of Binding, he sees various corpses. He tries to identify them, but their faces are all devoured. He also snags the Magickal Attack scroll, which he finds somewhat conspicuous.

If this and the elixir haven't tipped you off, we are sending you a pizza.



Here's the last door of the level. Save and buff up, including an Ulyaoth Magick Pool, before entering.



Cutscene: Food for the Beast

Peter finds himself in a twisted mockery of the cathedral above, completely empty save for the intricately terrifying stone carvings and the end of the hall.



Beyond a massive chasm, stinking of rot...



The artifact described in the Tome of Eternal Darkness as the Essence of Xel'lotath waits behind a stained-glass window.

Before Peter can move to claim it, the Black Guardian of Ulyaoth leaps forth from the chasm!



Peter backs fearfully away, firing his revolver, but it doesn't even leave a scratch on the beast's massive form.



The Black Guardian casts a spell to seal off the exit, trapping Peter...



Boss Battle: Black Guardian fight (Ulyaoth)

This is one of the sore points for many players of the game. Remember how this thing just insta-stomp'd Paul at the end of his chapter, killing him before he could so much as pray for his life? Yeah, now we get a long, drawn-out boss battle with this unstoppable monstrosity.

This entire segment would be out of place enough in a Lovecraftian setting, but this fight is made incredibly tedious by the way you damage the Black Guardian. It's completely invulnerable to all weapons, and you can only harm it with Magickal Attacks at specific intervals. It will require three shots with a 3-point spell to damage each phase. It helps that they give you the spell scroll and the elixir right before the fight, but it also makes you wonder why Paul couldn't have killed this thing.



The first form of the Black Guardian fight starts off by firing three projectiles at you. They're not too tough to dodge.



As soon as you dodge them all, the creature with begin charging up energy for a second assault. If you hit it during this time, you'll damage it. Normally, you'd use a three-point spell and have to repeat each phase three times, but if you start casting a 7-point spell as soon as you dodge the last shot...



Ka-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM



This will instantly move the fight to the next phase. It requires pretty good timing, but if you can pull it off, it makes the fight much less of a headache.



The Black Guardian pulls the barrier in even closer...



And starts summoning zombies to assist it.



Timing a 7-point spell for this phase is trickier, and if you miss, it seems to only charge up every alternating summon. I think if you do it as soon as the third zombie materializes, you'll land a hit. You have to account for the zombies taking up some time for the spell as well.



Even so, if you land the 7-point spell on this phase as well, you immediately skip to the third phase. If you can't, 3-point spells are easier to time, but they make the fight take even longer.



The last phase gives you very little room to maneuver, and the Black Guardian decides that the fastest way to kill you is to stomp you to death.



The Guardian attacks this way about five times, and then it does a very quick charge. I don't think it's possible to land a 7-point spell in this phase, but if you can time a 5-point one, you only need to land a hit with a single 3-point spell afterwards. I decided to just go with 3-point spells here, since this phase goes quickly.



Burn in hell, you mumbling abomination!

The world will thank me.



With the Black Guardian's death, the stained glass window before the Essence of Xel'lotath flies apart.



Peter moves to claim it.



Victory!



Cutscene: Memories that Haunt

Long after the end of the war...



Peter talks with someone who claims to know what the strange thing he recovered really and truly is...



Dr. Edward Roivas.



Edward confirms that this statue, while incredibly hard to come by, is not completely unique. He has, in fact, seen two others very much like it.



When Peter asks why he, of all people, knows so much about this statue when no one else does, he smugly assures him that he's a bit of an expert in the field of god-beast essences from beyond time and space.



Peter insists that Edward keeps the statue, since it's caused him no end of grief for the many long years he's had it.



Edward and Peter toast over the successful sale.



Meanwhile...



Hello, what's this?

Next Time: Return to Roivas Mansion

Probably one of the biggest problems with this fight is that they give you the 7-point right beforehand, and so that makes it look like the 7-point magical attack is the best way to do it. It totally isn't unless you've done the fight at least twice.

It doesn't help that, if I remember right, there's a way for the Guardian to sap your magic in the Ulyaoth fight. I can't wait to break out the game again and remember!

The whole fight is worthwhile for the Ulyaoth Guardian's trash talk if you try shooting it.

"My machinations are timeless, Peter. Your life is not."

Actually, that's a very good point. Timing 7-point spells is not exactly the most intuitive thing.

I don't think there is a way for the Ulyaoth one to sap your magick outside of the usual way that Ulyaoth enemies do, and even so, you have the magickal elixir and possibly Magick Pool to help, not to mention that Ulyaoth shields block magick drain.

Peter's chapter is probably my second favorite after Paul's. Amiens is the most well-realized setting out of the four.

Goddammit, just reading about that stupid boss is annoying me. Talk about your discordant notes in an otherwise well-executed game.

I tried updating today. Really, I did.

And then the Mac crashed and my input USB dealie went on the fritz just before my least favorite part in the chapter.

I'll fix it by Wednesday.

We start off this chapter with the next item to move on the plot. Somehow, Alex found Peter's old Lucky Penny inside the Tome. Maybe she'll have to fix the lights in the bathroom with it?



Once she leaves, though, the apparition of a maid under attack by an unseen force distracts her.



The maid soon falls, but then gets back up and starts furiously scrubbing the floor. Alex approaches to talk to her...



The maid's scarred face and terrified voice causes her to flinch, but before she can react more than that, the maid is gone.



However, the Basement Key was left in her place.



Since we haven't found any electrical parts on the upper areas of the mansion, we head to the basement!



Among other things, we find a Shotgun down here. Score!

Yeesh, is that a description or an advertisement? Either way, it kills things that you point it at real good. Not that that does Alex much good right now, mind.



Something less relevant, but nearly as rewarding, is Edward's stash of potent alcohol. Good times!



There's two other key things in the basement. One is the safe, which is locked, and Alex doesn't have the tools to get it open yet. The other is the fusebox.



Alex, being none too knowledgeable about electrical safety but plenty versed in physics, uses the Lucky Penny to replace the old-fashioned fuse.



On the upstairs floor, the bathroom lights snap on. We've done all we can in the basement, so let's head up there.



Um. How long has this painting been here?

The lower Alex's sanity gets, the more direct the fixed sanity effects throughout the mansion are. I think I missed one back in the piano room, so I'll give it a look later.



The first thing we find in the mansion is the second letter by Maximillian Roivas.



Inside the weirdly decorated medicine cabinet, we find something else.



Namely, the next Chapter Page!



Cutscene: Dark Servants

Pious issues an order to a guardian of Ulyaoth.

Edward Roivas knows too much about their designs, so they move to kill him before he becomes a threat.



He then reports to Ulyaoth, informing him that all the steps of the ritual are in place, and now they need only wait.



He clarifies that they need to move to destroy the Roivas family due to their proximity to Ehn'gha.



Ulyaoth gives as close to a blessing as his apathy permits to Pious' plan.



Cutscene: A Legacy of Darkness

This one doesn't have a direct voiceover by Edward Roivas...



Because we're going to be playing as the man himself, before his knowledge of the human mind was so affected by the existence of the Ancients.



As always, he busies himself with research in the library. His current topic is geneaology: specifically, why were so many of the Roivas family completely barking mad?

Edward is a pretty decent character. Granted, he tires out pretty easily, and his health is poor, but everything else is top notch. He starts out with an item bearing the sharpest coolness:usefulness ratio, Liquid Courage.

Seven doses, full sanity healing, yadda yadda. If you're the kind of person that runs from fights, this might be useful, but in Edward's chapter, this is a phenomenally stupid idea.



Anyway, let's grab this Historical Journal! It appears to cover the Roivas family in more detail, which is just what Edward was looking for.



Examining it in closer detail reveals...



A minute hand for a clock? What?

Actually, how could you differentiate between a minute hand and an hour hand of a clock if they aren't on the clock face?



Cutscene: Echo of the Past (two cutscenes in this one again so I'll link it both times)

While heading towards the old grandfather clock to find out, he hears a strange voice calling him.



Turning, he finds himself facing a ghost of a man in colonial-era wear and bearing a strange familiarity.



Edward had read a passage or two about this fellow, but never thought in a million years he'd encounter his ghost firsthand!



Maximillian's ghost tells him that his anguished soul, having a task unfulfilled, was bound to earth until the task was completed. He gives Edward instructions to set the hands of the clock to 3:33, and then vanishes.



Oh hey a spell scroll for Magick Pool!

Incidentally, that last part makes it sound like there's a cost when the magick ends. There totally isn't, though.

Yeah, thanks for the clue Max. I'll just set the time to oh wait there's no hands on the clock.

Time to wander the mansion, I guess.



The mansion is nearly identical to how Alex finds it. Edward is still fairly young, though, not the elderly grandfather Alex knew and loved. It's also well-staffed, full of diligently working servants.



Most of the elements of the mansion seem less of practical use and more on the whimsical end. I don't know many people who would have a piano just to relieve stress by mashing keys at random.



Max's old sabre is still here. Edward figures that if the story the ghost had to tell was true, he'd do well to take it.



This room has two things in it. The first is another Historical Journal, containing the Hour Hand.



The second is a gun cabinet, where one of the previous mansion owners, no doubt inclined towards hunting, has an Elephant Gun securely locked. Edward can't remember where he put the key, though.



As he walks by this segment of the wall, he's startled to hear yells, gunshots, and the sound of tearing flesh. He spins towards the wall, surprised, then hears nothing, so he wonders if he let his imagination get the better of him with a thunder strike.



Eventually, he finishes wandering and arrives back at the clock to turn it to the time the spirit indicated.



Cutscene: The Legacy Unveiled

The spirit's return, coupled with the sound of shifting wood, turns his attention to the newly created passage.



The spirit and the passage lead him to a study filled with even more eccentric objects than the mansion usually holds.



Maximillian parts, providing Edward with instructions and words of encouragement before departing this world.



The first of the noteworthy things in the mansion is the Revolver mounted on the wall.

As with the other characters with Revolvers, Edward is going to use this mainly on Trappers. There's one other kind of enemy I'll use it on for this chapter, though.



The other thing is, as always, the Tome of Eternal Darkness.



Like Lindsey, Peter managed to survive his ordeal, although he certainly didn't have as happy an ending. His tale is still instrumental to the fight against the Darkness, however.



Trust me, you will want to save at this point. A few rooms from here and there will be no saving for a while.

At this point, I decided to take a small break. That escalated into going out to buy dog food, and then my computer crashing, and then spending two days fixing my Mac. I don't hate the chapter that much, but I always hate going into this part because it's so annoyingly paced.

Right, enough complaining. Get out there, Edward.

As soon as he leaves his study, a strange eyeless monstrosity appears before one of his maids!



The creature drains the blood from the maid, causing her to crumple, and then vanishes and runs off.



Despite being invisible, it's still tangible, as it knocks over a vase on the way. The vase contained the Bottom Half of a Basement Key, and we'll get to it as soon as we can, but first...



The maid rises, but her face is horribly scarred and her eyes show no emotion as she moves to attack Edward.



Edward ends up fighting and killing the maid in self-defense.

NPCs attacked by that creature turn into pseudo-zombies. They gain incredible durability, not flinching even from direct hits, and cause mild sanity loss upon death, so you want to avoid fighting them. Arguably, you could kill them for sanity loss, but you could do that before they become resilient and hostile for a better payoff. I use the Revolver on this one, since I can avoid counterattack easier that way.



After casting a Reveal Invisible spell, Edward leaves to pursue the beast, now rendered visible.



However, the vampire is faster than Edward, and begins attacking another servant.

This is how this part of Edward's chapter plays out. Your job is to hunt down the invisible vampire creature and stop it from zombifying your servants. It's pretty tough, and Edward takes forever to recover from a hit, so this isn't easy even with Reveal Invisible active. It can also attempt to drain Edward's blood, although this, like Bonethief possession, can be fought off. If it's invisible, it will turn visible briefly while it attacks, giving you a small window of time to dodge and counterattack.



The creature doesn't even die normally, as it simply retreats to the basement to draw energy from a runestone there.



The upside here is that the servants are always grateful for being saved, and reward Edward. This servant, in particular, is very important to save, as he hands over the Gun Cabinet Key.



Hello there, darling.

This rifle is amazingly powerful. Properly used, it can blow away Guardians in a single shot. The problem is that it also has a hell of a kick, enough to send Edward flying on his back if he doesn't properly steady himself before firing. It also stores only two shots at a time.



This is also the first firearm that has more than one firing mode. I don't know why they bothered, though, especially since Edward's chapter is more loaded with ammo than a Rapture vending machine. Basically, you can set the Elephant Gun to fire either one shot at a time or both shots at once. It's strong enough that it doesn't really matter what you choose. I go with double shot for reasons.



I got lost at this point, and that bought the vampire enough time to recover and attack a new servant.



I have no idea how I avoided death here. The vampire's attacks cause Edward to flinch so much that it's even more easy to be stunlocked here than against a Horror.



We get some more ammo out of it, though.



Now we play the waiting game. To progress, we need the other half of the basement key. Guess who has it.

Incidentally, notice my magick meter? That's more an Ulyaoth-specific problem than anything, but magick management for this part of Edward's chapter is very important.

Where do you think YOU'RE going?



That's right! Scurry back to your hidey hole, because I'm coming for you.



The key is broken still, but a quick mix and enchant fixes that. Incidentally, any Enchant Item spell will work for repairs, so the best one to use is the 3-point one due to speed and magick cost.



Now that the vampire is on the ropes, Edward moves into the basement to administer the coup de grace.



Your first goal is to destroy the runestone. Three swings with a properly enchanted sabre should do the trick.



After that, you need to handle the vampire one last time. Reveal Invisible is recommended, but you may not have an opening to recast it if it runs out.



It's over, it's over! TKO!

Also Edward's finisher is the same as everyone else's.



A few goodies can be found in the basement. First, the spell scroll for Summon Horror.



Second, the weirdest shotgun I have ever seen.

People use this thing for home defense? I dunno, seems kind of overkill. Also, this thing is the size of a cat. Don't shotguns normally have longer barrels? Whatever the case, this shotgun differs from Lindsey's model in that it stores only two shots, but has the same mode settings as the Elephant Gun and is easier to reload. And considering I have 96 shells for it at this point, I don't see any reason to not use this as my main weapon.



Heading down the well, Edward sees the city of Ehn'gha, just as Max has. However, unlike Max, he spies nine towers arranged in a circle over the city. Could there be some special significance to these?



Here's the welcoming party for the second half of the level.



With proper aim, a single Double Shotgun blast, properly enchanted, can bring down a Horror in no time. And if you don't kill it? Back up a bit and reload, since the reload time isn't too bad for them.



Edward, remembering Max's tale from the Tome, realizes that if he's going to do anything about the city, he has to do it alone. He prepares himself for whatever could be within the city.



The first thing he finds is a Guardian in a hallway with all the exits, save one, sealed off by magickal barriers.



I may have underestimated the durability of the Guardians, because it took a few shotgun blasts to down them. If they get a barrier up, as seen here, your best bet is Dispel Magick. If you use 7-point spells for your buffs, there's no risk to losing them to the spell, so my shield survives this casting.

Inside the room beyond the Guardian, Edward finds a strange ritual site, with three podiums before an immense and bizarre structure.



In examining the area around the structure, Edward finds a strange panel that reacts to his presence. Magickal energy flows to the structure, activating a portal, which Edward takes.



He soon finds himself at the top of one of the nine towers. At the apex of the tower, there is another curious panel. As he nears it, he feels a powerful raw magick. He wonders if he could use runes to direct this magick, and suddenly gets an idea.



This part of the chapter, as you may have guessed by now, involves setting runes into each of these towers. Most of these will be Pargon runes, but any spell requires an action, a target, and a source. The city itself serves as a massive 9-point circle, and casting the proper spell can have devastating consequences. Edward's plan is to destroy the Ulyaoth-aligned inhabitants of the city with a Xel'lotath-aligned Dispel Magick spell the size of a football field.



However, after you set the rune in place, you get teleported to a new area within Ehn'gha and must navigate back to the central ritual site.



good ideas 101



Seriously though, if you let the dominant Horror kill the other one, they'll be easy pickings for your enchanted weapon.



Every area has a lever, which opens up the exit to the room you're in.



We'll be returning to this hall a lot.



The next tower lets us choose our target for the city-wide spell. You'll want Redgormor here.



A Horror waits after you set this rune, but that ain't nothing.



Trappers like to hide all over this level. They're easy to avoid when you can hear them and hit them with a Revolver, but as previously mentioned my setup doesn't have sound, and trying to find Trappers here by sight is nearly impossible.



I elect to just get out of there.



Here's the dead soldier Peter teleported out of the way!



Most of the runes will be Pargon. This one is no exception.

Edward finds himself in a strange place, with monsters of all types encased within the walls.



He pulls the lever on the wall to let himself out...



And three different beasts are freed: a Xel'lotath Horror, a Chattur'gha zombie, and an Ulyaoth Trapper.



Let's not stick around to fight them.



The next tower teleports us to a room devoid of features, save for a mist-filled chasm in the center.



However, as soon as Edward pulls the lever, a massive worm erupts from there and lunges for him!



However, rather than being devoured, his vision takes on a strange quality, and panic begins to well in him.



He decides to dispel this uneasiness the only way he knows: Liquid Courage.



The center tower is the most important, being the one that determines the Ancient you draw power from. Mantorok doesn't have enough power to supply to this city-wide circle of power, so Edward draws instead from Xel'lotath.



wtf stop spawn camping nub



After every hit with the Scattergun Double Shotgun, the Guardian floats off to another point, so I spend a lot of time chasing it around the area.



Moving on.



Now that the spell draws power from Xel'lotath, the energy here has turned green instead of the usual blue.



The next tower sends us to an area loaded with Trappers, but since they stand out against the tan floor, I take care of them with no problems.



After that, we find ourselves in a sort of arena, with another Guardian to deal with.

Okay, you're taking too long. Elephant Gun time!



Dropped it like it wasn't even there. Nearly sent Edward down on his back, though.



Oh hello Chattur'gha Trapper, fancy meeting you here.



Here's a slight twist to the Trapper dimension. Sometimes, a Horror will be standing on one of the portal exits, firing energy bolts at you.



Clearly, they have never heard of the word "telefrag".



Here, we choose the action we wish to take with our spell. It's easy to get confused and think Project is what's needed, but no, we want Dispel. After all, a Magickal Attack won't discriminate between normal beings and supernatural ones, and we don't want the mansion to explode.



This area's pretty intricate, with stairs going every which way.



Also I get hit by like twelve Trappers.



If you're too hasty with your shot using the Elephant Gun, you'll likely miss from the recoil, not to mention send Edward flying.



Once the last tower is activated, the spell begins casting, and the entire city shakes from the magickal energy accumulating. Edward needs to get out of here fast!



The next room has a Horror the size of a bus and a Guardian, but Edward doesn't stop to kill either one, just heading straight for the lever.



Did I mention that Trappers are really hard to see?



Once we escape to the main hall, Guardians start phasing in like nobody's business. If you haven't started running yet, you will now.



Edward makes it to the balcony, where a sound like space being torn to shreds causes him to look out over the city.



The spell has triggered.

Though the denizens of Ulyaoth still pursue him, be it from rage or fear...



The spell cascades over them all, obliterating them completely.



Edward stops to take in the full scope. He just destroyed an entire city of Ulyaoth! This is surely a massive blow against the Darkness.




Cutscene: Death Comes To Us All

In Alex's time, Edward sits down in front of his favorite fireplace, untroubled by thoughts of dark beings for one small moment.



These beings share no such blissful ignorance.



And in an instant, Edward Roivas meets his bloody end.



In another time and place...



Pious reports Edward's actions, a greivous blow to their plans.



Ulyaoth remains as aloof as ever, remarking that such a problem poses no threat to his eventual entrance to our world.



Pious worries that their loss might prove a significant hindrance in their plans, but Ulyaoth ignores him, stating that balance was never even a factor in their plans.



He goes on to state his vision of his victory, in another time and space, over the ancient of might and matter, Chattur'gha.



Pious relents and agrees, claiming that Ulyaoth will be summoned into our world.



Next Time: Real Canadian Heroes

Edward's chapter is long and boring and stoopid. But this next one? It's up there with Paul's and Peter's.

Hot black dude with an ax and an assault rifle? yesplz

Edward's chapter is pretty bad to start out with, especially on a first playthrough when you don't know what's happening, how you have to stop it, and why it's a good idea to stop it quickly.

But at least it goes out with a bang!

Michael's chapter is one of the best to Rambo through with Eternal Mode turned on.

Alex has finally discovered her grandfather's true killer. After all this time, it really couldn't have reached another outcome, but this outcome is perhaps more terrifying than any other. She decides to go calm her nerves by playing the piano the way her grandfather used to fail at doing.



She finds something even more worrying when she enters the piano room, however.



As she moves in for a closer look, the corpse almost appears to jerk into life, but then...



THIS ISN'T REALLY HAPPENING!!

Another mansion-specific sanity effect. I actually didn't know about this one because I don't think the camera shows the corpse unless you go past the piano. This makes it a bit more unnerving for me.

At this point, Alex recalls the letter her grandfather included within the Tome at the conclusion of his chapter. Did he know he would be killed this way?



A helping of liquid courage would probably do Alex good. However, she spies something interesting when filling her empty forty bottle...



Pickaxes are fun! With this, we can now open up that wall that we saw Max's ghost go into. It led to the servant's quarters in Max's time, and Edward heard sounds of a violent struggle in his time, so what will Alex find?



Put your back into it!



As Alex looks into the room, she can see in her mind's eye how the scene here could have unfolded...



One stormy evening, Max enters the servant's quarters. Suspecting them of being bonethieves, he carries his pistols and sabre.



He fires quickly and decisively, killing two of the sleeping servants outright.



A third one rushes him before he can reload, but his sabre makes short work of the servant.



The room remains in much the same state as it was left in that day. Max appears to have used magick to seal the area, and blocked off the room to prevent anyone tampering with the seal. Alex finds a few important things in the center of the sealed-off burnt corpses, so she decides to dispel the magick.



Max used the most effective spell he could manage to accomplish this, using Xel'lotath magick to beat Ulyaoth foes, so we dispel it with Chattur'gha magick.



There's two things here. The first is a Stethoscope, which is used to open the safe in the basement. This is our next destination. The other is another journal entry by Max.



Once Alex leaves the room, a strange creature, exactly matching the autopsy description of Maximillian Roivas, attacks her!

Yeah, this is the point at which the game actually puts enemies in the mansion. If you're a coward, you could restore your sanity in the servant's quarters, since that's the last room before enemies show up.



Alex's finishing move is pretty straightforward, kind of like the Ram Dao.

Did I mention that there were Trappers in that hallway? Because there are.

After this point, I think most of the rooms will have enemies in them, so it's key to make sure Alex is properly buffed and equipped.



Cripes! I forgot how many zombies were in this area, and on top of it all my controller craps out.



Wait, what? It's still plugged in! I can't fix it!!



THIS ISN'T REALLY HAPPENING!!

I think we're running out of the really meta sanity effects, actually. Sort of sad, that.



Anyway, the safe.

Now, how this part is supposed to work is you're supposed to fiddle with the dial until you hear it click, then repeat for each of the three numbers. As you may or may not recall, I don't have sound on my setup, so I thought I'd be hosed here. Turns out that the combination persists in all the games, so the same combination is used each time! The magic of GameFAQs tells me that it's 59-81-47. Thanks, GameFAQs!



The safe has quite an array of useful contents inside of it. It contains the Essence of Xel'lotath that Edward obtained from Peter, a Crankshaft, a letter from Edward Roivas, and the next chapter page, entitled "Ashes to Ashes".



A cultist approaches Pious with good news for the summoning.



He tells Pious that a major catastrophic event in the future will bring forth a torrent of souls to nourish Ulyaoth.



Pious briefly muses that "storm of Metal and Fire" would make for an awesome heavy metal tour name, before dismissing the cultist and informing Ulyaoth of the good news.



Cutscene: Ashes to Ashes



The chapter starts off showing a helicopter moving around a massive inferno, and various firefighters doing their best to stop the blaze.



Down near the fire, Michael Edwards talks with his supervisor.



Mike says that this fire feels somehow more powerful than the others, which is making him uneasy.



His supervisor reassures him that this is all by the book and safely regulated.



After all, they have the power of science on their side!

Science and explosions.

Whoever came up with the idea to extinguish massive fires with even more massive explosions deserves a medal.

However, something catches Michael's eye as his supervisor tells his team to back out of the area. A crackle of energy briefly illuminates the explosives...



The detonation happens prematurely, sending debris miles into the air.



The ground beneath Michael has collapsed...



The Pillar of Flesh's foundation has been placed here.



Mike removes his firefighter's coat, alternately yelling in bewilderment at what went wrong and mourning his two comrades who did not survive the explosion or the fall.



Gradually, his attention turns to the massive Pillar of Flesh.



As he looks upon it, a spirit appears from the Pillar.



Roberto's spirit materializes before him and produces the essence of Chattur'gha, offering it to Mike.



He gives Mike instructions to bring the essence to the Gathering of Light at the Roivas mansion.



Mike is slightly skeptical that a ghost in a pillar made of corpses wants him to take a magickal claw to a Rhode Island mansion built over a city populated by monstrosities from beyond time.



He agrees, however, figuring that if he gets out of this mess alive, a weird delivery wouldn't kill him.



Also, we get the two effigies Roberto had on him somehow.



Now we get to play as Michael Edwards! He's a pretty straightforward character. Loads of health, but not much in the way of magick or sanity. He also starts with a Fire Axe and a Flashlight, as well as the stuff Roberto handed off to us.

That's not how "axe" is spelled. Anyway, the Fire Axe functions like a long-range Mace, effectively. Slow, but it packs a wallop. And unlike the scholarly Paul, Michael is a man's man and can swing it pretty easily.

The Flashlight, as with the Torch, provides light. Unlike the Torch, it doesn't have to be held in Mike's hand to be effective, clipping easily to his suspenders. Also unlike the Torch, it can't be used as a subpar melee weapon, but close combat is really not important for Mike's chapter.



Mike starts out with zombies in the room already going after him, so don't get too comfortable.



His finishing move is what you'd expect from a Canadian with an axe: a strong two-handed strike you'd use to split lumber. why yes I am going to stereotype Canadians for the rest of this update

But y'know what's even better than a fire axe?



This.

Blah blah blah numbers who cares we have an ASSAULT RIFLE. We also loot a good 450 rounds off of the guard's corpse, not to mention five grenades for it. It has three settings: single bullet, burst fire (three bullets), full auto, and grenade. I usually stick with burst fire, which is about as strong as a melee weapon, except at range. Grenades are pretty useful against groups of zombies, but they're pretty underwhelming against larger foes like Horrors and Gatekeepers, both of which are plentiful in this area. It is possible to hurt Michael with a grenade, so I'd say skip 'em.

Oh we also got a Pistol for killing Trappers who cares ASSAULT RIFLE TIEM



The downside to Michael's chapter is that while we do have the game's best gun, we don't find the Tome for a long time, and even once we do, Michael's magick meter combined with the high strength of spells available to us means magick has to be used sparingly.

Does this change up the atmosphere of the game? Absolutely. However, while the Assault Rifle is very powerful, keep in mind that until we get the Tome, we can ONLY restore Mike's sanity with finishing moves, and restoring health simply can't be done. It's a fair tradeoff if you ask me.



Even unenchanted, the Assault Rifle makes quick work of Gatekeepers.

Oh yeah, you can enchant the Assault Rifle. Because the only thing better than shooting cosmic horrors with automatic weapons is if those automatic weapons are fueled by pure madness.



Anyway, let's get into the ruins proper and find a way out.



These hallways are full of zombies and Trappers, neither of which is a threat. What's up this ladder?



Actually, there's an amulet here, but I got sort of distracted and missed it. We'll come back for it later.



There's a lot of going up and down ladders in this area. There was also a Gatekeeper in this room, but I shot it a lot and it died and fun times were had.



Further ahead, we find an Emerald Effigy to complete our trio, but it's sealed off by a five-point Damage Field, and there's not a lot Michael can do about that right now. So, back to the main hallway.



The next ladder takes us to a room full of Mantorok zombies. The ladder on the other side is covered in rubble, so we can't go further this way either.



We can, however, loot this beaten-up Staff.



The next room appears to house a miniature model of a city of some kind. A few elements of the city are quite eye-catching, shining with gold.



At the other end of the room, light shines from an aperture in the roof onto a special notch in the floor. If I had the Amulet to go with the Staff, I could mix them to create a new Staff that could be used to focus light into the model city.



This is exactly what happens.



This bit isn't too hard. Shine the light on the two orbs to either side of the central obelisk to open up some mirrors in the walls, first.

Mike wasn't ever the sort to burn ants with a magnifying glass as a kid. He more decided to stop other kids from doing it. This eventually led to him becoming a firefighter, and therefore a Real Canadian Hero.



However, turning his back on his past for a brief moment lets him bounce the light from the staff off of the obelisk and two mirrors to hit a hard-to-reach spot in the model city.



This opens a tiny ladder shaft behind him.



Once you hit this point, you go to the Hall of the Tome for the last time.



All of the statues are here now. All the souls who lost their lives in fighting the darkness are immortalized here.

And there's no more statue slots, so if Michael dies he's going to be stuck on the curb of eternity. That's a downer.



Michael claims the tome and views the entire story, concluding with Edward.



Moving on, Trappers!

Miraculously, I don't screw up here and get sent to the Trapper Dimension.



Mike was at full magick when he started this spell. I was serious about the limits of magick balancing the Assault Rifle's amazing killmurderpower out.



There's two Horrors in here.



Because I am a fool, I try using a grenade on the Horror. It does negligible damage. Like I mentioned earlier, grenades are far better to use on zombie groups than on Horrors. Of course, why bother with grenades when you could just shoot them?



Unfortunately, that was the only grenade I ever used on this level. Now I'll be stuck wondering if Xel'lotath grenades do anything cool forever. Dang!



Further ahead, we find the other side of the Damage Field around the effigy, as well as a mine shaft leading into a mist-filled area.



The mist is full of worms. These guys don't deserve bullets.



Mike dispels the barrier and claims the last of the three Effigies!

Crazily enough, we will actually use all three in this chapter! Don't worry too much if you missed one, they're optional. Useful, mind you, but optional.



It's hard to see in this room, but the Ulyaoth enemies here are converging on an offscreen Xel'lotath zombie the size of Charles Barkley.guess what I might LP next

This leaves them open for the real threat in the room: us.



This room has a lot of zombies. There are no other distinguishing features to it, although I am 73% sure it might actually be a unique room.



Oh, wait, no, there's a Gatekeeper too.



There's four Trappers in this room of assorted colors. They all die for being annoyingly chirpy (and therefore effectively invisible to me).



Why does this room always have zombies of varying sizes to it? Baffling.



This room also houses a massive stone block marked with a 3-point design. Nothing Michael does to it seems to have any effect. To remove it, you need to summon a Trapper to telprot it away for you.



This room to our right is our goal for the Effigies. There's a room to the left, but we don't need to go there until we handle the Effigies. It's also apparently concealed, so you need Reveal Invisible.



Aside from some more zombies, this room has three murals. They're all the same appearance as the three effigies we have, but rather than being defeated by something, these ones stand out as dominating their area of the room. This is your clue.



Place each effigy so that they're being "dominated" by each of the murals. If you're on autopilot and just set them in the matching color area, you get Horrors.



Do it right, and a secret passage opens up in the Trapper room.



Heading inside, Michael finds a pedestal bearing a Gladius shimmering green and whispering slightly.



This is the whole reason we go to the trouble of getting the Effigies.

Except for three aspects, this is a perfectly normal Gladius. One, it is always enchanted at the highest strength to whatever Ancient is dominant over Pious' Ancient (Xel'lotath in our case). Two, when swung at an enemy's head, it can be thrown, making it both ranged and melee without needing ammo or magick, which is awesome. Three, Mike cannot wield it.



He doesn't seem to mind.



I think I mentioned statues and Trappers earlier. Let's go that way!



This leads to the hall of the Essences, now being shielded by a pair of Horrors.

To break the barrier, you need to kill one of the creatures, but nothing Mike has can get through. However, you can use a seven-point Bind spell to make the Horrors fight each other. I think the Bind scroll is in the Tome's bookholder back in the other room, but I didn't bother with it because I'm lazy like that. Here's the description anyway.



The one on the right is ours, but he loses the fight. Good thing none of us placed any bets, eh?



Mike demonstrates his Real Canadian Heroism by fatally shooting the winner of the brawl.



In the wreckage of the hall, we find some Plastic Explosives. These could do some serious damage to the ruins, but without a Detonator they're not much use.



As soon as Mike picks them up, he receives a vision that commands him to do just that.



Okay, now through this door.



Remember this hallway? With Roberto, we only had five-point Shields and were slow as hell.



Mike is carting a seven-point shield and is quite physically fit, making it a lot less of a threat.



We end up finding the place we were told to blow up, but we still haven't found a detonator. The only thing in here is a bunch of worms.



Fortunately, I'm not a colossal idiot, as the Detonator is just on the other side of the magickal floor.



Michael quickly assembles the bomb, but pauses before arming it. Would a simple C4 bomb be enough to destroy the Pillar of Flesh?



Now we're talking.



Even before the bomb goes off, the ruins echo with a noise like a thousand beasts stirring in their sleep. The three minute escape should be made even more hazardous for Michael.



Case in point: Chattur'gha Horrors, right out of nowhere.



You haven't got the time to finish off enemies to restore sanity, but you can usually surprise a lot of them with the assault rifle before they pose a threat.

There's a few places where the rubble shaking loose closes off old paths and opens new ones, preventing you from getting lost.



Alex, reading the story, is once again visited by the ghost of Edward Roivas.



He's done making creepy implications, now outright stating that she belongs to him.



Alex isn't fooled: this is no ghost, but an illusion.



The spirit harrasses Alex more, telling her that there's no way she can resist.



Surprising no one, it is Pious, indirectly manipulating Alex.



She lashes out at the illusion, which vanishes as soon as she touches it.



Mike really does not have the time to spare on hallucinations like these, though.



Once you get to this room where Mike first fought a Gatekeeper, the rubble blocking the exit should be cleared out.



Safety!



The magickal C4 goes off, completely obliterating the Pillar and severely weakening the plans of Pious and the cultists.




Cutscene: Back to Civilization

Edward, at the far end of his lifespan, waits in a secluded part of town.



Mike quickly approaches him and hands off the package, warning him not to talk too much in this place where they can be heard.



Edward claims ignorance, but Michael insists that he knows who he is and what the package truly contains.

Michael gets down to business: they both know the same meager amount about the Ancients, and the Guardians of Ulyaoth know this, and now move to kill Michael. It is unlikely he will live to see the next sunrise.



He goes on to hint at the contents of the package, then leaves, saying he has one last thing to do.



As this occurs...



The planets are now completely in alignment...



The ritual begins.



Next Time: Only on Pay Per View!