N-Philes

If there's something Silicon Knights did right with Eternal Darkness, it's the eternal tormentor of the Earth, Pious Augustus. I mean, just look at the guy. Like the many ambulatory skeletons throughout the ages that have waged war against cartoon and video game heroes, you know he's evil before you even see him rip someone's flesh off. His skinless face bears an Eternal Grimace accented by chilling white eyes, and he lumbers through history in the Roman centurion armor that he died in. And just to go for gusto, he carries around a staff made out of human spines and pelvic bones. Just one look at this ghastly gent, and your sanity would requiem itself right out of your brain!



But things weren't always darkness and insanity for Pious Augustus. Once... he was but a man. A loyal officer of the Roman army and the first of the Chosen few who would play roles in the wars of the Ancients, Pious led a doomed expedition through Persia to find coveted artifacts for his emperor. What he finds instead are the physical conduits to the immense power of three rival Ancients: Chattur'gha, Xel'lotath, and Ulyaoth.



But that's when it all comes crumbling down for poor piteous Pious. Either entranced by the call of the Ancients or hoping to bring back some nifty floating columns to his emperor, Pious takes hold of one of the artifacts and seals the fate of the Earth for the next two millenia. Whichever he chooses pours its power into him and makes him its liche puppet, carrying out its plans for the overthrow of the planet. Pious' dealings with his master Ancient, revealed during cutscenes which advance the plot during each chapter, give even the most jaded gamer a reason to play through a second time. His conversations and attitudes with each Ancient are different, and he reveals more of a persona than that of a simple sycophantic toadie. Depending on the situation, he plays both the roles of puppet and puppet master.



The final battle with the twisted villian takes place in the vast Underground City, as he finalizes preparations to unleash his chosen Ancient. Alex arrives, via teleporter, and the two exchange in some good old-fashioned trash-talking before the battle begins. Armed with her Enchanted Gladius, glowing with the power of the Ancient who has dominance over Pious' master, Alex's power is the rock to Pious' scissor. Her first target is the essence of Pious' Ancient, as Pious is surrounded by a magical barrier protecting him from harm. Pious of course isn't content to let you beat on the source of his shield, and follows Alex relentlessly around the battle arena trying to hit her with his bony staff and magical spells. Meanwhile, after each turning point in the battle (as you attack the Ancient's essence or Pious himself) the gigantic Ancients are battling in orbit around Earth, and it's easy to see that whichever one Pious had chosen is underprepared to do battle with yours.

With the Ancient's essence damaged, the other ghostly figures of the Chosen begin to awaken and assist Alex in destroying Pious and the Ancient's essence. Once you've hit the essence as a certain character, you become another, and so on until all characters have played their part. All characters share the same health bar, so it's imperative to not allow Pious to deal any damage while striking at the essence. Once it shatters, Pious' personal shield protecting him from harm falls, and with a smile, Alex is free to pull out her shotgun and start blasting.

With Pious and his Ancient defeated, Alex finds that the Ancient she'd summoned is now as much a danger to the Earth as Pious', and Edward and Alex desperately cast another spell to seal the creature away and save the world. It probably would have been much cooler to let the new Ancient destroy the world and shroud it in Eternal Darkness, leaving the game with an uneasy ending that underscores its entire theme, but hey, everyone loves a happy ending.