Each has their own weapons and unique power to get through puzzles and deal with enemies. Instead of playing as a single soldier, players can take control of various members of the squad, switching back and forth between them. Jericho has a distinct take on military-style games, and the gameplay was ahead of its time. Along the way, the squad encounters unearthly monsters, ghosts who have entered breaches in the past and a traitorous former DOW general. It follows a squad from the Department of Occult Warfare (DOW) that is sent to close a breach in reality, linking it to the prison of an ancient being trying to break out. RELATED: Friday the 13th: The Horror Franchise's Name Has a Confusing OriginĢ007's Jericho has a very different style to it, but it shares Undying's eerie kind of storytelling. Everything comes together to create a unique environment and the kind of story one would expect from Clive Barker. Each area has a boss tied to a sibling, and Patrick must occasionally cross over into another world to progress.
While there are dark areas, supernatural enemies and strange happenings, there is no insanity meter to deter exploration. Patrick gets guns and limited ammunition, but also he gains access to magic and has a mana meter of sorts. The gameplay itself is fairly standard even today. Even power-ups and progression unlock new journal entries. In the usual horror game fashion, more information is revealed by finding notes and journals throughout the mansion. Patrick, having had his own encounter with the unknown while in the military, agrees to investigate.
Strange things are happening around the mansion, and Patrick's friend fears they're coming for him next. Patrick is responding to the letter of a dying friend whose family lives on a wealthy estate with a paranormal history that involves his siblings dying one by one. It told the story of an Irish WWI veteran named Patrick living in the 1920s. Undying released way back in 2001, and it was a hit. RELATED: Quantum Error Could Be the Cosmic Horror Follow-Up to Dead Space Many other horror games have been moving in a similar direction, with devs making their games unique rather than relying on familiar mechanics and tropes - but Clive Barker was already doing this years ago. His work stands apart in the horror genre, walking the line between fantastical and reality fiction. His most recognizable works include Hellraiser, Nightbreed and the Books of Blood. With all the games being resurrected and a surge of innovative horror titles right now, this franchise deserves to make a comeback in modern gaming.Ĭlive Barker has written for various mediums, from novels to films to comics and video games. Clive Barker's Undying and Clive Barker's Jericho were fantastic paranormal horror games that had their own unique feeling instead of being tied to common themes like Cthulhu, spooky entities or zombies.
It's been a long while since anyone has mentioned Clive Barker or his games, and it's a shame because two of them were very successful in their time.