Heart of Darkness

i'd never had fond memories of this one coz it was always so frustrating and janky that i never got very far in it as a kid, but revisiting it using an emulator with saved states and a rewind feature reveals it to be a much better game than i remember.

it's still not perfect: the 15fps fmvs are still hugely regrettable on multiple levels, the endless hordes of shadow creatures (while memorable) do not make for well-balanced or satisfying combat encounters, and the increasingly action-oriented latter half of the game is generally less successful than the earlier puzzle-focused stages.

but it is a beautiful, atmospheric adventure, with incredible attention to detail and some of the finest 2d sprite animation i've ever seen. the swamp level, though very brief, is especially memorable, with its writhing black serpents darting in and out of sight in the murky water; their jaws snapping and hissing in firefly-lit caverns. the swamp (and the game in general) feels alive with a sense of real threat that is not easily come by in games -- least of all those nominally for "all ages".

it also feels more mechanically accomplished than i gave it credit for. the initially cumbersome controls are actually pretty solid and responsive when you get used to them, as well as surprisingly forgiving (you cannot walk off ledges if you only tap the d-pad, for example), and the aforementioned green-eyed shadow people are able to transition between various different behaviours and movement styles with a seamlessness i thought was impressive even today.

there's a lot to like about heart of darkness, and it's a shame that its harsh difficulty, made more frustrating by the technical limitations of the time, prevented people from experiencing them on release.

Great visuals, sound and production values, poor gameplay. Heart of Darkness is a frustrating exercise in trial-and-error, often requiring precision inputs or obscure actions, and having to replay scenes over and over damages its cinematic impact.

Literally changed my life when I was a kid. Surprisingly dark and violent for what is technically a kid's game, it's a weird and surreal journey. My rating also contains a ton of nostalgia, but I can't help but love my memories with this game.