Clive Barker's Undying

The game begins in 1923, after World War I veteran Patrick Galloway receives an urgent letter from his friend Jeremiah Covenant. Covenant, well aware of Galloway's reputation for dealing with occult matters, is in failing health and raves about a curse that has destroyed his entire family. Galloway travels to the Covenant estate on the coast of Ireland to visit his friend, who relates an outlandish tale of supernatural terrors.

Galloway decides to honor his friend's wishes by trying to stop whatever was set in motion long ago at the ancient stones where the ritual was performed. Through the Covenants' journals and Galloway's own memories, the player learns more about the nature of the curse and the creature behind it: The Undying King, a powerful demonic presence threatening to destroy the reality we inhabit.

The gameplay of Undying in general follows the precepts of the first-person shooter genre. The game simulates the main character's (Patrick Galloway's) point of view for the player, who utilizes a variety of weapons to defeat enemies within the game while making his or her way through a series of levels. As with most FPSs, Galloway has a certain amount of health, represented by a cross symbol and corresponding number at the bottom center-left of the screen. Each time the player is hurt by an enemy the health number is continually reduced until it reaches zero, at which point Galloway dies - an event which is usually marked by a third-person cut scene which shows his gruesome final moments. To prevent this, health can be replenished when low using health packs. Patrick's maximum health can also be permanently increased at certain points during the game.

Also, as is common with first-person shooters, combat is interspersed with simple puzzle-solving elements which usually involve overcoming an obstacle (such as a locked door) which impedes the player's progress through the game. Along with the usual "find the key" solution, the player is also often required to engage in conversation with non-player characters, or utilize a certain spell (usually the "Scrye" spell) in order to find out how to proceed.

Notably, most weapons feature both primary and secondary firing settings (e.g. the secondary fire of the speargun is a zoomed mode similar to a sniper rifle). Some weapons also feature more than one kind of ammunition, such as the revolver, which is able to use both standard lead cartridges, as well as silver bullets for added damage.

Along with its many weapons, Undying also features a number of spells, both offensive and defensive, useful for defeating in-game enemies. These include ranged attack spells such as "Ectoplasm" and "Skull Storm", the latter of which unleashes a number of burning skulls at an enemy. Non-combat magic abilities include such powers as "Haste", which greatly increases player speed, "Shield" which envelops the player in a protective translucent screen, and "Scrye", a clairvoyant ability which enables Galloway to psychically see past events and other visions.

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