Fairy Tale Spotlight: Project Eden [Video Game Review]

"Project Eden" is a video game developed by Core Design of "Tomb Raider" fame. It was released in 2001 on PC and PlayStation 2. I have actually attempted to play this game multiple times since it came out, but I only recently finished it. It's one of those games I would give up on over and over but still somehow obsess over it.

The game takes place in a world where civilization just kept building on top of itself, working its way up into the heavens. The world below would get forsaken and only the top level actually got policed. The people living in the many levels below were just people who wanted to get away from the laws of the top level. Now, you might see this as one of those stories where the oppressively rich people live on the top with the peasants down below, but no. It's nothing like that. Human civilization just moved upwards, and there doesn't seem to be anything bad about life there at all.

You play as four security forces that are trying to figure out what's going on in one of the facilities. Carter is the point man and the one with all your security clearance. Andre is a mechanic, and he can repair things. Minoko is a hacker girl. And then there is Amber who is a big strong battle robot. You have to go through the entire game playing all of these characters (one at a time) in order to solve each mission, which in a very big way is a puzzle unto itself.

There is combat too. As you go lower and lower into the forsaken cities down below, you will run into all sorts of enemies... and eventually some sort of mutants. You have to balance your puzzle solving with the combat. It isn't always an easy thing to do, but I did eventually get the hang of it. By this I mean that I just sent Amber ahead of everybody until I found something for the others to do. You don't have to play it this way, but it was the strategy that made me the most comfortable.

As you proceed down, down, deep into the most forsaken places of the past cities, the story that unfolds is quite interesting. I don't want to spoil it, but I really got into it. I wanted to know why all this was happening. It is one of the strangest stories I have ever encountered in video games. That said, the ending felt a bit rushed and... kind of silly. It wasn't awful. I got a chuckle out of it, but I think it could have been better.

I still really enjoyed the journey though. Everything about this game is interesting, and sometimes it's legitimately scary. Imagine coming out of an old run-down building, but instead of seeing sky, you just see darkness and other buildings going off as if into infinity above you. Exploring the lower levels in this game is so dark and atmospheric. And I actually do respect that they didn't make the topside to be all that corrupt. I felt like I was on a good team working for a respectable organization, just trying to solve a very complicated problem.

I do recommend "Project Eden," but I don't think it is for everybody. The reason I quit this game a few times I played it previously had to do with respawning enemies. This seems like something that might get on people's nerves. Just know that if you push forward past these moments, the enemies tend to stop respawning. It's annoying, but I think the experience of this game is worth the hassle. Give this one a try if you can find yourself a copy.

This blog was written on August 14, 2024.

Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. Also stop by my Amazon.com listing by clicking this link: https://www.amazon.com/T.K.-Wade/e/B07BQK9RTZ

Check out my books! Thanks!