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Additionally, all discs at NexWave Games are carefully inspected and assessed for quality. When discs arrive, we do not accept any that are so badly damaged that they are unlikely to work. We only accept discs with light scratches at most. Discs with scratches are then treated in our professional disc repair machine. By warming the disc and polishing it with soft brushes, these machines can remove a very thin layer from the disc. This removes the layer containing surface scratches and improves the disc’s readability. This ensures the disc works properly, even on consoles with ageing lasers that have difficulty reading games! Great news for the player.
Heart of Darkness for PlayStation 1
Heart of Darkness for PlayStation 1 is a two-dimensional platform adventure in which Andy tries to rescue his dog Whisky from a world full of shadow creatures. You see each area from the side and need to watch ledges, climbing plants, loose stones and enemy movements carefully. Andy is not a hero who can absorb a series of hits. A bad jump or a shadow getting close enough can interrupt his journey immediately. You often discover the safe approach by observing a hazard first.
Andy can walk, run, crawl, climb and perform different jumps. At first he uses a plasma cannon to keep shadow creatures at a distance; later he gains other powers. Some situations call for quick shooting, others for moving an object or clearing a route. Animated sequences link the playable scenes and show how Andy responds to danger and unexpected help. The story alternates menace with humour without taking over the controls during the platforming sections.
You play alone with one standard PlayStation controller. The original release consists of two game CDs, which the game prompts you to swap between. Automatic restart points retain your position while the console remains switched on. To continue later after switching it off, you must use the separate Save function with a PlayStation memory card. Reaching a restart point is therefore not the same as saving to that card. You can also select previously reached sections again to practise a difficult obstacle.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 1 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Heart of Darkness for PlayStation 1 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness appeared in 1998 after a long development at France's Amazing Studio. Éric Chahi had previously designed and programmed Another World and this time worked with a larger team on a new cinematic platform game. The team also included developers with experience on Flashback, among them Frédéric Savoir and Christian Robert. The project combined the precise movements of a vulnerable protagonist with a story that progressed through elaborate animations between the hazards.
For the visuals, the team did not simply choose the same technique as Another World. Three-dimensional software was used to render images, which were then displayed within the two-dimensional game. Chahi wanted backgrounds that suggested paintings rather than overt technical demonstrations. The team initially also investigated vector animation for the characters, but abandoned it because it did not fit the other visuals well. This experimentation helps explain why movement, backgrounds and transitions are so closely coordinated.
Virgin Interactive initially funded the project; in early 1998, Infogrames announced that it had acquired the publishing rights. Bruce Broughton's music was recorded with the Sinfonia of London, reinforcing the animated-adventure approach. By the time the game finally appeared on PlayStation and PC, three-dimensional worlds had become highly prominent. Heart of Darkness retained its separate side-view scenes and carefully planned obstacles. The two PlayStation CDs preserve that original combination of playable scenes, pre-rendered cinematic images and music.
Similar games for PlayStation 1
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee for PlayStation 1 also sends a vulnerable protagonist through separate screens with deadly hazards. Abe sneaks past guards, talks to other Mudokons and uses possessed enemies to progress. Andy more often fights shadow creatures directly and pursues his search for Whisky. Both games ask you to read a dangerous scene and execute an action precisely, but Abe's Oddysee makes rescuing other characters a larger part of each route.
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus on PlayStation 1 shares detailed side-view scenes, dark humour and a vulnerable hero with Heart of Darkness. The sequel to Abe's Oddysee expands tasks involving groups of Mudokons and their different reactions. Andy instead gains new powers within one personal rescue story. Exoddus has a QuikSave function to record attempts more precisely; Heart of Darkness structures its retries around its own restart points and separate memory-card saving. That changes how you approach a failed passage again.
Rayman for PlayStation 1 is also a two-dimensional platform game with exuberant animation and environments where every jump matters. Rayman can attack with his fist and gradually gains extra movement abilities. Andy uses his plasma cannon among other things and is more vulnerable when reacting to immediate danger. Rayman divides the journey across colourful worlds with collectibles and imprisoned Electoons. Heart of Darkness concentrates more on progressing through a cinematic story and solving local, often deadly situations.
Like Heart of Darkness, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile on PlayStation 1 follows a largely sideways route through a fantasy world. Klonoa grabs enemies with his wind ring and uses them as projectiles or jumping aids. Andy needs to shoot, climb or change the environment to open a passage. Klonoa's routes curve through three-dimensional scenery and allow for precise platforming. Heart of Darkness presents flatter scenes and more often relies on recognising a particular solution.
Like Heart of Darkness, Skullmonkeys for PlayStation 1 uses extensively animated characters in a two-dimensional platform game. Klaymen moves through a world of clay shapes and defeats enemies using jumps among other attacks. Andy reacts to shadow creatures and obstacles that call for a different approach in each scene. Skullmonkeys places greater emphasis on a long sequence of jumps, enemies and collectibles. Heart of Darkness ties its obstacles more closely to the story of Andy and his missing dog.
