Ecstatica I and II Re-Release - Survival Horror's Missing Link Returns
Alone in the Dark (1992) was an incredibly important game in the evolution of survival horror. It established the look and feel of what an entire 3D horror genre would look like for the coming decade. Games like Resident Evil, Dino Crisis and more owe a lot to the inspiration of Alone in the Dark.
But another game series that was important and rarely talked about is Ecstatica and its sequel, Ecstatica II. The first game launched in 1994—just two years after Alone in the Dark—while the sequel followed in 1997. I remember playing it at some point, but it's a memory that blurs into the dozens or hundreds of other games I’ve played from that era.
Ecstatica is a historically significant early entry in the survival horror genre—before the genre was even coined as such, in fact. It takes place in 928 AD in a European village named Tirich. You play as an unnamed male or female traveller who seeks shelter in the town only to discover it is overrun with all sorts of creatures.
While most survival horror games have you come across a nightmare that has already mostly played out, the carnage happening in Ecstatica is still unfolding. Panicked people are trying to hide, while others are trying to fight off monsters. But the town is so absolutely crawling with creatures, any step can get you jumped by an ape-like creature or mobbed by mace-wielding goblins.
I haven’t quite played another game like Ecstatica. It’s uniquely chaotic, especially if you’re not expecting the density of encounters and puzzles. There is no slow burn. As soon as you take your first steps you’ll have something on your heels ready to strike. It’s also tonal whiplash, moving from horror to action to dark humor, sometimes within seconds.
Ecstatica is also very visually unique. While older games were known for their blocky polygonal look, Ecstatica used the Ellipsoid Engine, rendering the world and characters out of ellipsoids rather than polygons—giving everything a rounded, surreal look. While it might all look bright and balloon-like at first glance, the surreal nature of the art style does a great job creating a dark atmosphere just from how wrong it all feels.
Also, Ecstatica features a complete lack of map, minimap, quest marker, quest logs or even a health bar. You can tell if your hero is nearing death purely through animations. Combat is also strange and consists of flailing your arms or whatever object is around. And despite constantly being under attack, you can ignore most enemies—if you know how to avoid them, that is.
Alongside the original, SNEG has also released Ecstatica II, the 1997 follow-up. This is my first time playing the sequel, so I was a bit bummed to learn that a lot of the charm from the first game was replaced with dark seriousness. Not to say that all joking was removed, but Ecstatica II takes a darker tone right from the start.
There is also more of a coherent intro setting up the goings-on along with a health bar to let you know what your hero’s vital status is. The gameplay remains similar, though it's not as densely packed with puzzles and enemies–not to say the chaotic nature of the first game is completely removed. Don’t expect a generational shift in terms of storytelling and gameplay. It’s more of the same, just a little darker and larger.
From a gaming preservation point of view, the rerelease of Ecstatica and Ecstatica II is important. These are games that aren’t easy to get running on modern systems, even if the files are floating around the internet. Along with these releases are all sorts of options preservation nerds like me enjoy: the ability to toggle to old graphics versions—like the DOS and CD-ROM versions, as well as the modern updated graphics—on the fly.
There is also full controller support that adds a bit of a modern touch without removing the tank-like controls. There’s even a “shaking legs” option which I had to look up: I guess there was a visual bug in the original release that can be reproduced by toggling that option. Purists rejoice, indeed.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend these two releases for modern gamers. However, if you’re interested in retro oddities, it doesn’t get much odder than Ecstatica and its sequel. These are true hidden gems, and important stepping stones on the path to modern survival horror. The protag of Ecstatica had to walk (and trip on rocks–seriously something that can happen in-game) before the likes of Leon Kennedy could flip kick zombies to oblivion.
Ecstatica and Ecstatica II are available on Steam today
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