Introduction

I found this game in a shoebox along with some of my other older PC games (11th Hour, ugh). Curious to see if it would run, I installed it and sure enough, it still works great on WinXP. I realized then, as the memories came back, that Heart of Darkness is a great watching-over-the-shoulder game, entertaining even for people not playing. I figured it would make for a good LP experience.

If you dig Out of This World/Another World, Heart of the Alien, and Flashback, this game is right up your alley. It has the same sort of static-screen, reflex-puzzle-solving elements to it as those games (but much lighter than Flashback on the straight-up combat). It's rare-ish but demand isn't terribly high; you can snag a PC or PS1 copy off of eBay for a song.

There are tons of ways for Andy to die in the game, and quite a few are pretty harsh when you remind yourself that Andy is a preteen boy. In fact, there are probably enough distinct death scenes in the game to warrant a special-edition Let's Fail cavalcade of strung-together takes of Andy's final moments. If I make one, however, it'll be after I've gotten through the whole game.

This isn't technically a virgin LP because I have played it before; however, it's been several years and I never did get far into the game even then. I might edit out long stretches where I get boringly stuck or start chain-dying at the same spot while swearing into the microphone, but for the most part these will be neither a speedrun nor a Let's Fail.

Level 1: Canyon of Death - also includes the opening cutscene and the cutscene before level 2

Level 2: Swampland - featuring Amigo the Special-Needs Muppet

Level 3: Magic Lake - we discover Andy is impervious to crush depths and the human need for oxygen

Level 4: Space Island - the rock-climbing simulator, also, fuck worms, man

Level 5: Rivers of Fire - molten rock averages about 1,000 °C, so naturally Andy can come within inches of contact with it and be just fine

Level 6: Caverns of Doom - featuring like one trial-and-error puzzle and some fireball combat and that's about it

Level 7: Into the Lair - makes up for level six's shortness by being the longest level yet

Level 8: Heart of Darkness - I hope you like the sound of that electricity gun