Reality is a fragile thing. You might, for instance, be strolling through your house late at night, only to pause in paralytic fear, certain you saw some darkness-wreathed specter out of the corner of your eye. But then you blink away the fuzzy confusion, and all that remains is a gently wafting potted plant. Or your pet cat. Or a scattered flock of bats where a Dracula once stood. That was the basic idea behind Gamecube horror classic Eternal Darkness. What’s real? What’s not? Is the game totally fucking with me right now? Did it just delete my save? So naturally, I find spiritual successor Shadow of the Eternals’ presence on PC a bit dubious. I mean, it’s a bit too good to be true, if you ask me. Look, I’m gonna go poke it with a stick. If I don’t come back, it was probably actually a giant tarantula with my own face for eyes, hypnotizing me with endless chanting of all my greatest shames. So yeah, fair warning.

IGN brings word straight from new torchbearer Precursor Games (original developer Silicon Knights is currently in no state to breathe new life into the concept) that Shadow of the Eternals will arrive on PC and Wii U in the form of 12 episodes. Think that sounds excessive? Well, I’m not entirely sold myself, but Precursor’s proposing a plot that spans 2,500 years. That kind of ambition certainly demands a little breathing room.

“When Detective Paul Becker is called to one of the bloodiest gang massacres in Louisiana state history, only two survivors remain from a brutal conflict between two rival cults. As Becker begins his interrogations of the suspects, their combined recollections will uncover the truth about the ‘Eternals’.” “Featuring an ensemble cast of heroes and villains, Shadow of the Eternals will span over 2500 years of history throughout Egypt, England, Hungary, and the United States. Players will question the perception of reality as they try to balance the mechanics of combat, magick, and sanity events to progress through the adventure.”

Like all other franchise necromancy rituals, Shadow’s going to Kickstarter, and it’s demanding some rather hefty monetary sacrifices. When the crowdfunding drive kicks off on Monday, it’ll be asking for a whopping $1.5 million.

Also of note: for better or worse, former Silicon Knights head Denis Dyack is involved – as chief creative officer, no less. Will this be a return to form, or another chapter in the portion of the saga that brought us the middling Too Human, abysmal X-Men Destiny, and countless financial troubles that ultimately resulted in Silicon Knights’ agonized end? I suppose we’ll find out soon. Hopefully it won’t collapse into a pile of logistical issues (and spiders) the second people start dropping coins into its cup.