When I received this Reader Review, all I could think of was this hilarious video. But as Zorine Te’s review shows, Amnesia: The Dark Descent in more than just YouTube fodder, it’s one of the scariest games ever made.
AMNESIA: THE DARK DESCENT
From the developers who brought us Penumbra, the latest offering from Frictional Games promises “an experience that will chill you to the core”.
I think it’s a fair warning to those who get a little weak at the knees when faced with scary games – this is a game that will mercilessly clutch at you with its iron fist of terror- and for the most part, succeeds. There are few shots at the traditional jump-inducing scares. Instead, much of Amnesia: The Dark Descent’s horror is drawn from its atmosphere and well designed gameplay elements.
This is a game which should have came with an extra pair of pants.
LOVED
Atmosphere
It would seem that this title’s strongest point is the atmosphere – this is where the fear comes from. As mentioned, Amnesia: TDD seldom relies on quick scares that aim to make the player jump. Instead the focus is drawn on unsettling visuals, sounds which you think you may have heard, and the inability to defend yourself. The atmosphere invokes fear in a less explicit manner; that is, your fear comes from what you imagine to be coming.
Darkness and light also plays an important role in the game. Standing for too long in the dark will handicap your character, but stepping into the light may reveal you to nearby… things.
This all makes for an incredibly unnerving experience. Several moments will linger in the minds of players long after the game has finished. The intensity of the atmosphere actually made it necessary for me to take breaks at regular intervals.
Mind over matter
Gunning down your adversaries may be something common in traditional horror survival games but Amnesia does nothing of the ilk. You will need to think quickly in order to stay alive and solve puzzles to progress the story. An interesting physics engine mixes things up a bit.
Storyline
The introduction leaves the player with very little information to begin with. Plot elements were well paced, leaving me genuinely interested in what was going to happen next. However, there was sometimes an overdependence on the pure text notes lying around – something I will discuss below.
HATED
Text
There were moments where the game showed an overreliance on “notes” of pure chunks of text lying around. Prepare to practice skim reading.
Backtracking
Not sure how many players have encountered this, but I spent a fair amount of time running around places hopelessly lost. This can quickly become frustrating when all I want is to progress.
Just when I thought the survival horror genre had nothing new to offer, Amnesia: The Dark Descent brings it to a whole new level. This is a game that will tap into the imaginations of players to mess with their minds. Even if you don’t get kicks out of being scared, the atmosphere itself is brilliant. My tip – play it at night, lights off, headphones in and turn it up. Total. Immersion.
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