Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Every so often, I like to try a horror game to see if my palette for them has changed at all. This years was a long awaited go at "Amnesia: The Dark Descent" with the PS4 re-release that was a Playstation Plus game a few years back. Though I can see the quality of the game, it's just not one for me.

Awakening in a seemingly abandoned stately home, you play Daniel, who has amnesia and must explore, finding notes that fill in the details of what has occurred there. Solving simple puzzles along the way, Daniel is increasingly psychologically attacked by unseen noises and movement in the dark - with only candlelight or a lantern to provide the release of the truth. Soon though, Daniel discovers that he is not alone in the catacombs.

There was a lot to like about "Amnesia: The Dark Descent". Though I didn't play it as the developers intended, i.e in the dark, with headphones on, I did get a sense of the superlative sound design that makes the game so compelling. Visually the game was fine, using a basic engine to generate the house and its contents and with enough physics to allow you to throw the items around. I liked the visual effects that occur as Daniel takes psychological damage, with the screen becoming blurry and distorted until you can find some light, it reminded me of seminal Gamecube game "Eternal Darkness". The puzzles were basic stuff, mostly fetch quests or combining items like in a point and click adventure.

Where the game lost me though, was in the encounters with the creatures. I gave up at the second major one, which I understand is about halfway through the game. The first, using water to show where the creature was at least made sense, (as in, I could see where my goal was). The second just ended with me blundering into the creature over and over again and getting killed. It wasn't fun and soon moved from scary to frustrating. At my age, I don't have enough free time to not make progress with a game, each time I play.

Undoubtably well-made and atmospheric, I feel like the problems are more with me than with the game.

The horror genre is truly one of the underrated genres of gaming, but that's because the gaming industry is running out of ideas for this particular genre. You get a lot of idealistic "Hollywood story" horror games every year, it's getting annoying. Same old plot. Same old weapons. Same old frights. Nothing really standing out (except maybe a few rare gems which have come out the last few years like Dead Space and Penumbra) This time around, it's different... Completely different... Redefined horror... REAL horror... The one that gets your adrenaline pumping... The one that makes you sweat as if you were there... The one that lets you live the character... The independent Frictional Games (The one behind the awesome Penumbra series) shows the big gaming companies how to do it right. The 5 genius minds behind Frictional Games are really all it takes to get you to watch your back. You start out as an amnesia infected Daniel, who can't remember anything but his name. You're in a castle and you just have to know how you came here.

The darkness deep within this castle hides great horrors and terrors that are just to good to be spoiled... You'll just have to "run for your life" yourself... 10/10 *Highly recommended for horror fans*

WARNING: This game is NOT AT ALL for the weak-heart, easily scared, easily fainted ones... You have been warned...

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is undoubtedly the most terrifying gaming experience i've ever had. This game is a masterpiece.

In this game you play as Daniel. A man stricken with Amnesia and on a quest for answers. The story in this game isn't the best thing ever but i was intrigued the whole time and it deals with questions of guilt amongst other things. The voice acting is very good and the game has multiple endings so you can conclude the story in the way that fits you.

In the game, you complete a series of tasks/puzzles to progress the story and you must hide from enemies whilst managing your sanity and light resources. The levels are very well designed hub levels that remove the feeling of linearity because you have to do a lot of exploring if you want to find resources and things to progress. The interaction involved in opening doors and moving objects its great because it adds that physical immersion to the game. The stealth works well and its utterly terrifying when the enemies see you and give chase. The puzzles are solid too.

The best thing about this game is definitely the atmosphere. There is constantly this crippling sense of dread produced by incredible music, sound design, terrifying environments and enemies and just well paced gameplay. It was so scary that i had to stop every 20 minutes because I honestly thought i might of had a heart attack. It builds up the tension so much that when an enemy does appear and attack you it utterly shocks you to the core. I have never before or since had such an intense fear playing a video game.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a special game that most other horror games have tried (and failed in my opinion) to encapsulate. What an amazing experience that i will never forget.

10/10.

What else can I say? This game has it all. Atmosphere, music, gameplay and a legacy. The story is just amazing and has it's twists and moral questions. The gameplay is also amazing, using physics and freedom of grabbing objects. The game is already getting quite old, but the graphics have aged well and the game's custom story system still gets new creations every year from fans of the game. The devs haven't forgotten the game either and added new content in 2018. And the soundtrack, it's beautifully done. A work of art. I give a 10/10 and a great applause to every writer, composer and programmer of this game. Good job.

The atmosphere of this game. It is great. The game is really tense and creepy. The game is effective and it is a satisfying experience. The location the game takes place in is awesome. The voice acting is well done. The game is a good looking game.