Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a difficult game to review. Not because it’s hard to define its merits or achievements – delightfully ambient visuals, excellent writing and some exciting gameplay sequences make that easy – but because it’s bloody scary. Not since I faced off against the pyramid-monstrosities of Silent Hill 2 or the crimson heads of “REmake” have I had such difficulty making progress. In fact, I think it took me about two days to dent just a few hours into Amnesia’s dozen-hour campaign.

You see, just when you’re getting used to the fact that going insane is a core game-mechanic (an obvious nod to the sadly forgotten Eternal Darkness) or that you think might have a handle on what’s required for the next puzzle, you realise that what you’ve been playing so far is effectively a tutorial. Boot camp is over, kids; time for a big freakin’ monster to chase you around a castle while you run away, unarmed and defenceless.

Let’s back up a little. Starting the game, all the player knows is that they’re taking on the role of someone named Daniel, who has, as the title might suggest, recently lost his memory. Under normal circumstances this might not be so bad, except that you’re trapped in a big spooky castle, slowly being driven insane by bizarre aspirations and the darkness of the night. Oh, and a letter written by you in the past (expect lots of this) has instructed you to go kill someone you don’t even remember, who happens to live on the other side of the residence, guarded by a big scary demon and a weird moving flesh-barrier thingy. And you thought Monday mornings were bad!

I’m a little hesitant to talk too much about the actual gameplay of Amnesia for fear of spoiling anything, but all you really need to know up-front is that it’s a first-person survival-horror experience, controlling somewhat like Clive Barker’s Undying. You may have noticed I’ve taken to referencing a couple of other games while discussing Amnesia, and with good reason; while it definitely has its own tricks up its sleeve, the game excels by borrowing great ideas from a mish-mash of other genres. Sneaking around in the darkness to avoid detection and hiding in cupboards recalls the likes of Metal Gear Solid and Thief, while juggling a limited supply of tinderboxes and lantern oil will have Resident Evil purists feeling right at home. The puzzles, a mix between simple-logic based puzzles and physics-based interactions, will remind older players of titles like Myst. The castle is even sectioned-off based on your current progress, Metroid-style, allowing occasional back-tracking to gather new resources or fill in gaps in the story.


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