Amnesia: The Dark Descent review

Game: Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Systems (Win version reviewed): Win, OSX, Linux
Original release date: September 2010
Developer: Frictional Games
Publisher: Frictional Games

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The good:
Shit your pants scary
Fantastic atmosphere
Direct object manipulation is great
Developer commentary

The bad:
Weak puzzles
No hands!
Main voice actor is too deadpan


Score: Excellent
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About my rating system.

Awful - Admit to liking this game and your friends and loved ones will forsake you. And you'll be arrested.

Bad - Really just a game for series/IP/genre diehards.

Okay - Not bad enough to be bad, not good enough to be good.

Good - Good ideas, good design, good execution. It's good.

Excellent - A very special layer of hell is reserved for people who don't own this game.

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• Frictional
• Games
• amnesia
• the
• dark
• descent
• review
• penumbra
• overture
• survival
• horror
• graphical
• adventure
• physic
• physics
• puzzle
• puzzles
• asfm
• antisocialfatman
• scary
• games

[RyanlXD]

I like shock scares? even though the psychological terror is much better, shocks are definetly just as good.

[antisocialfatman]

@RyanlXD Well if you enjoy them then that's fine, but regardless of how much you like them they are extremely easy to execute. I only need walk up behind you and pop a balloon and ta-da! I've successfully shocked you. It may be effective, but it's a bottom-rung, amateurish technique.

It's also absolutely nothing to do with fear. It's a mechanical reflex. To make someone feel genuine fear in a computer game takes talent, and the mechanics involved are more much complex than sudden loud noises.

[jimmyy13]

I agree with you this game scares the shit outta you

.I ve only played 2 houres but I cant play more than half an hour a day.

You said somethin about reviewing Dead Space ?

[antisocialfatman]

@jimmyy13 I reviewed Dead Space when it came out.

[antisocialfatman]

@TheRozza333 If you like it, you should buy it. Indie developers need and, especially in this case, deserve your support.

[youzz33]

Why did you play this on the brightest intensity level? That would make the game a lot less scary in my opinion...

[TheOrfordonian]

@TheInkBat

yeah. :(

[TheInkBat]

@TheOrfordonian he died??

[TheOrfordonian]

Probably his best review, R.I.P. antisocialfatman

[sheaofleaves124]

I haven't yet heard someone talk about the footsteps you hear when nothing's there.

[virushead666]

Very, very good review, very good use of words.

[Petrico94]

bottom of food chain? under staitment

yes the enemies eat you just cause your there but the slime eats away at you, water monsters, the insects just crawl all over you

[Petrico94]

The fact that opening a drawer reveals sanity draining skulls makes me not want to search. But i need to search to get tinderboxes to explore the dark,

and if im not in the dark im using my lantern which uses oil

which i also need to search for and if im in the dark too long i fall over becoming prey for enemies who may or may not be right behind me.

Oh, and Alexander's face just turned super scary. Great game, needs more games from producer

[19Jones91]

@MS57KB Completely agree, Dead Space is a great game but only had maybe 3-4 shock scares in it. Amnesia I had to force myself to walk into the next room.