Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Unknown

Release Date: September 8, 2010

Adventure, FPP, survival horror, horror, indie games, action adventure, 19th century, singleplayer

96%

Steam

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A dark action adventure game designed as survival horror, developed by the team at Frictional Games studio – creators of the enthusiastically received Penumbra series. In the game we play the part of a man who voluntarily lost his memory. He wanders through the corridors of a huge castle not remembering exactly what happened, but he is certain that his life is in great danger.

Videos and Screens

[2:16] Amnesia: The Dark Descent Story Trailer

[1:14] Amnesia: The Dark Descent GOLD trailer

96%

STEAM Score

All Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (18,116)

STEAM

User Reviews Summary generated by AI

The main pros of the game

Atmosphere and Immersion: Many reviews praise the game's incredible atmosphere, sound design, and graphics, which effectively create a sense of dread and terror. The ambiance is described as palpable, holding players in its grip throughout the experience.
Psychological Horror Elements: The game introduces a sanity mechanic that adds to the tension, as players must manage their character's mental state while navigating dark environments and encountering monsters.
Innovative Gameplay Mechanics: The absence of combat forces players to rely on stealth and puzzle-solving, which many find enhances the horror experience. The physics mechanics allow for creative interactions with the environment, such as barricading doors or distracting enemies.
Engaging Story: The narrative unfolds through exploration and discovery, with players piecing together the protagonist's backstory and the mysteries of the castle.
Replayability and Community Engagement: The game has a vibrant community that continues to create custom stories and mods, adding to its longevity and replay value.

The main cons of the game

Repetitive Moments: Some players noted that certain sections of the game can feel monotonous, particularly during slow exploration or puzzle-solving.
Technical Issues: A number of reviews mentioned bugs and optimization problems, particularly on newer systems or higher resolutions, which can disrupt gameplay.
Limited Replay Value: Once players have experienced the game, the element of fear may diminish in subsequent playthroughs due to familiarity with monster placements and puzzle solutions.

The features or elements that are missing from the game according to users

Multiplayer Mode: Some players expressed a desire for a multiplayer feature, suggesting that it could enhance the experience.
Improved Technical Support: Users indicated a need for better optimization, including support for modern resolutions and audio configurations, as well as fixes for crashing issues.
More Diverse Settings: A few reviews mentioned that the game's setting felt too similar throughout, and some players wished for more variety in environments or themes.

Summary

Overall, "Amnesia: The Dark Descent" is celebrated for its atmospheric horror and innovative mechanics, though it faces criticism for technical issues and some gameplay repetitiveness.

Summary generated on: November 25, 2024

8.8

GAMERS Score

Average score from 2105 votes. 35 players anticipated the game.

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Amnesia: The Dark Descent for PC is a survival horror game developed by Frictional Games studio, known by fans of the genre for the Penumbra series. The new production of the Swedish developer once again refers to atmosphere of short stories and novels of writer H. P. Lovecraft.

Plot

In the game we play the part of a man named Daniel, who wanders through dark corridors of an eighteenth-century castle. Protagonist voluntarily lost his memory and does not know exactly what happened, although he has no doubt that his life is in danger. Traversing subsequent parts of the fortress we discover horrifying events of Daniel’s past and try to understand why had he caused temporary amnesia himself.

Mechanics

Amnesia: The Dark Descent for PC combines elements of exploration, survival horror and adventure game. Developers decided to resign from any combat skills and replaced them with much more interesting ideas. Player must take care of both mental and physical health of Daniel, and thus escape or hide from every terrifying creature, as well as avoid darkness. This kind of mechanics makes things that can illuminate interiors, like oil lamps or matches, particularly important. We use them to solve puzzles, activate machines and look for consecutive fragments of letters and notes.

Technical aspects

For the needs of the game Frictional Games studio improved its game engine (HPL2), making locations and lighting effects look really good. This is not, of course, technological level known from high-budget productions, but in spite of that, developers managed to create a suggestive environment. Sound is also a very important element that helps to build atmosphere and to simply scare. Game also features modding tools, which are available online, that allow creating our own adventures.

Last updated on May 26, 2016

GAMES

in Amnesia Game Series

Game Series

Amnesia Series

Amnesia is a series of survival horror games maintained in the convention of FPP adventure games. The source of inspiration for the series is, among others, the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

5 video games

Amnesia Game Series