Maybe my heading is too obscure for most to catch it, but if you played
R.O.T.H. you'd understand. That aside, this game is an absolute gem.
Lets get the obvious out of the way first. Yes, the graphics are
somewhat dated but keep in mind this is an independent title produced by
a small company. That being said, you can run them on max and they're
good enough to get the job done. The somewhat dated engine does not
detract from the overall immersive quality of the game.
So what type of game is Amnesia? Basically, it is a first person
action/adventure game. It is not a FPS in the classical "I have copious
amounts of guns and ammo" way. In fact, you have no weapons. All you
have are your wits....or rather, what's left of them after spending a
few hours in a haunted castle. You move around with standard WASD
controls. You then use your mouse to open doors, rummage through desks
and chests, light torches, barricade doors, and generally interact with
the environment.
You are Daniel. You awaken inside a creepy castle, somewhere in the
middle of God-knows-where, shaken, and with no memory of anything but
your name. Seems I have, amnesia....perhaps I'll follow this strange
trail of liquid on the floor. And so, your adventure begins.
You will be spending your time running around the castle, exploring the
different wings, picking up notes which reveal the back story, finding
items to solve puzzles, and generally running the hell away from savage
creatures, hellbent on murdering you. You can run. You can hide. You
can barricade the door. In the end, you just better pray it didn't see
you...
Supplies are in short order and you will have to conserve what precious
few you receive. As your oil lamp flickers out in the dark, dank halls
of the castle, your will find yourself standing in a completely
blackened hall, surrounded by...unnatural sounds. As you stand there in
the dark, hoping to preserve your physical health, you notice your
perception changing. The hallway seems longer, the windows are getting
smaller....Your mental health is now in jeopardy as the darkness plays
tricks on your senses and threatens to break your will. The game is a
continual struggle to keep both your mind and body intact.
Which brings us to the sound. This game has a fantastic soundscape to
it. A soundscape of
terror. Creaky doors, loose floorboards, howling wind, strange voices,
blood chilling screams, and creepy, yet ambient background "music." The
sound is stellar and it plays great in stereo headphones or supported
by full surround sound. The overal feeling of helplessness, combined
with an engrossing storyline, and superior ambient touches, all combine
to form one terrifying gaming experience. I recommend playing it at
night, with the lights off and the sound up for the full effect.
Overall, this is a fantastically made game. You can see real time and
love went into making this game. There are many subtle little touches
that make the game a pleasure to experience. If you liked Realms of the
Haunting, Penumbra, Call of the Cthulhu, Condemned, Obscure:The
Aftermath, or just want a game to give you that "WTF...turn the light
on" feeling, then you'll most likely enjoy this title. And, for 20
bucks, how can you go wrong?
