Turn off the lights, put on your headphones and set out on an eerie journey in pursuit of your lost memories. The first-person adventure game Amnesia: The Dark Descent will get you with its atmosphere, offering an unforgettable survival horror experience.
You take on the role of Daniel, who awakens with a headache, blurred vision and, most importantly, an extensive memory loss in a hauntingly empty medieval castle Brennenburg. The only thing that connects you to your past is a note written by your past self, saying that you have been here for a reason.
You awake in a medieval castle Brennenburg with an extensive amnesia
But how and why did you find yourself in this place?
Haunted not only by petrifying memory flashbacks but also by something evil hiding in the shadows, not being able to distinguish one from another, you set out to unravel the history of the place. As the plot expands through flashbacks and more diary notes you had previously written for yourself, the purpose of your presence is gradually becoming clear. And you definitely don’t like the idea behind it.
As you proceed through the mysterious chambers of the castle, solving logic riddles and combining different items to apply to the environment, you (both as Daniel and as a player) have the unpleasant feeling of being followed and watched. The ghostly atmosphere of the game is intensified by the goosebump-giving sound effects, which can unexpectedly disturb the deadly silence of the castle. Gradually, you’ll realise that you can’t even trust your own mind and you aren’t able to tell what’s real and what’s only a product of your imagination.
Every now and then you encounter the evil “something” living in the castle but forget about having weapons to fight it with. The only way to save yourself is to either hide or run. You are an ordinary man, who can easily succumb to his injuries caused by the enemy or die of fright. Therefore, you must take care of both your physical and mental health, the previous being much easier to cure. Your one and only friend during the worst times is an oil lamp, which often represents the only way of deliberation from madness. But not to make it too easy, staying in the light for too long means getting ripped apart by the monstrosity dogging your steps. Moreover, the lamp oil and tinderboxes aren’t easy to come by, so you should better use them wisely.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent understands that fear extends far beyond the limits of our fantasy and that nothing that we see exceeds the horrors of our imagination. I’ve played several survival horror games since I’m really into that but Amnesia: The Dark Descent is definitely one of the scariest. It’s not easy to talk about certain specifics of the game without revealing too much of its plot, but if you’re a fan of survival horror games, you should give this game a shot.
The pictures used in this article are from https://addictedtohorrormovies.com/2017/06/29/amnesia-the-dark-descent-is-a-game-you-wont-soon-forget/#prettyPhoto and from the official page of Amnesia: The Dark Descent http://www.amnesiagame.com/#media.
Key information
Developer: Frictional Games
Publisher: Frictional Games
Release date: 8.9.2010
Platforms: Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre: Survival horror
PEGI Rating: 16
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