Amnesia: The Darkish Descent is a must-play earlier than it leaves Recreation Move


The primary time I performed Amnesia: The Darkish Descent, I needed to put it down and stroll away. I’m a giant fan of horror video games, and I don’t often put them down except they’re unplayable or simply dangerous. The Darkish Descent was completely different, although, a sport that freaked me out so badly that I needed to flip the lights on and simply sit in that glow till I might catch my breath. My imaginative and prescient had turn into too darkish; I used to be out of oil for my lantern; and there have been cracking noises coming from someplace off display. I hadn’t been shocked by a soar scare or a disturbing creature. I used to be simply unnerved, tense, and intensely uncomfortable. So, you realize, the easiest way to be scared.

There are only a few video games which can be genre-defining in a approach that really means something, however Amnesia: The Darkish Descent, developed by Frictional Video games, set the usual for survival horror within the 2010s. After a number of years of action-oriented horror video games, most notably 2005’s Resident Evil 4 and 2008’s Lifeless House, Amnesia took it again to fundamentals, eradicating fight completely and relying virtually solely on ambiance to induce scares. This was oddly refreshing on the time, and whereas there are many Amnesia-likes accessible to play as of late, together with two direct sequels, Frictional remains to be a novel developer on this area for its dedication to this specific sort of horror, even because it’s gone on to discover different themes and types in separate titles, like Soma.

Whereas The Darkish Descent, as a part of Amnesia: Assortment, is offered to play on almost all trendy consoles, it, together with Frictional’s Amnesia: Rebirth and Soma, is leaving Xbox Recreation Move on April 15. Which means you could have only a few days to play a few of these comparatively brief (The Darkish Descent is round eight hours lengthy) however extremely impactful horror video games. And in the event you don’t make it in time, you may nonetheless get 20% off you probably have a subscription.

A giant spiral staircase going to a high ceiling, with the base surrounded by candles.

Picture: Frictional Video games

In The Darkish Descent, you play an amnesiac man named Daniel who wakes up within the eerie Gothic corridors of Brennenburg Fortress. Sadly for the participant, there’s unknowable magic and eldritch horrors round each nook, and with out your reminiscence, you’ll should uncover why you’re right here and what’s happening to be able to escape. Worst of all, there’s zero fight to talk of, which implies you may’t struggle again. You possibly can decide up objects to resolve puzzles, however by way of instruments, all you could have is a lantern you’ll want to repeatedly refill with oil and the occasional candle or torch within the setting, which you’ll be able to gentle with a tinderbox.

It’s vital to maintain the lights lit right here as usually as attainable, as a result of in any other case, the participant’s “sanity” meter — which measures the quantity of emotional misery the character is beneath — will seem and start to rise, and consequently, the sport will turn into tougher and difficult. The longer you keep at the hours of darkness, the extra your meter will rise. The sides of the display will develop darker and distorted, whereas monstrous sounds will begin to creep in, crowding your senses. When you don’t discover the sunshine shortly, you quickly gained’t see a lot in any respect, an enormous downside while you’re surrounded by creatures that may and will kill you in only a few hits. You’re very a lot by yourself in Amnesia, and when you have some affect in your setting, you’re largely powerless.

This wasn’t a brand new expertise in gaming, even for Frictional Video games, which had begun to make a reputation for itself years prior with the Penumbra trilogy of survival horror video games. These additionally eschewed conventional survival horror fight in favor of puzzles and an emphasis on ambiance, which in flip would set the template for what Frictional would ultimately go on to excellent over the subsequent few years. The studio would use that information to land on a method with The Darkish Descent that simply works, particularly in the event you’re uninterested in motion and gore. Positive, having the ability to kill monsters with a shotgun could be cathartic, however at a sure level, that energy diminishes the scares’ affect, which ought to arguably be one among if not the most vital facet of a horror sport.

Amnesia: Assortment options two video games — The Darkish Descent and A Machine for Pigs — together with Justine, a one-hour growth. Whereas A Machine for Pigs isn’t an official sequel, because it was helmed by Pricey Esther developer The Chinese language Room, and Justine is generally unrelated to the unique sport, they helped with establishing what has turn into Frictional’s Amnesia model. These are all video games concerning the absolute worst vibes.

A character holding up a lantern in first person. It’s illuminating a hallway with pipes on the walls.

Picture: The Chinese language Room/Frictional Video games

Every sport is closely impressed by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, memorably emphasizes deformed, oddly natural equipment, and options little to no fight. They use amnesia as a plot system to arrange the exploration and divulges, however they’re extra concerning the skinny line between human and monster, and the lengths we’ll go within the seek for energy.

All of this additionally applies to 2020’s Amnesia: Rebirth, which options some particularly disturbing being pregnant imagery; 2023’s Amnesia: The Bunker, which iterates on the collection with its roguelike design; and 2015’s Soma, which is principally a cyberpunk, transhumanist Amnesia sport. All of those are at present accessible on Recreation Move, however solely The Bunker might be accessible after April 15.

Through the years, the Amnesia collection has turn into a horror mainstay, and every entry can stand by itself with out acknowledging the significance and affect of The Darkish Descent. Nonetheless, that first sport remains to be required taking part in even 14 years later, merely for having began all of it.

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