A survival horror in the truest sense of the term.
The setting and detail of the old castle is absolutely spectacular. All the rooms from studies, to torture chambers to derelict sewers and everything in between have been methodically designed and detailed to create a truly amazing environment.
The game play is extremely intense as you have no means to defend yourself from the nightmarish creatures that hunt you, except to hide in any means possible. Also there is a constant battle over darkness versus light as you are less detectable in the darkness however by remaining you began to lose your sanity which will ultimately cause you perish. The means in which you can light your path consist of tinderboxes and a lantern that consumes fuel. You have to make the decision when to light your path as doing so will consume your expendables and depleting your oil and tinderboxes in the wrong place can mean a quick death. This game presents a very intense and frightening experience that should not be missed by any survival horror fan.
Despite all this the only let downs are that the three endings are short and not well explained and the voices especially of the main character are some what campy. Overall this does not subtract from the horrifying experience that Amnesia: The Dark Descent presents and the overall enjoyment of this game.