A truly horrifying experience

User Rating: 9 | Amnesia: The Dark Descent PC
By Broken_K | Review Date:
When I first heard about this game I knew I had to have it. As a huge horror fan this game instantly appealed to me. This game manages to terrify you in every way. As soon as you start playing you get an eerie feeling, like something isn't right. After a little while it is evident that something major is wrong. When you come across your first puzzle, you should find it relatively easy as most of the puzzles are. That doesn't take away from the fun at all though. During the game you have no weapons, the goal is not to fight the enemies, just to survive. Light is your best friend here. Tinderboxes are spread out around the game and they are used to light torches, candles, etc. You also have a lantern that can be fueled by oil found throughout the game. For the first half hour to an hour the only thing that can harm you is a substance that appears growing on the walls and floor. Along with your health meter you also have an insanity meter. Things like staying in the dark, seeing monsters, and witnessing inexplicable events like doors slamming or books flying off the shelves will drain your insanity meter. As you proceed you begin wondering where all the monsters are. Well wondering this builds suspense as to when you are going to see one. This suspense makes the first time you see a zombie simply run across a hallway some yards away a heart-pounding experience. Soon monsters become more common, not too common however, making them almost always scary. When you see a monster the smartest thing you can do is turn out your light and stay out of sight. If you are spotted by one then you can always run, however running can be dangerous. The sound is incredible, a great soundtrack and incredible sound effects are part of what makes this game what it is. Now let me explain one situation that is really freaky just so you can get a feel for all the things that happen in the game.
As you proceed down a hallway, your vision suddenly goes blurry and next thing you know you are standing knee deep in water. Quickly you must jump onto a floating box before, something that can only be described as a ghost in the water, attacks you. You must then jump from platform to platform to reach a lever which controls a door you must go through. As soon as you pull the lever you hear a ticking noise, letting you know you only have a certain amount of time to get out of there. As you quickly jump from platform to platform you try not to fall, towards the end you fall in the water and scramble as fast as you can back up. You reach the door and go through it just in time and climb upon another box. You find yourself is a square room with more platforms floating in the water, some of which have severed limbs and mutilated torsos on them. The only way to get out of this room is through a door that requires you to turn a crank. You must throw the limbs into the water to distract the ghost in this room while you crank open the door. The door is 2/3rds of the way up and you hear the watery footsteps of the ghost coming towards you. Frantically you start praying it opens in time. Just in time you slip through the door and into the next area.
These heart-pounding moments are plentiful and exciting throughout the game. the one I just explained actually continues on for a while longer, ending with a thrilling chase through the watery hallways while closing doors or throwing barrels to hinder the ghost chasing yous movement.
To get the full effect of the game you should turn out the lights and put on some headphones. This game is an incredible horror game and should not be missed by any horror fans at all.

Graphics 8/10
Sound 9/10
Gameplay 9/10
Lasting appeal 6/10

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