#3 - Amnesia: The Dark Descent

As I map out what I want to write, and how I want to write it, I'm having some trouble keeping this a review instead of an editorial about how Survival Horror as a genre isn't dead. So I think after I do this review I'll do that, but for now I'll try to stick to the world in this game without comparing it to too many others.

Amnesia seems to agree with me in the thinking that Survival Horror is still alive and kicking. This is one fucking eerie game. The whole idea is that you're a guy wandering around an old castle as it is falling to pieces, and your goal as far as I can tell is to stay alive, and to stay sane. How you do this is by rationing your light sources, whether it be a lantern with limited oil, or these little "Tinderboxes" (not really sure what that is, but it lights shit on fire which is useful...). Now if your character witnesses something that's bizarre or if you sit in the dark too long, your sanity starts to slip, but if you move along the plot, or complete objectives you get a mental boost that keeps the insanity at bay. It's a simple system, but when you think about it a little more it's actually pretty psychologically impressive in my opinion. Because that's how it would be. The longer you spent in this fucked up place your mind would start to slip away until you actually achieve something, then suddenly it might not seem so bad. You might think to yourself "wow, if I could complete this objective, who knows, maybe I could actually survive this." I was really impressed when I realized this. Not only that but this game gets atmosphere. As you walk around the ambiance alone is enough to give you goosebumps and be looking over your shoulder. As you're walking you'll hear breathing right behind you (assuming you wear headphones like the game suggests), or creaking in the boards either the ones you're walking on or sometimes the ones overhead, Rattling chains, the whole nine yards. It's creepy shit. 

My biggest problem with the game is that at the beginning of the game the main character gives himself amnesia, hence the name of the game, and so he basically has no personality throughout the story. He's kind of faceless and lifeless, and I have a feeling that if I weren't playing in the first person that would take a lot of the fear factor out of it. Not only that, but I'm kind of just wandering around this castle since I have no memories, I have no real objectives other than to just survive. Which when you're in the game makes it quite frightening and intense, but once I put it down, it's kind of hard to pick back up again. I have no nagging urge to know what happens... or even the need to get this character out of the situation. The immersion is great and all, but there's just no connection to the main character. I just feel like if as much time and effort were put into the story and character, as the level design and the ambiance, then this could have been a damn perfect experience, but as is it's just a really cool game.