Total Insanity

So there are horror games, and then there is Amnesia. This game...wow. I should start in saying that ever since an issue of Game Informer ran an article about Amnesia last year, my interest for the game has been growing. Developed by an indie company named Frictional Games, Amnesia: The Dark Descent was developed with gameplay and mechanics similar in vein to its predecessor and first developed game by Frictional Games, Penumbra. Both are survival horror games played in a first-person view, but are anything but normal. I had never even heard of Penumbra before learning more about Amnesia, though Amnesia first started gaining popularity when that article of the game was run (at least that's how it seems, and I'm sure other magazines ran articles as well), with the writers originally having played and enjoyed Penumbra first.

Months passed, and I had forgotten about the game and the article detailing its unique gameplay and step in the right direction for the dying survival horror genre. One can debate that the genre is not dying, however I feel as though the genre has been focusing more on just taking down zombies (the game is great, but I'm looking at you Left 4 Dead series), giving the protagonist more and more power. Silent Hill seems as though it has run its course, though I suppose we'll see with the next game to be released in 2012. Over the summer one day, I was leaving a GameStop when I glanced at the in-store ad, promoting Amnesia for 50% off, or $9.99. I went to the PC shelf (as small as it is...is it just me, or is the PC game market struggling to find its niche? Next time you go to Best Buy, look at how small the PC game section is, and then remember how big it was just five years ago) and saw one new copy left, but decided to hold off until I could read more reviews. All the reviews pointed to the fact that even though it's an indie game, and the graphics do not seem that intense, most laptops cannot run the game, as integrated graphics cards do not support the game (or at least most of them don't). So that was a disappointment.

More months passed, and after joining Steam (couldn't resist purchasing Terraria - I highly recommend the game when it's below $10, which happens every few months), I saw Amnesia advertised for $20, a sale having just passed where it was at $10. I figured if it ever goes to $10 again, I should go for it, even to put in my backlog for games to play later. Weeks pass, and earlier today I looked over the thread on CAG for many Halloween deals on Steam, with both Penumbra and Amnesia listed for very cheap. Even though I was planning on waiting for the port of Amnesia to the Xbox 360 (which was revealed just a few weeks ago), I really wanted to play it on the PC for the precise controls, which I will go into. So I did more research on the game and the graphics card requirements. Most people said it really depends, and the best bet is to try the free demo. Made sense to me, so I tried it out, and crossed my fingers as I booted it up. The game played flawlessly, even on high textures. So I went back and bought Amnesia:The Dark Descent from Steam for $4...yep, 80% off this weekend. Penumbra, which I might also purchase this weekend, is on sale for $5, but comes with both expansion packs as well, so a great deal.

So I will just say it outright: this game is scary. What Frictional Games has created is unlike any other game I've ever played. I can think of a few that are similar, but none that come close to pulling off what Amnesia delivers. From the very beginning, I was scared. I will also add that I took the advice of many other gamers out there: play the game with headphones, and make sure it's nighttime with all the lights off. If you want to get creeped out, you've got to go for the whole experience. I've watched videos on youtube of gameplay, but it's not the same as having the mouse in hand, knowing your destiny depends on your every action.

The story of the game starts out with a man waking up in some sort of mansion, with no recollection of how he got there. Playing as this man, the player starts out with nothing. As it, the player has no tools to work with, and no weapons. Also, it's a little dark. The player can use the mouse to pick up most small objects around the environment (books, chairs, boxes, etc.), can twist them around in real-time, and then throw them. The player can also stack them if they so choose...a key element later in the game. What makes the controls innovative is that to interact with objects, the player must move the mouse as if they were doing so in real life. So a common example in the game is opening and shutting doors. To push open, one clicks on the door, holds it, and swings it away from them. To pull open, do the opposite motion. Chests on the ground must be opened this way as well, just as dresser or desk drawers. The interactivity between the player and the environment is a welcome addition, and really pulls the player into the game.

Soon the player comes across kindle, which can be used to light candles and torches in the environments to get a better view of the surroundings. Unfortunately, these are one-time-use kindle pieces, so the player must conserve them as much as possible. Eventually the player comes across a lamp, which works in the same way, although portable, and runs on oil, which also must be found randomly around the rooms. Conserving the kindle and oil is much easier said than done. What brings out the terror in the game is the insanity. Not only must the player watch his/her health (which honestly doesn't go down much, not very important), they must watch their sanity level. I know what you're thinking, "Oh, so it sounds like Eternal Darkness." Yes, the concept is similar. However, in Eternal Darkness, the player loses sanity by seeing enemies, and can lower the insanity levels by finishing off enemies; whereas the Amnesia protagonist loses his sanity by random occurances and light levels. Oftentimes the player must question whether it's worth it to walk down that hallway in the dark, or use the lamp? Is it worth it to light the one torch on the wall, knowing that I'll just pass right by it? To lower the insanity levels, one must stand in the light (the lamp helps only a little), and especially must complete puzzles.

Completing puzzles advances the story, and by advancing the story, the random insanity can kick in. I should explain that insanity includes many different audio effects, large bugs crawling on the floor, bugs crawling on the screen, red flesh-like pieces coming out of the walls (which are sometimes real and injure the player!), or in the worst case scenario, the monster. Oh, the monster. The monster, to me, is the most terrifying creature in all of video games. If there's one reason to stay sane, and to keep moving, it's the monster. Supposedly staying in one place for too long can call the monster. I've seen it once, and I freaked out. I ran. And then I hid, and prayed that it would pass by or just go away. It was no surprise that it appeared, as I had run out of kindle and oil a few minutes earlier, and there were no windows to let light in where I was. The monster is human in form, but its face is missing a jaw and has no hair. It's really freaky looking. I'm sure by now you've noticed that I've talked about a few items, but no weapons? Amnesia has no weapons. None. One does not fight in Amnesia. This is what makes the game so terrifying. Never does the audio let up. There are creepy noises playing, at all times. Footsteps will randomly play, music from the walls, chains rattling, and groans. All of these are possible noises of the monster, and I was continuously looking over my shoulder, turning every which way, to make sure the monster was not around. Approaching a door or wall, it would shake and make sounds as though the monster was just on the other side, with the music and noises picking up tempo and volume. The game sent shivers up my spine, made my hair on my arms raise up, and just took my fear to a whole new level. At the highest levels of insanity, the player's vision is blurred, sometimes turning red, the audio literally makes a cracking noise, as if the player's insanity is just about cracking as well. Once in a while the protagonist will cave in and slump to the floor for a moment camera turning sideways, crying.

I wish I could better put into words the feeling I had from playing this game. It is the scariest game on the market, with many gamers agreeing. I've jumped a couple times, the worse coming during my one and only death (dying, by the way, just starts the player from a few seconds prior to the death, without much penalty - supposedly for every death, the score received at the end of the game goes down, and sort of has online leaderboards for best finishes). I had walked into a new area, and it slightly changed, flooding the bottom of the room. I took one step forward into the water, and the music for the monster started blaring. I could see a couple meters away a splash in the water, and then another splash closer, and closer, at a very fast speed. The monster was underwater. I freaked. I tried running, but the water slowed me down, and before I could make it on top of a nearby box, the monster killed me. I had to take a minute to catch my break, unbelievable how quickly that unfolded, and how terrifying it was. So that's the area I'm in now, where I must stay above the water on boxes, while watching the splashes occur all around me. I can throw objects away from me to create a slight diversion while it goes over to the object to check it out, if I need to get into the water. Oh, I should also mention the monster is invisible, so only the splashes can be seen, but nothing actually in the water. And my lantern is just about out of oil. That's why I turned it off, I was too freaked out to continue. I run out of oil, I'm screwed. I'd be standing there...in the dark...on a box...in a room full of water...with a monster at my feet waiting to strike...as I continue to go insane...