Amnesia: The Dark Descent

I played a lot of horror games - Undying, Resident Evil, etc. - but Amnesia is a class of its own. Graphics and sounds are just perfect for the experience of a old, abandoned, creepy castle. Your only goal is to survive. You can't fight eventual enemies, so all you can do is flee from them and hope they won't find you. I never felt such an enormous and profound feeling of terror and horror like in this title. The atmosphere is extremely dense and menacing. And I confess: I didn't finish the game - it was just too much for my nerves. A real challenge for everyone thinking he knows what horror is. Amnesia will show you a new dimension of it...

Unlike most other horror games, Amnesia knows that an endless succession of jump scares is not how you really get under someone's skin. After playing this game for a while I really had what can only be called a sense of dread - it is more of an atmosphere that makes you imagine there might be something nasty around every corner. The lack of any weapons also imposes a sense of vulnerability you don't often get in any game. The story and puzzles are so-so, and I once or twice had glitches with the monster behavior which rather broke my immersion. For sheer atmosphere however I would certainly recommend this. Just make sure you play with the lights off - if you can handle it. (You should also check out the Penumbra series by the same devs)

I'll make this review short and sweet just like this game. I bought Amnesia years ago from Frictional and only just barely managed to finish it. It's a short game but it has it were it counts. There are no means of self defense and you're only options are to run and hide. The puzzles all make logic sense without being too complected. The true challenge is overcoming your own fear and vulnerability. This game is all about the atmosphere and scary the pants of you. A true successor to Silent Hill. I've only finished this game once and haven't replayed it, but I do plan to play it again some day. But the memories will stick with me and you forever.

This game is truly terrifying. The atmosphere is heavy and dense, the lighting and physics are superb, and the narration is brilliantly executed. Enough of the intro. Now, I've completed their Penumbra series and it was a fantastically scary set of games with an interesting story to tell. Moreover, I've been a big fan of horror games for a long time (Nocturne, Blair Witch Project games, Undying etc, does anyone remember those?) But Amnesia is a whole new level of scary. I tried several times and couldn't do it. Every now and then, I return to it and do a little more each time. Go a bit further. This is the only way I can play this game. This game is a king of horror games. Until they bring up the sequel.