Realms of the Haunting on Steroids
Maybe my heading is too obscure for most to catch it, but if you played R.O.T.H. you'd understand. That aside, this game is an absolute gem.
Lets get the obvious out of the way first. Yes, the graphics are somewhat dated but keep in mind this is an independent title produced by a small company. That being said, you can run them on max and they're good enough to get the job done. The somewhat dated engine does not detract from the overall immersive quality of the game.
So what type of game is Amnesia? Basically, it is a first person action/adventure game. It is not a FPS in the classical "I have copious amounts of guns and ammo" way. In fact, you have no weapons. All you have are your wits....or rather, what's left of them after spending a few hours in a haunted castle. You move around with standard WASD controls. You then use your mouse to open doors, rummage through desks and chests, light torches, barricade doors, and generally interact with the environment.
You are Daniel. You awaken inside a creepy castle, somewhere in the middle of God-knows-where, shaken, and with no memory of anything but your name. Seems I have, amnesia....perhaps I'll follow this strange trail of liquid on the floor. And so, your adventure begins.
You will be spending your time running around the castle, exploring the different wings, picking up notes which reveal the back story, finding items to solve puzzles, and generally running the hell away from savage creatures, hellbent on murdering you. You can run. You can hide. You can barricade the door. In the end, you just better pray it didn't see you...
Supplies are in short order and you will have to conserve what precious few you receive. As your oil lamp flickers out in the dark, dank halls of the castle, your will find yourself standing in a completely blackened hall, surrounded by...unnatural sounds. As you stand there in the dark, hoping to preserve your physical health, you notice your perception changing. The hallway seems longer, the windows are getting smaller....Your mental health is now in jeopardy as the darkness plays tricks on your senses and threatens to break your will. The game is a continual struggle to keep both your mind and body intact.
Which brings us to the sound. This game has a fantastic soundscape to it. A soundscape of terror. Creaky doors, loose floorboards, howling wind, strange voices, blood chilling screams, and creepy, yet ambient background "music." The sound is stellar and it plays great in stereo headphones or supported by full surround sound. The overal feeling of helplessness, combined with an engrossing storyline, and superior ambient touches, all combine to form one terrifying gaming experience. I recommend playing it at night, with the lights off and the sound up for the full effect.
Overall, this is a fantastically made game. You can see real time and love went into making this game. There are many subtle little touches that make the game a pleasure to experience. If you liked Realms of the Haunting, Penumbra, Call of the Cthulhu, Condemned, Obscure:The Aftermath, or just want a game to give you that "WTF...turn the light on" feeling, then you'll most likely enjoy this title. And, for 20 bucks, how can you go wrong?
