top of page
Search
tedwawonmoononning

Amnesia The Dark Descent Game: Face Your Fears in a Physically Simulated World



Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a survival horror[1] adventure video game by Frictional Games,[2] released in 2010 for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux operating systems, in 2016 for the PlayStation 4 platform and in 2018 for the Xbox One. The game features a protagonist named Daniel exploring a dark and foreboding castle called Brennenburg, while trying to maintain his sanity by avoiding monsters and unsettling events.[3] The game was critically well-received, earning two awards from the Independent Games Festival and numerous positive reviews.[4]


If a monster sees Daniel, it will chase him until he evades its sight. Daniel has no means of fighting monsters, so he must either avoid being seen or run away. Daniel can withstand only a few attacks from a monster before he dies, which will cause the most recent save of the game to load. The player can restore Daniel's health by using laudanum found throughout the game. The player can hinder monsters by closing doors and building barricades from nearby objects. However, monsters can destroy doors and knock over objects. Hiding in dark areas where monsters will not notice Daniel is also effective, but will decrease Daniel's sanity. In higher difficulties, the monsters will move faster, deal more damage and search for Daniel for longer periods of time.




Amnesia The Dark Descent Game




The plot of The Dark Descent follows the amnesiac protagonist, Daniel, as he explores the dark and foreboding Brennenburg Castle while trying to solve various puzzles, maintaining his sanity, and avoiding monsters. Throughout the game, more and more of Daniel's past is revealed. Instead of fighting, Daniel's main tools for survival include running and hiding.[3]


Amnesia is an exploration-based survival-horror adventure game played from a first-person perspective. The player takes control of the amnesiac Daniel, as he regains consciousness in Brennenburg Castle deep in the Prussian woods, with no memory of where he is or what he's doing there. Throughout the game, Daniel explores the various areas of Brennenburg, solves puzzles, avoids enemies, and collects items, notes, and diary entries from his own personal diary which gradually reveals the events that came to put him in the situation he finds himself in.[1] Daniel stores these diary entries in his Journal, along with notes, he finds. He will also jot down various hints and reminders - Mementos - in this journal, which can remind the player of their current objectives.


There are no weapons and no combat mechanics in the game, leaving Daniel defenseless if an enemy is encountered. If an enemy spots Daniel they will give chase, and if they catch up they will usually kill him in one or two hits, which puts the game into a "Game Over" state, and forces the player to either load a previous save or restart from near to where the death occurred. This makes the primary methods of avoiding enemies hiding from them - for example, by climbing into a nearby cupboard, ducking behind some barrels, or simply crouching in a dark corner - and waiting until the threat leaves the area.


At maximum sanity, the icon will glow green and display the status as "Crystal clear". Being in the darkness for too long, witnessing unsettling events, or staring at monsters will reduce Daniel's sanity, which has effects on gameplay as Daniel's vision becomes increasingly distorted, and the sounds of his breathing and his heart beating become increasingly pronounced.


The game, set in 1839, casts the player in the role of Daniel, a young man from London, who awakens in the dark halls of Prussian Brennenburg Castle, near the village of Altstadt, with little to no memory about himself or his past.[1] All he can remember is his name, that he lives in Mayfair, London, and that something is hunting him.


However, The Dark Descent also has officially released extra content with Amnesia: Justine. The story of a woman who wakes up in her cell with amnesia and a phonograph that explains in her own voice to pass a series of tests. You can save people or let them die, leading up to multiple endings depending on your choice. Plenty of mods build upon the game, just like Justine, making the game infinitely more replayable.


The game itself puts you in the shoes of an artist, whose sole purpose is to create the next masterpiece. Finding the muse to achieve such a dream, however, involves stepping back into some of the darker periods of his life. Specifically, the time he drove his wife to suicide, and when her memory became the reason for his rapid decline into the rabbit hole of insanity. From there, inspiration meets the brush, and boy is it bloody.


Darkness: Darkness is a primary game mechanic. Most darkness is nearly impossible to see in without a light. Light sources, such as candles, tinderboxes to light them with, and an oil lamp are available, but they must be used wisely, as they are a finite resource. Light may also attract monsters.This is not true in the Justine expansion.


2ff7e9595c


0 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page