Its predecessor, TDD, clocks in at around 7-8 hours.Īt many points, MfP seems to assume your actions for you and script the game around it. There were a handful of times that I got lost for extended periods and one instance where my game crashed and I lost just under ten minutes of progress, all of which is included in that final time of 2h20m. While I did sprint a lot during this second playthrough as I was increasingly desperate to be released from the prison taht is this game, I was not attempting to speed-run it or get a quick time. This first playthrough taught me how impotent the enemies are and as a result my second playthrough clock in at about 2h20m. My first playthrough of MfP, both at the time of launch and the first replay 5 years later, spanned around 4 hours. The sense of immersion achieved by having moveable objects, especially in an atmospheric universe like that of Amnesia, should not be underestimated. So static is this game that almost no objects, such as books and cups and the like, can be interacted with or moved, as they can in the predecessor. Wiktionary, whose explanation I liked best, describes a walking simulator as ‘ An adventure game focused on gradual exploration and discovery through observation, with little in the way of action.‘ MfP is special in that it gives the illusion of being a game and of having an interactive environment when it is in fact merely a static stage, in which your role is heavily scripted. It would turn out that the decision to pass the project off was a giant, glaring mistake as The Chinese Room, at that point only really known for their walking simulator Dear Esther, would prove to stick to that genre. They handed off the project to this indie team called The Chinese Room, since Frictional wanted to expand the series but hadn’t the time to work on another instalment, though they did later release a free DLC story: Justine, for their base game. MfP was only published, not developed by them. In case you weren’t already aware, TDD, which comes from the makers of the Penumbra series, was created by Frictional Games. In layman’s: I’m gonna be a bitch about it but I’m also going to try to make nice and backup my claims where possible. My own biases may already be startlingly apparent by title and introduction alone, but I would like to preface this with the fact that while there may be a bias on my side – and a heavy one at that – I am striving to, wherever possible, bring objectivity and fairness to the table. MfP was the sequel to the very successful Amnesia: The Dark Descent (hereafter referred to as ‘TDD’) and was released in September of 2013. It was always a psychological battle.In celebration of the Chinese new year of the pig, we’re going to be discussing the disappointing creation by The Chinese Room that is Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, (hereafter referred to as ‘MfP’). Anyway, Amnesia was never about visual horror. The graphics aren’t noticeably dated because you can’t see much while desperately running away through the dark hallways. This is one of the reasons why despite Amnesia’s age, the monsters scale remarkably well. The images you construct from the shuffling footsteps and dark shadows are infinitely more terrifying than anything a game developer could come up with. That’s because you were never meant to see them. I know what they look like, I get a pretty good view from my corner office, but I couldn’t describe them all from memory. But when I really think about it, I hardly ever saw these monsters. Twisted and moaning, these horrific entities strike fear into my heart even now. It was always a psychological battleīut the sound effects are only so gutwrenching because you know what lies at the end of them: the monsters of Amnesia. Amnesia is quiet enough that you can hear the heartbreaking sound of the monster coming for you but busy enough that every single creak or crack makes me jump out of my chair.Īmnesia was never about visual horror. But leave me with nothing but the ability to slowly run from horrific situations, and all I’m left with is a sleepless night.įrictional Games work anxiety into Amnesia with such ease that you’re left wondering whether these are fears that you have always had. Give me a W870 TAC shotgun – or even a Lemi pistol – and I have the self-confidence of a SAS veteran. The fact that you have nothing to defend yourself with in Amnesia gave me a tremendous sense of anxiety. In Amnesia, all you can do is try and make your way around the castle with nothing but your wits, which are slowly running out along with your sanity. Meaning the goal isn’t to kill all the horrific mold-filled mutations like in Resident Evil Biohazard or even outrun and cull all the zombies in Dying Light. Amnesia: The Dark Descent isn’t just a horror game.
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