Amnesia: The Dark Descent - IMHO
Garrett
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
by Frictional Games
STEAM downloaded, updated version 1.10 (at this time)
NOTE: Version located in "My Documents/Amnesia/Main/hlp.log"
Overall: Very, very good. 4/5 (Garret scale)
Video also very good.
This is definitely a dark horror game. Amnesia is a adventure/horror
*survival* game. FPA (First Person Adventure)
I note that there are "trainers" availed, but those I've tried crashed
the game. YOU DON'T NEED TRAINERS! All you need is a good
walkthrough to help you at the tough spots.
I used:
"Amnesia: The Dark Descent Walkthrough/Guide"
By Walter White/Mr_Popadopalis
http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/978772-amnesia-the-dark-descent/faqs/60874
It can be hard to play, especially avoiding the stalking monsters that
can kill you.
I found escaping the prison block after you get captured (you cannot
avoid this) extremely hard. It's RUN LIKE HELL; opening doors and
removing blockage, up around corners and up stairs, all the while
AVOIDING GETTING KILLED BY A MONSTER FOLLOWING YOU. An invisible
monster at that. Object, get through the door to the next area.
Why only 4/5? The game-save is cumbersome.
There ONLY 2 ways the game is saved:
1) Between game-areas, when you approach a door and your pointer-icon
becomes a slightly-open door. The game is auto-saved on the other
side/area.
2) From the Game Menu using [Save and Exit] option
The Game Menu has both [Exit] (no save) & [Save and Exit].
So you CAN manually save-game before a dangerous entry, after a
particularly hard sequence, etc.
BUT it's....
[Esc]
Game Menu
[Save and Exit]
[Yes/No] confirmation dialog
Loading screen
Main Menu
[Continue]
[Yes/No] confirmation dialog
Loading screen
....back in game at saved spot.
Of course, if you are trying to redo something (you goofed), you have
to REMEMBER to use *[Exit]* and go through the same sequence to return
to before you goofed.
Like I said, very cumbersome, especially because many saves are
necessary if you want to survive.
I really like to know why Frictional Games did just have a Quick Save
key.
WORTH PLAYING
--
==== Tecknomage ====
Master Thief
Thieves Guild Master (Oblivion)
PW
wrote:
Thanks. I bought it a few months ago but haven't started it.
-pw
Garrett
Hope you enjoy it.
You may actually find yourself panting after some sections, or even
jumping in your chair at a noise in your home (while playing).
PW
wrote:
All right! Deadspace 2 doesn't really startle me any more.
-pw
Werner Punz
>> You may actually find yourself panting after some sections, or even
>> jumping in your chair at a noise in your home (while playing).
>
>
> All right! Deadspace 2 doesn't really startle me any more.
>
> -pw
Actually the main difference is, that about 99.999% of all so called
survival horror games are actually first person shooters with an
occasionally puzzle thrown in here and there. Amnesia is a game where
you cannot even fight but you have to survive by using the environment.
The game has a very strong physics element to it. Btw. Amnesia is more
or less just the next step of the game mechanics the same company
developed with Penumbra, where you still could fight, they figured out
that the fighting mechanics did not work too well and the gameplay
became way better without it.
Garrett
Werner,
You are correct on your comment.
My side-comment is that there has always been a overlap between most
games today it is getting harder to differentiate.
When talking about "game style" the question to ask, "how much weapons
are used?"
- Adventure games (style) have very little reliance on weapons, if at
all. And heavily reliance on "puzzles."
- Shooters heavily rely on weapons, but may have "puzzle elements"
(like opening locks or boxes).
Of course Fist Person is just a point of view, as is Third Person.
Nothing *directly* to do with the game style.
My prime example of the blend is "Fallout New Vegas." Is it an
Adventure or Shooter game? I consider the question valid because
there is so much of a story-line and "puzzles" (open locks, story line
doing A before you can do B, etc). Having said that, I do classify
"Fallout NV" as FPS.
This is why I classify "Amnesia" as FPA (First Person Adventure).
Werner Punz
> My prime example of the blend is "Fallout New Vegas." Is it an
> Adventure or Shooter game? I consider the question valid because
> there is so much of a story-line and "puzzles" (open locks, story line
> doing A before you can do B, etc). Having said that, I do classify
> "Fallout NV" as FPS.
>
Actually given that its creators are the same ones who created the
original Fallout games and (given I have not played it so my view is
limited), according to the comments it is closer to the first Fallouts
than Fallout 3, i would rate it clearly as a CRPG in the classical
sense. The underlying rpg system with its stat elements definitely push
it into that category. Actually even Fallout 3 was clearly an RPG to me,
but it simply did not live up to the excellent parts 1-2 story and
gameplaywise.
> This is why I classify "Amnesia" as FPA (First Person Adventure).
>
I would do the same. I have not played to deeply into it, but I have
played about half an hour into it and deferred it for a time when I have
time, but it clearly is a horror action adventure in the best sense of
word(a genre almost forgotten). I personally hate the term Survival
Horror game because for me about 99.9% of those games have nothing to do
with real horror games, they are just shooters with zombies as the enemies.
Given the absence of shooter elements and the strong emphasis on real
puzzles Amnesia definitely is related to the Adventure category in a
sense the first Alone in the Dark was and a handful of other games.