Thanks to OnLive’s awesome launch day promo, many of you probably own a full play pass for Frictional Games’ Amnesia: The Dark Descent. If you happened to miss out on this rather generous (100% off) special, you might be wondering if the game is worthy of your hard earned cash. Or perhaps you were able to take advantage of the promo but, due to the reputation of this game being terrifying, you have not yet worked up the nerve to play it. Well, I’ve survived the first couple of hours and am here to give you my (spoiler free) thoughts thus far.
One note, before I begin: I will not be writing about the story. A key aspect of this game is unraveling the mystery of what’s going on, and I do not want to ruin this for any one by giving away details about the plot. All I will say is this: so far, the story is good.
I cannot write another word without touching on the sound in this game, it is absolutely fantastic. I am a long time fan of horror games, and I can honestly tell you that this game has some of the best — if not the best — sound design I have ever experienced. It really is the true corner stone of this title. There was not a second during my first couple hours where I was not on the edge of my seat, and this is entirely thanks to the sound. Turning it off — or probably even just turning it real low — would have generated a completely different experience. In all honesty, on mute this would be nothing more than a generic puzzle/adventure game. So, my first words of advice: crank up the volume when playing this game; it will enhance your experience, especially if you have access to a surround sound system.Graphically, the game is sort of hit or miss; though it does ultimately get the job done. To my honest surprise, the title actually fairs pretty well streamed over OnLive; it never is too hard to see everything, even in the darker scenes. Textures are decent, the game’s lighting is well done, and there is also a fairly decent particle system at play which lends itself to some nice mist and water effects. Some of the models you’ll interact with are a bit blocky, but nothing that will ruin the experience. On a final note, the game boasts some good physics; items move around as they’d be expected to, and you can interact with many of them by clicking on them with the mouse. This is important, because interacting with physics has been one of the primary vehicles for puzzle solving.
At its core, Amnesia is an old school puzzle/adventure game. You scour the environment, searching for ways to complete the next puzzle and advance to the next area. So far, the puzzles have been pretty straight forward, and progression hasn’t been too difficult. I also must compliment the game for avoiding a puzzle/adventure game cliché by not making me — thus far — do a whole lot of back tracking. This has been an issue that mars most games of the genre, and it has been nice not having to deal with it. The developers have remedied this common issue by simply blocking off your access to areas once you no longer need to travel to them. This restriction helps to keep the story moving at a nice pace, which is a really nice touch.
So far, I have only seen one enemy, but did not have any type of interaction with it; so I cannot comment on how that aspect of the game plays out. That said, the darkness itself sort of acts like an invisible foe. Your character’s sanity is constantly negated whenever you are out of the light, as well as whenever you see an “unsettling” event. To remedy this, and regain your sanity, you need to keep yourself in the light as much as possible. You can achieve this by using tinderboxes to light torches and candles, and by using a lantern. Tinderboxes — and the oil required to fuel your lamp — are hidden around the game world, and you are required to use them sparingly. Being in the dark for even a brief period will quickly hurt your character’s sanity, and appears to eventually cause you damage. So far, I have not been killed by the darkness, but I have also not tried my luck at surviving it either… By distorting your vision and intensifying the sound effects, the game quickly becomes increasingly terrifying as your sanity decreases. No other game I have played has made me work so hard to keep out of the dark. I’m not going to lie, I can be a very “jumpy” person, and my play time has thus far lead to me “jumping” plenty of times. If you happen to spectate me playing this — via OnLive’s Arena — and you see my perspective suddenly bounce around, you’ll know that I just had the sh!t scared out of me… So yes, to answer the question that is probably burning on all of your minds, this game is scary as Hell; and I love it. I love a good scare, and this game does a better job at producing true horror than most others I’ve played. It achieves this not by throwing constant blood and gore at you, but by creating an insanely creepy atmosphere and constantly screwing with your head. You never know if what you’re seeing and hearing is actually there, or if it is just the game messing with you. It is a monumental achievement, and one that I hope continues to deliver.
Well, this is it for my first impression of Amnesia: The Dark Descent. I am definitely digging this game so far, and I hope that the rest of the game continues to be as good as my first couple of hours. You can expect updated impressions and videos as I complete the game, and eventually a final review of the product. I encourage you all to give the game a try, especially if you’re a horror fan. You will not be disappointed.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Cody
For the remainder of the NBA finals, you can nab NBA 2K10 and 11 for reduced prices via the OnLive game service. You can get 2K10 for $5, and 2K11 for $9.99. This is a great way to help close out the season, and is great news for basketball fans who don't already own the games.
I cannot write another word without touching on the sound in this game, it is absolutely fantastic. I am a long time fan of horror games, and I can honestly tell you that this game has some of the best — if not the best — sound design I have ever experienced. It really is the true corner stone of this title. There was not a second during my first couple hours where I was not on the edge of my seat, and this is entirely thanks to the sound. Turning it off — or probably even just turning it real low — would have generated a completely different experience. In all honesty, on mute this would be nothing more than a generic puzzle/adventure game. So, my first words of advice: crank up the volume when playing this game; it will enhance your experience, especially if you have access to a surround sound system.
OnLive tweeted an update on their "major announcement". The tweet remains as vague as the first one, only saying that the anouncement will come soon, and its better than a game trailer... With all the hype they're building, I'm hoping the announcement doesn't end up being a downer. Only time will tell, I guess.
