Video Game Review - Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is one of the most terrifying games I’ve ever played. Amnesia’s a well put together puzzle adventure game designed solely for making your heart race.

As the player, your character is Daniel, a young man from London who awakes in the castle remembering nothing but his name. He finds a letter from himself warning that he is being chased by a “living nightmare,” and that he must kill Alexander, the baron of the castle.

Audio and visuals are subtle yet distorted to give you a sense of dread. During game play, it is a while before you even see your first monster, but before that you’ll be looking over your shoulder every second.

What compounds this fear is the lack of weaponry. If you encounter an enemy, your only options are to run or to hide. Hiding is made harder by the fact that Daniel is afraid of dark, and will slowly lose his sanity the longer the player hides in the shadows. This causes the player to have to decide between being safe and being sane.

Unlike most games, actions are not conducted by simple mouse clicks. Holding the mouse causes Daniel to grasp an object, such as a door, and mouse strokes are required to actually open the door. This feels surprisingly realistic; and coupled with the first person perspective the player is truly drawn into this freighting experience.

Amnesia is not for the weak of heart or for those with incredibly wild or vivid imaginations. However if you think you’re brave enough to try it, the game is only a meagre 20$.