Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs | |
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Developer(s) | The Chinese Room |
Publisher(s) | Frictional Games |
Designer(s) |
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Programmer(s) |
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Artist(s) |
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Writer(s) | Dan Pinchbeck |
Composer(s) | Jessica Curry |
Series | Amnesia |
Engine | HPL Engine 2 |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
Release | Microsoft Windows, OS X, LinuxPlayStation 4
|
Genre(s) | Survival horror |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is a survival horror video game developed by The Chinese Room and published by Frictional Games. Originally meant to be a mod by The Chinese Room, the game is an indirect sequel to Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which was both developed and produced by Frictional Games. While set in the same universe as the previous game, it features an entirely new cast of characters and time setting.[1]
The game became available to pre-order on 16 August 2013, and was released on 10 September 2013 to mixed reviews from critics. A Machine for Pigs was also released on 22 November 2016 for the PlayStation 4 as part of the Amnesia Collection, including Amnesia: The Dark Descent and its Amnesia: Justine expansion.
Plot[edit]
The game features several interlocking storylines. Some take place in the past, some in the present, and some are overtly real while some may be imagined.[2] Set in London on New Year's Eve, 1899,[3] the game's protagonist is Oswald Mandus, a wealthy industrialist and butcher who is implied to be the great grand-nephew of Daniel, the protagonist of the first game. At the beginning of the game, he awakens from a fever that has lasted for several months, after returning from a disastrous expedition to explore Aztec ruins in Mexico. Throughout the game, he hears the voices of his sons, Edwin and Enoch, calling for him as they lead him through the different areas of the game.
Mandus receives a call on the telephone from 'the Engineer', who tells Mandus that Edwin and Enoch have been trapped far below them, in the 'Machine' which Mandus created beneath his house. Even worse, the Machine has been sabotaged, putting his sons in danger. The Engineer tasks Mandus with clearing the floodwaters and bringing the Machine back online, providing ongoing guidance through telephones throughout the facility. Mandus is opposed in his tasks by the Manpigs, deformed swine-like monstrosities that patrol the depths through which he descends.
After a series of puzzle-like tasks, Mandus eventually reactivates the Machine, but the Engineer betrays him, taking control of the Machine and unleashing Manpigs out into the streets of London to round up unsuspecting victims with which to feed itself. Mandus regains his memory, recalling the recent past: after returning from Mexico, Mandus was consumed with obsession over a vision of the future presented by a device discovered in an Aztec temple by him and his children, known as the 'egg', hinted to be an Orb. In this vision, Mandus witnesses the death of both of his sons at the Battle of the Somme. Driven mad by the vision, Mandus decided that he could not allow it to come to pass, and he built the Machine to create a godlike being via mass ritual human sacrifice to save humanity from its own carnage. He then sacrificed Edwin and Enoch to the machine to spare them their fate at the Somme. From there, Mandus then began a one-man vendetta against all of mankind, holding massive parties where he would capture and grind up rich socialites into sausage to sell, and killing hordes of child workers to feed the captive Manpigs. Mandus, however, soon came to realize the error of his ways and in a bid to stop the Machine, he attempted to sabotage it, before he was hindered by the onset of amnesia and sickness.
Now remembering everything, Mandus vows to finish what he started by destroying the Machine once and for all. Despite the pleas of the Engineer, who believes the world would be better off if the Machine is allowed to consume it, Mandus succeeds in recreating most of the sabotage. He then reaches the inner chamber, where the Engineer himself dwells - a deranged fragment of Mandus's soul which has bonded with the machine and was given life by the sacrifices; it now plans to wipe the world clean of life after apparently witnessing even more future atrocities such as the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, and the massacres perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge. Mandus manages to reach the core of the machine, a massive pyramidal structure referred to as 'The Temple' by the Engineer, and forces the Engineer back into his soul. Mandus sacrifices himself to the Machine, putting an end to both it and the Engineer, and ending the horrors above as year 1900 begins.
Gameplay[edit]
The game is a survival horror game played from a first-person perspective.[1] Players explore the environments using a lantern, with diary entries and notes providing information on the lost memory of the title character. While the core of the game remains the same between the two, some elements of The Dark Descent have been removed for A Machine for Pigs, while new elements have been added, one reason being to provide a fresh gameplay experience to players of The Dark Descent.[1] The inventory has been removed,[4][5] along with the oil and tinderboxes.[6] Most of the puzzles that occur in the game are based on physically interacting with the environment because of this change. The sanity mechanic of the first game has been removed as well, meaning that the darkness and looking at the creatures no longer causes any drawbacks. Health lost when Mandus is injured, will regenerate after a certain period of time; thereby eliminating the need to find vials of laudanum to restore health as in The Dark Descent.
The game's level design has been touted as 'significantly different' from that of The Dark Descent, with larger areas and outdoor environments included. AI was also adjusted to ensure players are unable to predict enemy behavior based on their experiences with the original game.[2]
Development[edit]
'How come a game meant for Halloween 2012 has been delayed for so long? Originally we thought it would be a short, experimental game set in the universe of Amnesia, but The Chinese Room had a vision that was bigger than that. As their work progressed, the potential for a much greater project emerged. What we ended up with is no longer what we had first imagined, but a fully fledged Amnesia game. A different kind of Amnesia, but definitely not a short experiment.'
– Frictional Games on the delay of the game.[7]
In 2010, after the release of The Dark Descent, Frictional Games wanted to further the Amnesia franchise, but had no time for it. Later, they met Dan Pinchbeck of The Chinese Room at GDC Europe 2011, where the plan for the game began to form.[1][6] It was originally intended by The Chinese Room to be a small mod, but it was expanded to a larger scale project when 'the two companies realized what could be achieved with a larger game.'[6]
Development for the game began in December 2011 at The Chinese Room, while Frictional Games was producing and publishing the title.[1] The game was originally set to release before Halloween 2012, but was later delayed to early 2013 due to overwhelming response and to meet the expectations. In February 2013 Frictional Games announced a status update about the game in which they announced they would release the game in Q2 2013.[7]
In late May 2013, Jens Nilsson, the co-founder of Frictional Games, stated in a forum post that: 'We know we will not make Q2 (2013), we also know when the game will be ready for launch. We have not set the exact day yet. You can however make good use of the weather outside this summer and look forward to gaming with the piggies as the summer comes to an end.'[8] Dan Pinchbeck stated, 'Frictional's take is, release it when it's done.'[6] In August 2013, The Chinese Room confirmed on their Twitter feed that the final release date for the game was 10 September 2013.[9] The game was available to pre-order since 16 August.[10][11][12]
A PlayStation 4 version was included in the Amnesia Collection, released on 22 November 2016 via PlayStation Network, containing Amnesia: The Dark Descent and its expansion Amnesia: Justine.[13]
Just two days after its release on PS4 Frictional Games posted a tweet stating that the port managed to recoup all costs and 'more'.[14]
Marketing[edit]
Initially code-named 'gameB' by The Chinese Room,[15] the announcement of Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs was preceded by a viral marketing and alternate reality game campaign that began when Frictional Games updated their website Next Frictional Game,[16] which has prior been used to announce the first installment, in early 2012. The website featured a heavily blurred image, the Amnesia logo and a caption reading 'Something is emerging..'.[17][18]
The blurred image was hyperlinked to Google Maps with the search field set as 'China'.[17][18] The website was later updated with a slightly less blurred image, and hyperlinked to Google Maps with the search field set as 'Boreray.'[19] It was updated for a second time, with a non-blurred image (a piece of concept art), redirecting to Google Maps with the search field set as 502 2nd Avenue in Seattle.[20] The three hyperlinks were hints towards The Chinese Room's involvement in the game (a previous game by The Chinese Room, Dear Esther, was set on a Hebridean island like Boreray, and the address in Seattle pointed towards a restaurant named 'The Chinese Room').[1][20]
Mods for a first play-through: Zone Reclamation Project (SoC) Sky Reclamation Project (CS) Popular mods: Complete: SoC - CS - CoP; Autumn Aurora (SoC) The Faction War (CS) Call of Chernobyl (CoP) Misery (CoP) Lost Alpha; Mod sources: SoC - CS - CoP (ModDB) SoC - CS - CoP (GameFront) SoC - CS - CoP (Nexus Mods) SoC - CS - CoP (/sg/ Repos)!!! A warning on real life gas masks!!!
Examination of the site's source code led fans to a webpage that resembled a computer console with usable commands and a countdown. After the expiration of the countdown, a message on the page read 'A machine for pigs coming fall two thousand twelve.'[21] The game was formally announced via video game blog Joystiq.[1]
On 14 June 2012, the first teaser trailer was released on Frictional Games' YouTube channel.[22][23] It showed various scenes from the game, from industrial settings to more studious rooms. In the final shot, the character wakes up to the sound of an enemy breaking down a door making pig-like grunts and squeals. An unseen creature enters the room, its shadow is cast against the back wall as the player hides under a set of stairs. On 31 October 2012, to coincide with Halloween, a second trailer was posted on Frictional Games' YouTube channel.[24][25] Many new features were shown, such as the updated lantern and the new voice for the main character. The trailer also shows the protagonist being confronted by one of the enemies in the game. On 3 September 2013, Eurogamer released a video of the first 30 minutes of the game.[26]
Reception[edit]
Reception | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs received mixed reviews from critics. It has an aggregate score of 72/100 on Metacritic.[27] The game was praised for its story and atmosphere, but was criticized for its infrequent enemy encounters and a reliance on sound design to evoke fear, as well as its linearity and minimal gameplay.
Eurogamer gave A Machine for Pigs a score of 7 out of 10, noting that it 'will absolutely keep you fed'.[30]GameSpot gave the game a score of 8 out of 10, saying that while it's a 'captivating adventure', it is also 'a very dark and disturbing one that touches on depressing real-world themes and doles out psychological horror along with monsters and gore'.[32]Edge magazine wrote that 'A Machine For Pigs will prove divisive among fans of Frictional Games' much-lauded original'.[29]
Jim Rossignol of Rock, Paper, Shotgun noted in his review of A Machine for Pigs that it 'is a marvellous, revolting, disturbing sequel to Dark Descent'.[35]PC Gamer's T.J. Hafer expressed his opinion that A Machine for Pigs adds to the palette of The Dark Descent's 'helplessness to explore the emotion of fear'. Hafer also added that the game 'will hold your head underwater until you’re about to drown and then bring you back up for air, again and again'.[34]
A writer for Game Informer said that The Chinese Room 'proves once again that it has wonderful, affecting stories to tell and can create environments that ooze atmosphere', also adding that while having trouble 'giving into the scares', it 'will still rattle of the faint of heart'. He criticized the game however, saying that it is 'hard to remain frightened [..] when you feel like the game is pulling punches'.[31]
Jim Sterling of Destructoid said that 'if you want to be told a vexingly bizarre story presented with a real sense of style, The Chinese Room may have exactly what you want'. Maas360 laptop management. He also said that 'if you're a massive survival horror fan who wants to be made to scream, however, you probably want to stick your snout in someone else's offal'.[36]
The Escapist's Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw in his Zero Punctuation review felt that the game was 'mainly a linear sightseeing tour occasionally spawning monsters to chase you to the next part' and that 'for all that dingy tunnels and noisy plumbing can do to build the atmosphere, I went away with a distinct awareness of how infrequently I was ever in actual danger, not that you know that.' He summarized by saying, 'The atmosphere and writing are rock-solid, but with the simplified gameplay it's a bit too linear and over too quickly.'[37]
The game sold 120,000 units in its first week.[38]
References[edit]
- ^ abcdefgDe Matos, Xav (22 February 2012). 'Building A Machine for Pigs and expanding the universe of Amnesia'. Joystiq. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ abDenby, Lewis (16 July 2012). 'How Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is scarier than its predecessor'. BeefJack.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^Davies, Marsh (31 October 2012). 'Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs interview: we talk to the devs about their scarefest sequel'. PC Gamer. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- ^Kozlovskih, Ivan (29 November 2012). 'Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. Thomas Grip: 'Being alone is always good for creating fear!''. Gamestar.ru. Archived from the original on 7 March 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^Sinha, Ravi (21 March 2013). 'Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs – Interview With Creative Director, Dan Pinchbeck'. Gamingbolt.com. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ abcdGauntlett, Adam (2 July 2013). 'You're at the Heart of A Machine For Pigs'. The Escapist. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- ^ abNilsson, Jens (19 February 2013). 'Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs Status Update'. Frictionalgames.com. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^Nilsson, Jens (27 May 2013). 'RE: Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs Discussion Topic Part 2'. Frictionalgames.com. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
- ^'So, the secret is out – Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is set for..'Twitter. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^Kubba, Sinan (16 August 2013). 'Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs sn-out in September'. Joystiq. Archived from the original on 17 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^Hilliard, Kyle (16 August 2013). 'Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs Coming Next Month'. Game Informer. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^Chalk, Andy (16 August 2013). 'Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs Arrives Next Month'. The Escapist. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^Nunneley, Stephany (19 October 2016). 'Amnesia Collection heads to PS4 in November'. VG247. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- ^Treese, Tyler (24 November 2016). 'Amnesia Collection Already Turning a Profit For Frictional Games'. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ^'gameB'. thechineseroom.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
- ^'Amnesia – Something is emerging'. nextfrictionalgame.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ abPearson, Craig (10 February 2012). 'Frictional Teases Next Amnesia'. Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ abMitchell, Richard (10 February 2012). 'Frictional teases a new Amnesia project, possibly set in China'. Joystiq. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^Atlas, Emma (15 February 2012). 'Frictional Games Updates Teaser Site With a New Map Location'. Pikigeek.com. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ abPapadopoulos, John (17 February 2012). 'Frictional Games' Next Game hints to Seattle; final artwork revealed'. DSOGaming.com. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^Priestman, Chris (19 February 2012). 'Frictional Games: 'A Machine For Pigs Coming Fall 2012''. Indiegamemag.com. Archived from the original on 30 July 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^Sharkey, Mike (15 June 2012). 'Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs Teaser Trailer'. GameSpy. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^Parrish, Peter (14 June 2012). 'Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs teaser is full of sunshine'. Incgamers.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
- ^Nichols, Scott (1 November 2012). ''Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs' gets Halloween trailer'. Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^Matulef, Jeffrey (31 October 2012). 'Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs gets a spooky Halloween trailer'. Eurogamer. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^Welsh, Oli (3 September 2013). 'Let's Play Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs'. Eurogamer. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- ^ ab'Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs for PC Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ^'Amnesia Collection for PlayStation 4 Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- ^ ab'Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs review'. Edge. 11 September 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
- ^ abSmith, Quintin (9 September 2013). 'Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs revie'. Eurogamer. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- ^ abTuri, Tim (9 September 2013). 'Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs'. Game Informer. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ^ ab'Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs Review'. GameSpot. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- ^Sliva, Marty (10 September 2013). 'This Little Piggy Had NIightmares'. IGN. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ abHafer, T.J. (9 September 2013). 'Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs review'. PC Gamer. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ^Rossignol, Jim (9 September 2013). 'Wot I Think: Amnesia – A Machine For Pigs'. Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- ^Sterling, Jim (9 September 2013). 'That'll do, pig'. Destructoid. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ^'Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs'. The Escapist. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^Matulef, Jeffrey (1 October 2015). 'Soma has sold 92k copies in a week'. Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amnesia:_A_Machine_for_Pigs&oldid=897606678'
Amnesia: The Dark Descent | |
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Developer(s) | Frictional Games |
Publisher(s) | Frictional Games |
Designer(s) | |
Programmer(s) |
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Writer(s) | |
Composer(s) | Mikko Tarmia |
Series | Amnesia |
Engine | HPL Engine 2 |
Platform(s) | |
Release |
|
Genre(s) | Survival horror |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a survival horror[1] 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, while trying to maintain his sanity by avoiding monsters and other terrifying obstructions.[3] The game was critically well received, earning two awards from the Independent Games Festival and numerous positive reviews.[4]
Originally released independently via online distribution, the game has since been published in retail by 1C Company in Russia and Eastern Europe, as well as THQ in North America.[5][6][7] A collection of five short stories set in the world of Amnesia, written by Mikael Hedberg and illustrated by the game's concept artists, was also made available.[8] In addition, the game's soundtrack is available for purchase and a free content expansion Justine has been released, as well as many fan-made expansions and stories for its unique 'Custom Story' gamemode.[9] The Amnesia Collection – which contains The Dark Descent, its Amnesia: Justine expansion and the sequel, A Machine for Pigs – was released for PlayStation 4 on 22 November 2016, and for Xbox One on 28 September 2018.
- 2Plot
- 3Development
Gameplay[edit]
Daniel is chased by a Grunt, one of several monsters encountered in the castle.
In a similar vein to the developer Frictional Games' previous games, Amnesia is an adventure game played from a first-person perspective. The game retains the physical object interaction used in the Penumbra series, allowing for physics-based puzzles and interactions such as opening doors and fixing machinery.[3] Few in-game objects are operated by toggle; to open a door, for instance, the player must hold down a mouse button and then push (or pull) the mouse. This gives the player stealth, allowing them to peek out a barely-opened door or open it slowly to sneak away, but also adds to the player's sense of helplessness, as it is now entirely possible to attempt to push open a 'pull' door while danger approaches from behind.
In addition to a health indicator, Daniel's sanity must be managed, centered around an 'afraid of darkness' mechanic. According to designer Thomas Grip, 'the idea was basically that the darkness itself should be an enemy.'[10] Along with being in darkness too long, witnessing unsettling events, or staring at monsters will reduce Daniel's sanity, causing visual and auditory hallucinations and drawing the attention of monsters. Light sources help restore sanity, and if none are available, Daniel may use tinderboxes to ignite candles in wall sconces and candelabra, or deploy an oil-burning lantern found near the beginning of the game. However, the number of tinderboxes and the amount of oil available are both limited, and standing in a light source also makes the player more noticeable to monsters. The player must balance the amount of time Daniel spends in light and shadow. Sanity is fully restored once Daniel completes an objective or progresses the game's story. It may also be restored by staying in the shadows until Daniel passes out, but this leaves him extremely vulnerable to any nearby monsters.
If a monster spots Daniel, it will chase him until he's out of sight. If spotted, Daniel must flee, as Amnesia does not give the player access to weapons. Daniel must find hiding places or barricade doors with rocks, chairs and other obstacles; however, monsters are capable of tearing down doors in their path and kicking obstacles out of the way, and move extremely fast once they have spotted their prey. Players can also choose to hide Daniel in the shadows, at cost to sanity. Monsters who lose sight of Daniel will search for him for a time, but will eventually leave and vanish. Players can also choose, preferably while being chased, to pick up an object and throw it to the monster, temporarily stunning the monster for about two seconds and giving Daniel some extra distance.
Plot[edit]
In late August 1839, Daniel, a young man from London, awakens in the dark and empty halls of the Prussian Brennenburg Castle with little to no memory about himself or his past.[2] All he can remember is his name, that he lives in Mayfair and that something is hunting him.[11][12] He has a note written to himself, which informs him that he has deliberately erased his own memory and is being hunted by a 'shadow', and instructs him to descend into the Inner Sanctum of the castle in order to find and kill its baron, Alexander. As he makes his way through the castle, Daniel gradually learns both about its mysteries and about his own past, through notes and diaries he finds as well as through sudden flashbacks and visions. He also finds himself followed by an unearthly presence – the Shadow – manifesting itself through fleshy, acidic growths spreading through the castle, and encounters terrifying humans-turned-monsters known as 'gatherers' from whom he must hide or flee.
Throughout the game, Daniel collects his own diaries which reveal that in May, he had gone on an archaeological expedition with a professor Herbert, who sought to excavate the tomb of Tin Hinan, buried in the Algerian desert. Separated from his men in the tomb, Daniel discovered a mystical orb and felt it calling to him, entering into a trance when he held it. Afterwards, Herbert sent him back to London to recover and he brought the orb with him. Engrossed in its other-worldly quality, he consulted books and educated men about the orb's nature, finding that others have been known to exist, and wrote letters to people from Herbert's address book. He began to be plagued by nightmares, and found that Herbert's expedition has disappeared and the men he had recently consulted have suffered horrible deaths. Feeling desperate and hunted, he decided to accept the invitation of Alexander, who had replied to his letter by offering him protection at Brennenburg. After his arrival, the baron told him that he is being followed by the orb's 'shadow' or 'guardian', which will kill anything in its path to reclaim the orb, and that he should use the orb's power to fight back. Deep in the castle, he instructed Daniel in rituals supposedly serving to at least temporarily banish the Shadow, which included the killing and torture of imprisoned people, supposedly criminals. When they kidnapped the children of a farmer for what Alexander said would be the final banishment ritual, and Daniel killed one of the girls as she attempted to flee, he lost faith in Alexander, who left him for dead and descended into the Inner Sanctum alone with the orb. Broken, he decided to kill Alexander in revenge for making him a monster. He wiped his memory with an 'amnesia' potion, thus setting up the events of the start of the game.
It is revealed that Alexander is not human, but rather a being from another dimension who arrived on Earth several centuries ago, establishing himself in Brennenburg under the guise of a baron and constantly prolonging his life with 'vitae', a substance harvested from tortured humans, whom he has been hunting for this purpose. He has been seeking a way to use an orb to return to his dimension, and now needs to do this as soon as possible since he fears that other nobles no longer trust him. As Daniel nears the Inner Sanctum, he encounters Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, a man who had once studied the orbs with his student Johann Weyer and has since been kept alive and imprisoned by Alexander. He tells Daniel that Weyer has been able to harness the power of the orbs to travel between dimensions, which Alexander is preparing to do right now, and instructs him in finding the pieces of what used to be his own orb, which is needed to breach the Inner Sanctum. Agrippa also asks Daniel to take with him his head, which can be severed alive using a tonic invented by Weyer, and throw it into the inter-dimensional portal after Alexander opens it. Once Daniel enters the Inner Sanctum, there are three possible endings: he can let Alexander succeed, then be killed by the Shadow and descend into darkness, while Alexander tells him his sacrifice will be forever celebrated; he can prevent the portal from opening, then leave the castle content with his redemption after the Shadow kills only Alexander; or he can throw Agrippa's head into the portal, which leaves the Shadow to kill both Alexander and Daniel, though Agrippa promises to save Daniel from descending into darkness, calling upon Weyer to help him.
Amnesia: Justine downloadable content[edit]
The player takes control of an unnamed female character, who awakens with amnesia in a dungeon cell, accompanied only by a phonograph. This phonograph contains a recording by a woman named Justine, who tells the player character that she is the subject of a psychological test. The player character is then allowed to escape, or die trying.
The player character is presented with several puzzles to solve. In each, she has the option of simply abandoning the puzzle and walking away, but doing so will cause an innocent victim contained within (a doctor, a priest and a policeman) to die. She is also stalked by the Suitors, three monstrous characters whom Justine (through additional phonographs) reveals to be her own former paramours, now twisted by physical and psychological torture. The player character may also collect notes scattered throughout the testing environs, which give additional background information on the Suitors and Justine herself.
The game's exact ending depends on how many puzzles the player has chosen to solve, and thus how many victims survived. However, all of them proceed along roughly the same lines: after surviving the puzzle sections, the nameless female discovers a phonograph dangling from the ceiling, which causes the walls of the chamber to begin moving inward as though to squash the protagonist. She passes out, but awakens unharmed and begins to congratulate herself. The protagonist is Justine, who staged the entire experiment to see if she still had any compassion for humanity within herself. Armed with her new-found knowledge, she moves forward into the ending sequence, in which any surviving victims thank her (not realizing she does not intend to free them now that her memory is restored) and, if none were saved, the Suitors, trapped, shout threats upon her; it is also possible to change Justine's final lines if a hidden document is found in the Library. Then she goes upstairs back to her house to prepare herself to attend her guests for an imminent party.
Development[edit]
Work began on the game while Penumbra: Requiem was still being developed, with the company working on both projects at the same time.[13] The game was first known under two working titles: Unknown and Lux Tenebras. It was not until 13 November 2009 that it was announced as its current title, Amnesia, with the release of the game's website and a game trailer.[14][15] Initial designs of the game varied considerably from the final game, with the developers interested in reintroducing more combat elements similar to those utilized in their first commercial title Penumbra: Overture. The developers soon discovered that they encountered many of the same problems and difficulties that plagued the combat in that game however, and the design was further changed to be more similar to the style set out by Overture's sequel Penumbra: Black Plague.[16]
On 5 February 2010 it was announced that the game had reached the alpha stage of development on all platforms.[17][18][19] Two weeks later the developers released a new teaser trailer that showed actual game-play footage, and the developers began accepting pre-orders for the game through their website. Also revealed was that the game was at that point being tested on all three intended platforms. It was also announced that the game would be released simultaneously for all of them in August 2010.[20][21] This was later rescheduled, and the game was then expected to have an 8 September 2010 release.[22] It was then later announced on 27 August 2010 that the game had officially gone Gold and would soon be ready for sale.[23] On 3 September, the games demo was released containing selected parts of the gameplay and story. It was then successfully released on 8 September 2010.[24]
If the game reached 2000 pre-orders by 31 May 2010, Frictional promised it would release extra content for the game. The goal was finally met in early May, after the pre-orders were offered at a discount made available until 31 May. This was done due to the success of Penumbra: Overture as a part of the first Humble Indie Bundle.[25] The extra content was revealed to be commentary,[26] and they explained in the comments section of the same page that its intended function was similar to that of Valve Corporation's commentary system that began in the Half-Life 2 series.[27] The authors cite 'Soul Made Flesh' by Carl Zimmer and older horror movies such as The Haunting as being inspirations for the mood and style of the game.[28] Other critics have drawn parallels between the game's story and the writings of H. P. Lovecraft.[29]
Thomas Grip, one of the games main developers, would later write up a post-mortem of the game titled 'The Terrifying Tale of Amnesia' for The Escapist, where he outlined in detail the process of the game's development, mostly focusing on its ever-changing design and the financial problems that plagued the developers for most of the game's development.[10]
A PlayStation 4 version – Amnesia Collection – was released on 22 November 2016 via PlayStation Network; this title includes The Dark Descent, its expansion Amnesia: Justine, and the sequel Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.[30]
Just two days after its release on PS4 Frictional Games posted a tweet stating that the port managed to recoup all costs and 'more'.[31]
Audio[edit]
Amnesia: The Dark Descent (Original Soundtrack) | |
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Soundtrack album by Mikko Tarmia | |
Released | 17 May 2011 |
Genre | Video game soundtrack |
Length | 34:41 |
Label | The Sound of Fiction |
Amnesia The Dark Descent Logo Png
The game's music was composed by Mikko Tarmia and released for download on 17 May 2011. Some unused music can be heard in the soundtrack, but not in-game.
Amnesia The Dark Descent Soundtrack track list | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | 'Menu Theme' | 1:16 |
2. | 'Darkness' | 1:16 |
3. | 'Lux Tenebras' | 3:22 |
4. | 'Grand Hall' | 1:27 |
5. | 'Ending: Alexander' | 1:53 |
6. | 'Next To The Guardian' | 1:49 |
7. | 'Theme For Unknown' | 3:04 |
8. | 'Dark Water' | 1:17 |
9. | 'Daniel's Room' | 1:08 |
10. | 'Grunt's Appearance' | 1:14 |
11. | 'Back Hall' | 1:22 |
12. | 'Ending: Agrippa' | 1:56 |
13. | 'Suitor Attacks' | 1:15 |
14. | 'Basement Storage' | 2:12 |
15. | 'Brennenburg Theme' | 3:13 |
16. | 'Hub' | 1:33 |
17. | 'Ending: Alexander' (alternative version) | 2:13 |
18. | 'Bridges' | 1:06 |
19. | 'The End' | 2:05 |
Total length: | 34:41 |
Downloadable content[edit]
On 12 April 2011 Frictional Games released an extra free level for owners of the Steam version of Amnesia. This additional campaign is set apart from Brennenburg Castle. Justine was released on Steam as a way to promote the upcoming release of Portal 2, as getting 100% on the campaign (all of the collectables, all of the analysis and making correct choices) unlocks a message from fictional company Aperture Science. The content was made available for all of the games supported platforms and versions as part of the Amnesia v1.2 update on 17 May 2011.[8]
It is possible to create custom stories for Amnesia that can then be loaded in the game.[32] Various tools for the HPL Engine 2 have been released that allow the creation of own levels, models, particle effects and materials, using an interface similar to Valve's Hammer Editing Software.[33] Game logic can be implemented using the AngelScript scripting language.[34][35][36] A prominent example of a custom story is Penumbra: Necrologue, a fan-made sequel to Frictional's earlier Penumbra series.
Reception[edit]
Reception | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Amnesia: The Dark Descent has received critical acclaim with consistent praise given for the ominous atmosphere and horror elements: 'By strongly focusing on vision and hearing, the distance between player and game is radically diminished. This is technically reinforced by the game’s minimal handling.'[47]John Walker of Rock, Paper, Shotgun even went as far as to say that 'I think it is safe to say that Amnesia is the most successfully frightening game to have been made.'[48] X-Play added Amnesia to its top ten PC games saying 'There are a lot of so-called 'horror' games out there, this one is no joke. You'll be rocking back and forth and crying in no time'.[citation needed]
Frictional Games did show some trepidation over the game's initial sales after the first week,[49] but were encouraged by continued sales throughout the first month after the game's release, with Frictional recouping all the expenses from creating Amnesia by early October 2010.[50] By the beginning of January 2011 the developer reported that nearly 200,000 units had been sold, declaring in response that 'With these figures at hand, we must confess that it gives us new confidence for the PC.'[51] The game kept gaining sales and in July 2011 it had sold almost 350,000 units.[52] At the 2011 Independent Games FestivalAmnesia won awards for both 'Excellence in Audio' and 'Technical Excellence' along with the 'Direct2Drive Vision Award' which included a $10,000 prize.[4]
A year after the original release of Amnesia, the developers revealed that they had sold around 391,102 units and were continuing to sell about 6000 units per month. They also released details about how much money each platform generated for them by analyzing the sales from their online store, with 70% of sales coming from Windows users and 15% coming from users of Linux and another 15% coming from users of Mac OS X. Frictional did however note that their store was the only place anyone could purchase the Linux version of the game, whereas the Mac OS X and Windows versions could be purchased from other sources, meaning that the total percentage of Linux sales is actually considerably smaller compared to other platforms taken collectively. Observing that their own Mac OS X sales did not go down from their own store even as services like Steam picked up the game for that platform, meaning that it did not steal customers from their store but instead opened up a new market, they decided this makes a good incentive for other stores to support Linux as well.[53] As of September 2012, the game sits at an estimated 1.4 million sales.[54]
In 2011, Adventure Gamers named Amnesia the 34th-best adventure game ever released.[55] In 2015, Kotaku originally ranked Amnesia as the 2nd best horror game of all time, beaten only by P.T., but moved it to 1st after P.T. was removed by Konami.[56] In 2017, GamesRadar+ ranked Amnesia as the 3rd best horror game of all time, although in a revised list in 2018, moved the game down to 13th place.[57] In 2018, The A.V. Club ranked Amnesia as the 7th greatest horror game of all time in a list of 35.[58]
Sequel[edit]
An indirect sequel called Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs was released on 10 September 2013,[59] developed by The Chinese Room and published by Frictional Games. A Machine for Pigs is an indirect sequel to The Dark Descent, that while set in the same universe, takes place in an alternate history with different characters.[60]
References[edit]
- ^'Amnesia: The Dark Descent for PC'. GameRankings. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
Age rating = Pegi 16, M for mature
- ^ abAmnesia: The Dark Descent – Game Information Frictional Games
- ^ abAmnesia: The Dark Descent – PC Hands OnEurogamer, 25 July 2010.
- ^ ab. Indie Rock: 2011 IGF Winners Announced Rock, Paper, Shotgun, 3 March 2011
- ^1C-SoftClub/Snowball to publish Amnesia: The Dark Descent in Russia & Eastern Europe Frictional Games, 3 May 2010 (Article by Jens Nilsson)
- ^Chalk, Andy (16 February 2011). 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent Coming to Retail'. The Escapist. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
- ^Mitchell, Richard (16 February 2011). 'THQ places Amnesia: The Dark Descent in a retail box'. Joystiq. Archived from the original on 21 February 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
- ^ abBardin, Maxim (17 November 2010). 'Amnesia: Justine – Now Available To Everyone'. Linux Gaming News. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- ^Amnesia: The Dark Descent gets a free expansion! Frictional Games Blog, 12 April 2011.
- ^ abThe Terrifying Tale of AmnesiaThe Escapist; 12 July 2011 (Article by Thomas Grip)
- ^Interview With Frictional Games – Penumbra/Amnesia (Tgdb.nl)Archived 20 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine Tgdb Entertainment, 15 May 2010
- ^E3 2010: We talk with Frictional Games about Amnesia: The Dark Descent Big Download, 19 June 2010
- ^Frictional Games On Penumbra And The Future Rock, Paper Shotgun, 17 February 2009
- ^'Amnesia: The Dark Descent Revealed'. Blue's News. 14 November 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
- ^'Amnesia: The Dark Descent Trailer'. GamersHell. 13 November 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
- ^Interview With Frictional Games – Amnesia Linux Gaming News, 25 November 2009
- ^Amnesia: The Dark Descent goes alphaArchived 11 February 2010 at the Wayback MachineLinuxGames, 7 February 2010
- ^Alpha – the beginning of the end! Frictional Games Blog
- ^Amnesia: The Dark Descent Reaches Alpha Inside Mac Games, 9 February 2010
- ^Amnesia: The Dark Descent – Teaser, Web Site & Pre-order Linux Gaming News, 19 February 2010
- ^Amnesia: The Dark Descent – Teaser, Web Site and Pre-Order CHARGED, 19 February 2010
- ^Disturbing details regarding the release of 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent' revealed! Frictional Games, 22 June 2010
- ^Amnesia: The Dark Descent Gone Gold Linux Gaming News, 29 August 2010 (Article by Maxim Bardin)
- ^Scary New Horror Adventure Available for LinuxLinux Journal, 13 September 2010 (Article by Susan Linton)
- ^Insane Amnesia Discount! Frictional Games, 5 May 2010
- ^'some commentary for the release' Frictional Games, 11 May 2010
- ^'similar to the way HL2ep2 does it' Frictional Games, 11 May 2010
- ^Thomas Grip of Frictional Games Speaks on Amnesia: The Dark Descent With GaeaTimes.com Gadgetophilia; 15 September 2010
- ^Condon, Niall (24 October 2018). 'How 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent' Is STILL The Greatest Lovecraftian Horror Game'. Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^Nunneley, Stephany (19 October 2016). 'Amnesia Collection heads to PS4 in November'. VG247. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- ^Treese, Tyler (24 November 2016). 'Amnesia Collection Already Turning a Profit For Frictional Games'. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ^In The Games Of Madness: Editors are out! Frictional Games
- ^Tools – HPL2 DocumentationArchived 18 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine Frictional Games
- ^'Addons - Amnesia: The Dark Descent'. Mod DB.
- ^'Mods - Amnesia: The Dark Descent'. Mod DB.
- ^Finished Custom Stories for Download Frictional Games Forum
- ^'Amnesia: The Dark Descent for PC'. GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- ^'Amnesia: The Dark Descent for PC Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 30 August 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
- ^'Amnesia Collection for PlayStation 4 Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- ^'Amnesia Collection for Xbox One Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- ^Berens, Nathaniel (8 September 2010). 'review: Amnesia: The Dark Descent'. Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on 11 September 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
- ^Smith, Quintin (7 September 2010). 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent PC Review'. Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 9 September 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
- ^Biessener, Adam (8 September 2010). 'Horror Done Right'. Game Informer. Archived from the original on 11 September 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
- ^Onyett, Charles (3 September 2010). 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent Review'. IGN. Archived from the original on 6 September 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
- ^Bickham, Al (6 September 2010). 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent review'. PC Gamer Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
- ^Smith, Quintin (7 September 2010). 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent PC Review'. Igromania. Archived from the original on 29 September 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
- ^Tom Reiss (2015). 'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Horror as a semiotic medium in Amnesia: The Dark Descent' MueSem - Muenchner Semiotik 2015
- ^Wot I Think: Amnesia – The Dark Descent Rock, Paper, Shotgun, 7 September 2010 (Article by John Walker)
- ^One week after the release of Amnesia Frictional Games Blog, 15 September 2010
- ^One Month after Amnesia's release Frictional Games Blog, 8 October 2010
- ^Four months after Amnesia's release Frictional Games Blog, 7 January 2011
- ^The Terrifying Tale of Amnesia The Escapist, 12 July 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011
- ^Amnesia – One year later Frictional Games Blog, 9 September 2011
- ^'Amnesia, two years later'.
- ^AG Staff (30 December 2011). 'Top 100 All-Time Adventure Games'. Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^Patrick Klepek (13 February 2015). 'The 10 Best Horror Games'. Kotaku. Archived from the original on 10 August 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^'The 20 best horror games of all time'. Social Blade. GamesRadar Staff. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^'The 35 greatest horror games of all time'. The AV Club. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- ^Hilliard, Kyle (16 August 2013). 'Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs Coming Next Month'. Game Informer. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
- ^de Matos, Xav. 'Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is the next title from Frictional Games and Dear Esther dev'. Joystiq. Archived from the original on 20 June 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
External links[edit]
- Amnesia: The Dark Descent at MobyGames
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Amnesia: The Dark Descent |
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Amnesia: The Dark Descent, a first person survival horror. A game about immersion, discovery and living through a nightmare .. an experience that will chill you to the core. Mod apk hack bit heroes. The game puts you in the shoes of Daniel as he wakes up in a desolate castle, barely remembering anything about his past. Exploring the eerie pathways, you must also take part of Daniel's troubled memories. The horror does not only come from the outside, but from the inside as well. A disturbing odyssey into the dark corners of the human mind awaits.
By using a fully physically simulated world, cutting edge 3D graphics and a dynamic sound system, Amnesia: The Dark Descent pulls no punches when trying to immerse you. Once the game starts, you will be in control from the beginning to the end. There are no cut-scenes or time-jumps, whatever happens will happen to you first hand. You will be thrown headfirst into a dangerous world where danger can lurk behind every corner. Your only means of defense are hiding, running or using your wits. Do you have what it takes to survive?
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