When you tell me about "Survival Horror" and name games like Resident Evil 4, Silent Hill Homecoming, etc. I can only be disappointed. This game did its job well. It still is my favorite Horror-Game. The graphics are pretty well for an indie-game and the story is fun, too. But the best thing about this game is its atmosphere. You never feel safe, when you play it.
I can't wait for the second Amnesia. I hope it will be at least as good as this one.… Expand

Very good peace of work. I love it very fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun game. It is not like dead space at all; you can't kill your enemies and that's what's so fun about it. It tells you at first just have fun and kind of "go" into the world of Amnesia. GENIUS! It is the perfect way to get into the game. And when I bought this I bought it at night, so I played till like what? 11:30 maybe, and I couldn't go to sleep later. So got up and played again. VERY addicting game. The only reason is why I am only giving it 9/10 is because the sanity drains like crazy. I put my lantern down for 2 seconds and it starts wigging out and 10 seconds later my dude's about to pass out or die or something.… Expand

An amazing game that truly shows what a true survival horror is all about, and it offers something that no previous survival has offered to date, an utterly useless protagonist. Even in the best examples of the genre, the tension gets watered down by an unusually strong protagonist with nerves of steel and armed to the teeth.......... it's hard to get scared when you're controlling the equivalent to bruce willis, even in silent hill where you're suposed to control an average joe, he suddenly gets the ability to wield any concievable firearm out of the blue. Amnesia finally does things right, he puts you in the shoes of a normal, frightened, vulnerable and harmless man, caught in supernatural circumstances that he can't fully understand. He shivers, pants, and tries to give comfort to himself every now and then, while crouching helpless in a corner....... just what any of us would do in such case scenario.

The only complain I have for the game is the enemy variety, both brutes and grunts move and act the same, it would've been interesting to see additional enemies with diferent reactions to how you move and interact with the enviroment; a perfect example of this is the invisible thing at the beggining of the game. In any case this is a one of a kind experience, a true return of survival horrors and something that shouldn't be missed.… Expand

Le jeux est magnifique! ses sure qu'il y avais quelque bug dans les mure mais pour un jeux fait par un petit groupe! il est ultra bon! moi je vous dit jouer avec sa vaux la pane! si tu aime les jeux d'horreur ses un peux jeux a jouer pour le commencement!

This game is definitely one of the high points of the survival-horror genre. However, before playing it, you should know what to expect; if you're expecting something more similar to Dead Space 2 out of this, you will have a bad time. It's not that kind of horror game. Gameplay isn't all that great, maybe 7/10, but the intense atmosphere makes up for it. Amazing sound, good (not too good, but more than enough) graphics...

There's quite a lot of difference between Amnesia and most horror games, the main one I see being monster density. Monsters aren't very common. This is partially justified by your lack of self defense, but the real beauty in this is that you never really stop being scared of them. So instead of a lot of shootable monsters, you get a few very dangerous and terrifying ones.

Now, "A few monsters" isn't really enough to keep the scares going. Amnesia solves this problem in an ingenious way. With the creepy ambience, the constant tiny creaks from the foundation, and even the illusory footsteps Daniel hears when low on sanity, you genuinely never feel completely safe. Aside from the tendency to encounter monsters while backtracking after grabbing an important item, it's pretty danm hard to predict where one will show up.

Anyway, the point of the game is to make the player feel as scared as possible. So, don't play to win, play it just for the sake of being scared.… Expand

More an experience than a video game. And a really amazing experience at that. The cult classic really delivers with its atmosphere and feel, which suck you in in minutes. The vast amount of custom stories ensures hours of entertainment beyond the main story. As a downside it can sometimes be difficult to get your room lighting right for playing. Amnesia is a game that can be pulled from the shelf many times and it has the same chilling charm every time.… Expand

This is a great, terrifying game. To make sure you get the full effect, play it in a dark room and don't watch anyone playing it on youtube until you have. Try to do it all on your own. If you're unsure about a puzzle, try to think of the simplest way to solve it and avoid backtracking, usually the solution is very close to the problem. If you get lost, (which can happen, especially in the prison) try drawing a basic map. There are maps online, but they mark where things happen and contain spoilers, which take away from the effect. If you want to quit at the beginning because you don't think it's scary, keep playing; there will be times later on when you will be running for your life, and other times when you refuse to move because there's a monster a few feet away and it hasn't noticed you yet but who knows when it will... Basically, if you want to enjoy it, just take it seriously. Get into it, and see if you can play through the whole game without dying. And one last note, don't quit because you're too scared at certain parts. Man up and keep playing.… Expand

Amnesia unlike most horror games brought an entirely new entity to Horror Games. Being complete vulnerable to enemy attacks, with the only defence of running and hiding in an eery castle complex in 1839 makes this a lot more fun! With only a lantern and a limited supply of oil, Frictional Games surely know how to keep on scaring people! 9/10

This game scares me like no other. You can't fight back, so your best bet is to avoid the monsters whenever possible, and run like hell when you can't. It's an eerie on-edge feeling punctuated with adrenaline-rush moments. The story is quite captivating; sometimes I wish the game weren't quite so good at scaring me so I could get through the story more quickly.

The Singleplayer is not very appealing to me. With custom stories a maybe very scary and funny adventure.

On my opinion, i found Amnesia the dark descent horrifying... I got to be honest with you, Amnesia made me feel fear. I never played a game like this. Frictional games did here a master piece
The monsters are not very scary but the suspance... Just the soundtrack of the game is amazing! Did you knew that each object in Amnesia has its own sound? And the felling of being hunted, defence less and above all vulnerable makes you scared. Very scared. But amnesia put a lot of afford on the atmosphere. The light sources are few so you have to walk into the darkness a lot of times.
The story could be a little better. Its is good but not perfect. I found myself bored of reading all those notes. I belive this game is awesome to fans of horror and im really willing to play Machine for Pigs… Expand

Amnesia: the dark descent is a well crafted experience that manages to pull off something that a lot of games fail to do these days, and that is atmosphere. By keeping the gameplay and interface very simple, one is much more easily drawn into the world. And it is the first game I've played in a very long time that has actually succeeded in scaring me. I was skeptical at first that it could have such an effect on my all but dead emotions, but the first time I was being chased by a creature, thought I'd outrun it, then turned around to see it right behind me, I very nearly wet myself. Some reviewers will often say that the monsters were not scary because, if you watched them closely, their behaviour was predictable and they were easy to avoid. But if you can sit back and enjoy a game without having to test the engine's every weak point, then this game should scare you. If you were the kind of kid who pulled the beard off the mall santa, then it probably won't. But if you're a cynic who can't suspend a little disbelief every now and then, then I don't see how any game could scare you. (And for that matter, feel free to suspend a little disbelief on the matter of not being able to pick up candles. It serves the gameplay. Just accept it.)
All this is not to say that the game is perfect there are a few items on which the game falls down. Firstly, the level design occasionally feels a little samey. It's not nearly as bad as the endless repeating corridors in the likes of Eye of the Beholder, but it is a little like that. Also the voice acting is a little painful to listen to at times. I wish I could say that it's below par, but in the gaming industry this is probably better than average. [slight spoiler alert] In particular the voice of Agrippa fails. Here's this weird, creepy undead dude missing his jaw hanging from a chain, and he sounds like a jolly fat guy with rosey cheeks wearing lederhosen and playing the accordion [spoiler over].
These, mostly minor, complaints aside, Amnesia: the Dark Descent is a great game. The story is interesting and very well researched (look up the Brazen Bull for example), and the attention to detail was for the most part spot on. Atmosphere, immersion and tension are excellent, and the game goes for just long enough to not overstay its welcome. And most of all it's a stand out, iconic title with some true innovation amidst a pool of samey, tepid drivel.… Expand

Behold immersion through sensory deprivation! As paradoxical as the previous sentence may seems, I'd suggest that's exactly what Amnesia succeeded to achieve. The game's premise is that you are alone, chased by a living nightmare from which you can only hide from. Being completely vulnerable, you constantly keep you ears open for some unknown sound, being in the dark, relying on the frail light of your lantern, you keep scrutinizing for somewhere to hide or for some way to escape through and being on the verge of sanity, your heart keeps pounding, your breathing gets heavier: the immersion begins. Soon, you learn that your only way out of this nightmare is only forward, deeper where all the horrors come from. All this, makes Amnesia a game you'll never forget (no freakin pun intended) if only for the atmosphere it creates. Aside from keeping your head cool, progressing in Amnesia requires you to solve puzzles and obstacles, most of which are logical and well integrated. In all, this makes it one of the best game-play experience I've had in some years.

Technically, the graphics are very decent (not even considering that it's an indie production) but where the game shines most is perhaps in it's sound effects which are greatly responsible for the realistic feeling of this game.

I'm not aware of much games in the style of Amnesia but in the end, if you liked it, I strongly suggest you try Miasmata.… Expand

This is a great game. While it did not scare me, because it's not my thing, I was amazed at how well the story was written, how astounding the music was, how developed the characters were and how challenging some of the puzzles were. Looking forward to the sequel.

The only game out there that will literally make u shiver in fear. Close the door, turn off the lights, get your headphones, and prepare to pee your pants.

Story original. Graphisms correct. The ambiance is intense and frightening as said. You walk in the darkness and have to care about your health and mental. A good product. Don't hesitate on that title

This has to be one of the most atmospheric games I have ever endured to play in my life. You've got a squid-looking guy walking around, making your swallow your tongue, and watching your heart drop through your intestines. It is amazingly scary. People think this game is "trash", and it's "not scary", play it once. We'll see if your mind changes. The game itself is horrifying, but I wish there was more to it. There needs to be something there that just sparks your mind and makes the game better than it already its, on this one though I am going to have to score it good overall. Not recommended for players that get easily scared though. This is one of the most highly recommended games I have for you.… Expand

I have never been more scared. That's all you need to know. Love the setting, the audio is absolutely phenomenal, the pacing is precise. What's not to like about this game?

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A truly terrifying game that is only rivaled by the other series made by this company, Penumbra. Unlike most horror games, this one focuses less on "monsters jumping from the closet" scares and is chock full of psychological and moral horror. Even without the literal monsters, the plot is full of human monsters; torture, human sacrifices, black magic and sorcery make the game reek of evil. The immersive sound design and well-implemented screen & graphical effects feed the fear of being cornered by other worldly monsters and human abominations. Without any weapons to fight back, this is a genuine "survival horror" game that you should pick up and lose sleep over.… Expand

Atmospheric and creepy for a while...then it gets boring. There's something that really breaks immersion for me. You can't fight at all. You can't even shove things away when you get close. You can't pick up any sort of weapon despite passing dozens of reasonable objects like shovels and knives. This leads to a problem. All the monsters have to be lame enough that you can just walk away from them. The sense of danger just goes out the window once you figure out the game mechanics. A "Horror" game isn't scary once you realize you are literally no danger whatsoever for 90% of the play time. It's not terrifying, it's a fun-house ride. Complete with blinking lights and people making "OOOoooooo" noises from around corners.

If you really try to get immersed in it, I guess it could be a pretty creepy experience. But it's not a all that great as a GAME. Which is a pity, because it's been quite a while since we had a horror game that was both fun to play and actually scary. We might have to go all the way back to System Shock 2 in 1999. Although i suppose F.E.A.R. or Call of Cthulhu Dark Corners of the Earth might be honorable mentions.… Expand

This game feels like an Edgar Allen Poe piece. Its extremely dark and thoughtful in feel... And I was disappointed it finally ended. With so many things done right, its hard to believe such a small group created this creative masterpiece.

This Game has a amazing and fightening Atmosphere. The Graphics are a little bit old, but the Colors and Lightning are perfect. Its so horrorfying to walk through the dark corridors, because you dont have any weapon. The Puzzles make fun, but the Gameplay and the Story could be better.

I love this game... The atmosphere is incredible, and the fact that you can't kill the monsters and you actually have to run or hide, is amazing. I really like it. Also, hearing weird noises gives an incredible feeling. I actually congratulates the creators of this game because it's fun to play this game and freak out.

This game is scary as hell, but is fantastically scripted. The AI is amazing and this is the only game you can get a true fear feeling in. Excellent graphics, especially shadows. Also, it has a well written and intriguing storyline. Has some very minor bugs, which do not effect the game. I would go as far to say this is the most frightening game EVER created.

I was about to purchase this game based on reputation @Metacritic alone and boy, am I glad they offer a demo on Steam. I didn't even finish the demo because it is hardly scary. Granted, the audio may be superb but this feature is completely diminished by the fact that the graphics and level design appear to be based on something that was contrived in the very early 2000s. One could compare its quality to be part way between Thief II and Thief: Deadly Shadows. This is an absolute deal-breaker for me and I wonder, how this can be received with such a high degree of professional appraisal (Metascore of 85).

Sure, there are games that look like crap an are extremely popular, such as Minecraft. But, in very stark contrast to Amnesia, the Minecraft experience does not thrive on ambience and immersion.

Considering the fact, that the vast majority of human cognitive perception is based on visual stimuli, I am having a very hard time understanding why anyone with a trained I could give this horror-flick a 100% on a professional review without constant fear of having you credibility on the line...YES, I am looking at you Gamecritics & Gamernode! wtf?… Expand

Because I am not human and therefor lack human emotions, I am unable to become physically "scared". But, this game has more presence in that department than any game I have played. More please!

very random game, cant mention anything special. you walk arround and solve more or less obvious puzzles. graphics look a bit old, the sounds are ok, it has some basic physic effects. a weird story... if you find this game scary you might should take a look in a dictionary for the definition of this word. a ingrown toenail is a lot more scary than this. when its on sale buy it only if you are really bored, the regular price of 15… Expand

Have you ever played Myst? And kno Bioshock was the best game of all time? Puzzle games totally suck because they totally forget what the word "logic" means. "Scary" movies haven't scared you since you were a child. Sooo Amnesia has all of that. This is a really great game. The only way you can't get scared by it is by thinking you're way too cool and you keep your guard up. Way, way up. In which case, you're only ruining the fun for yourself. Put on headphones, play in the dark. Lose yourself. The sound is amazing, which is critical to terror. Monsters, on a technical scale are only ehh, but when you combine it with the rest of the game, become horrifying poetry. There is also some of the deepest story I have ever encountered, and I only really like to play games with a ton of story. It's more like you're playing a book, but it feels like a movie you're directing... and suffering. You will not get a better form of Art in most modern AAA titles. I just got this for $5 on Steam, and I wish I could donate more to the company if I could. Personally I kinda wanna give it a 9 only because I really suck at puzzles, but compared to 99% of other digital titles, this game is an 11 out of 10… Expand

This game really does deserve the title of "World's Scariest Game". After playing the game for about ten to twenty minutes, I was wondering "Is this it?" and to be honest I wanted to backhand them for making a crapy game and calling it scary. I couldn't have been more wrong, the game absolutely scared me. I have never played a game that instilled fear into me like this: fear radiated through my body, the rush of adrenaline, heart pounding, jumping at every groan, splash of water and almost any other sound.

Okay, the downside, the graphics weren't the best, but the detail and architecture really did create the perfect mood for the game. Excellent use of sound all throughout the game; I did turn my volume down to zero to see what the game was like without the sound and to be honest, it was really calm, so well done on the sound effect. The plot was average, it was fitting of the mood though and it didn't need an awesome plot to be scary. I really liked the idea of being harmless, although I did try to pick up a chair and wave it around madly trying to fight off that horrible zombie thing. One thing that disappointed me, was the I could jump up onto a desk or a pile of rocks and the zombie couldn't get to me, it kind of ruined the mood when it was walking into a desk trying to move forward. The camera wobble was a bit annoying, although it did fit into the game, but overall I didn't like it.

In summation, it is a very good game and I enjoyed the scare I got from it; although I wouldn't advise this game for children or anyone who gets nightmares. Apart from that I advise you to play it.… Expand

It's fun, scary...dark...everything you could ever want, right? Right. Things fly at you from the ceiling, you can hide in dressers, and you have some extreme anxiety issues. Recommended, if you're a fan of scary games. If you read this review, and decided to play it, then played it and died from fright (or the fact that the game is pure awesome), I am not responsible.

I have to say that this is the scariest game I played, a lot scarier then Slender. If you are about to play this, have headphones on and play in the dark. So many moments I'm just going through a dark and creepy hallway and suddenly a monster comes around the corner and is going towards you fast, forcing you to hide, it just scares the crap out of me. And watching your sanity go down MIGHT make your real sanity go down. Other then the scares, the game play and story is pretty good. A lot off the puzzles are just so hard and genius that it takes me 10-20 minutes to figure them out. If you have at least a mid range PC, you should get this.… Expand

Anyone who loves horror should definitely try Amnesia. This game is able to enter into the human psyche, so if you follow the advice given before starting (play in the dark with headphones) you will certainly be taken from the atmosphere around Daniel.

This game isn't for everyone. Amnesia is an artfully mastered, ambient experience for anyone craving a taste of quality; like a fine wine upon the mountain of cheap beer being produced by the triple-A production line. Take a break from Call of Duty and enjoy Amnesia: The Dark Descent; witness a lost form of creative craftsmanship which only Frictional Games is still bold enough, willing, and able deliver.… Expand

Wonderful horror game. I was essentially scared throughout the entire game. The music is great, the atmosphere is spot on, and the story is perfect. My only problem with the game is that I feel as if some its textures aren't polished. One example I experience with faulty textures was when I went through a wall and everything turned black, and then later I took two steps and somehow died. If that were fixed, this game would receive a ten. You most likely will not experience this at all; maybe it was just my **** graphics card, but regardless, the game is quite possibly the best horror game made. Buy it!!!… Expand

Creepiest game i have ever played in my live. I am sill having nightmares because of this game.. And the custom stories make this game much more than just the main story.. Actually the main story wasnt so great so -1 for that.

When this game first released as an Indy game, it was a cult hit, and spread via the web to all gamers, even casual ones. After playing this title, I must tell anyone who is thinking of buying it two things: 1) Buy it. 2)Don't 'play' this 'game', don't think of this as a milestone that you must 'beat'. It is an experience that everyone should have, and it WILL scare you. I have never been so frightened by any form of media, be it a movie, game, music etc. There are a few parts where it will feel annoying because you may not understand how to get past a certain part, revealing it's true 'game' nature for only a moment, and then you are back in the experience. Buy it.… Expand

Amnesia: The Dark Descent by Frictional Games brings us a frightening experience that you won't soon forget. There are ambient sounds, disturbing environments and innovative controls to create an immersive atmosphere and the game throws some thrilling monster chases that will have you on edge. There are however some noticeable bugs mostly involving the monsters that may annoy and some of the objects in the game could've been more detailed but these are only minor issues and won't hinder your experince too much. A single playthrough took me around 10 hours and there are plenty of custom stories available that will increase your playtime.… Expand

One of the best true horror games of all time. This is game is not for the faint of heart, you will be scared **** A must buy for every horror fan.

Too much wobbly camera. Extremely annoying looped sounds in certain areas. Character in game freaks out every time he sees his shadow. Its really difficult to immerse myself in the game if every minute I'm telling my character to "chill out it was just a shadow". "Daniel", the character you play as, freaks out way too often at just about everything and it completely tore me out of the experience. I can see why some people would like this game if you can get past some of the very questionable design choices, but this game is very overrated in my opinion. Also wasn't really all that scary from what I played, its just a glorified atmospheric game of hide and seek with a main character who has a panic attack every time he sees his own shadow.… Expand

for the people that try to downpour this brilliant horror game obviously haven't played a good game yet. Amnesia is probably the best TRUE horror game out there, not only does it scare the **** out of you it involves high amounts of strategy and careful thought one you actions. for the people that try to downpour this brilliant horror game obviously haven't played a good game yet and are 40 year old lards you sit in front of there computer all day.… Expand

It would be impossible for me to leave spoilers in this, for I cannot beat the game. I have played the game, with my friend, for all of about an hour so far. We can't do it. We haven't seen a single monster yet, and we cannot continue forward. The game is just scary, it carries on-wards in the ways of freaking you out of your skin. We picked up a book, and accidently slammed it against a metal door, and it scared... The living... *Bleep* out of us. We of course continued forward, and got up to a point where our lantern ran out. It was at this point we really started to get.... on edge... To say the least. We found a small amount of oil and used it, continued forward. We were about to go through a door there was a hint stating something similar to "Hint: When there are enemies nearby, try to run and hide in the darkness" , this was the point where my friend (Who was playing at the time) said "I can't do it, just can't. I'm done". I of course proceeded to give it my shot. Within a minute, not even a full minute, I started to walk through the door with no lantern, and slowly opened it... When I saw something move. I backed up frightened into a corner and just stood still. I heard "Tip... Tap... Tip... Tap" Not of water, but of footsteps. The screen went blurred, and moved as if we had just been turned into a ghost and back. I gave up. We cannot continue for quite a while... We don't have the power-up from Binding of Isaac, "Balls of steel", or the other power-up of "Masculinity". I guess we just haven't spent enough time to get the "Puberty" one either. We're little children in this game. We.... Are... Done. Have fun everybody!… Expand

It's very hard to make really scary game, but Frictional Games did it. The main story took me about 6 hours, but after that i started playing custom stories. I gave 10 points because this game has everything! - Beautiful atmosphere, - Scary main story, -Scary monsters and - New custom stories every day. This game don't need weapons. They would ruin the idea of the game. People just concentrate on shooting. But every time i start this game, i enjoy it very much :)… Expand

I wanted to accept the challenge that I heard from all the hype. I am a very hard person to scare. As a child at the age of 5 years, my father let me watch anything I wanted. He would stay up with me all night watching monster marathons on television. I figured this game couldn't scare me. HOLY CRAP, I was wrong.

This game just killed me. The feelin is just beyond awesome 11/10.,.,.,.,.,.The sound effect is awesome! 10/10.,.,.,.,.The graphic not reli good, envirnoment not real enough, the monster not scary enough! They can make it better! But the cloudy effect when you see the monster just kill the problem of bad graphic monster. 7+3/10.,.,.,.,.

This is an amazing horror game. I'd even call it brilliant. I learned things about myself by playing this. I probably don't have to tell you that Amnesia succeeds in being scary - it succeeds hard. I often had to remind myself that it was just a game and I wouldn't really die if the monster got me or I wouldn't be able to move forward. Video games have a unique ability to evoke fear in an audience and I feel this game absolutely takes advantage of that. Through its visuals, sounds, mechanics, and storyline, Amnesia succeeds in creating a very focused experience of helplessness, curiosity, and fear. I don't give it a ten because I feel there are three things I still have room to complain about. For one thing, despite not seeming like it at all, the whole game is highly scripted, so once you've played it the whole way through you have very little reason to go black and play it again. It's also best to play it alone so you can't have fun watching other people play it without cheapening the experience for them. Second, the storyline is a bit underwhelming towards the end. It only feels this way in the very last room of the game, and its not too pronounced, but I felt they could have done better. The multiple endings are still good though. Lastly, (*spoiler*) and this might tie in with the storyline thing, but through the whole game, I was under the impression that there was only one monster chasing you through the castle. He seems to be in a lot of places at once, but I thought he was part of the whole "shadow" thing and maybe he could teleport. However, a little over halfway through the game another monster comes in and kills the first and starts hunting you instead. Then the first monster shows up again and it becomes apparent that there's a whole bunch of these things all over the place and they're actually the big bad's henchmen, which I felt just made them a whole lot less significant, mysterious, and scary. That really cheapened it for me and I still prefer to think of it the other way. However, no one else I've read has mentioned that so maybe it's a personal thing.… Expand

Amazing game! Yeah some people may say, it's all about the sounds and the visual, but think about a horror movie, what makes it scary? The sounds and the visual effects, and this is what amnesia offers, a fantastic horror atmosphere! It is surely a great game, made by a thriller writer! In my opinion other games from diff. genres should take a note of this game's atmosphere! After all, in my opinion, one of the most important things for a game is to have a great atmosphere and story. To suck you in the virtual world and to engender emotions! To enjoy it, put HEADPHONES and play it ALONE with all lights OFF =]… Expand

For the price, it's not a bad game. Steam had it on sale for $5 or $10 when I bought it. If you're looking for something original, this game tries some things brazenly. In the end, it becomes repetitive. Thank goodness it's fairly short. I generally take a long time to finish games, as I'm something of a completionist, but this game was done in 12 hours. Games like Deus Ex: HR took me closer to 50 hours, and games like Skyrim took about 100 hours. -------
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That said, those are the game's two major flaws: narrow world which makes it short, and a repetitive game play. In the beginning, when the game play hasn't had a chance to wear on you, it's a fine and novel game. You sneak around, you get scared, you run, you plan your escape routes methodically, you wonder what is going on in this hellish world. All wonderful things. And if you're like me, you'll relish the immersion, so you'll put on a pair of headphones, turn up the volume, and turn off the lights. Make sure the kiddies are asleep because you won't want them catching a glimpse of this little horror bit. It'd give them nightmares. But it doesn't do this through cheap thrills and gore - though there's a little of that. Much of it is done through understated mixtures of sound and visuals. ----------
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Still, eventually you long to be able to use some of the things you find to at least hinder creatures. It feels like I should be able to use some simple lamp oil to set these nasties on fire - especially if I felt like wasting my precious oil, or if I'd been especially careful about saving it, as I was. And eventually you get the hang of the AI, but I can't complain too much about that. For what it's worth, the AI is better than new games like Deus Ex: HR. Probably the worst offending part of the repetitive gameplay is that the game actually gets easier if you reload more than twice. That's sad. Being a completionist, I *enjoy* the challenge of retrying the occasional situation a third or fourth time. That should be rare, since it breaks the immersion, but so does a monster totally disappearing from a zone because I happened to be taking a sip of beer on the first playthrough, and didn't quite get it right on the second playthrough. It detracts from the game's serious attraction: brutal and unforgiving horror survival. That gameplay would also be seriously enhanced with more to do in the game and more to explore other than the single dungeon. There were many times I asked myself, why would I stay in such a deathtrap?? I'd like to at least break a window and climb outside in the snow and discover that I couldn't travel far without the wolves attacking. Perhaps that would lead to some interesting gameplay with me exploring the stables and finding a demolished wagon, or perhaps I'd find that the roads leading to this castle were treacherously steep as poor Jonathan Harker discovers in Bram Stoker. These diversion would make sense, give me a break from the monotony of the castle, and immerse me in the world a little.------
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All in all, though, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the game for the pennies I paid. The game studio deserved my money, and perhaps we'll see more developed games from them in the future.… Expand

Perhaps the best survival horror game to grace my PC ever. Amnesia keeps you hooked from start to finish, if you can even get that far. The shocks are purely atmospheric with little to look at or do other than physics puzzles.There is no combat which makes hiding from the monsters that much scarier. Perhaps one of the best PC games to happen since Half-Life 2, Amnesia:The Dark Descent is a must buy for any indie, horror or PC gamers.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Very few horror games today embrace the most terrifying form of horror there is: subtlety. That knowledge that something is there hunting you down and is constantly getting closer to you that brings us to the masterpiece that is Amnesia: The Dark Descent. I can honestly say I have walked away from my computer at times screaming with shock and terror from what has come from this game. It truly brought back horror into my heart. While the game still produces fear in me, I still question some of it's elements that make it the horror game it is. There is no way to defend yourself from the creatures hunting you. And while this aspect is what defines the horror in it (meaning all you can do is run and hide with what dignity you have left), I daresay I would be one of those hero's in the story to pick up a rock or stick to defend myself in dark dungeons and labyrinths. I cannot count these as cons to the game because the creatures are truly unearthly. The very chill they send through your spine is the stuff of nightmares and I doubt even I with the logical sense to defend myself could stand in front of one and not panic. This game redefines horror showing us all how it's done. Not for the squeamish or faint-hearted but then again, even the most fearless of gamers have walked away from this game shaking!… Expand

Welcome to the world of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, a survival horror that is so boring, I feel like falling alseep in the first 20 mineuts of the game. I am not even joking, after reading rave reviews about this game I decided to go ahead and pick it up, I managed to get it for a single dollar because it was being offered in one of the "Indie Humble Bundles". The beginning of the game is slow and boring, all you do is walk around old, dimly lit rooms, collecting a small haldful of items. Every once and awhile your character will trip out or wind will blow through a room. Along the way you collect some notes that are too long and boring to bother reading or even listening to.

I'll be frank, this game is really dry, really, really dry. I was so board with the game that I couldn't get past playing it for more then a half hour and not once did I ever encounter a single monster.

Room layouts seem random and spastic, not only that, all of the rooms look the same. The game tries to create a "spooky" atmosphere by having random stuff happen, but it's more annoying the scary. I don't like this game, it feels like they tried to write a really bad book and decided to turn it into an even worse video game. A friend assures me once you play it longer, it gets really good. That's like forcing me to eat a handful of sand and telling me in a half an hour I can have a drink, no thanks.

I feel ripped off I paid a dollar for this worthless game.… Expand

Frictional has made some pretty good games in the past--I played and enjoyed all three of the Penumbra games, and even consider Black Plague to be one of the best horror games ever. But within five seconds of beginning Amnesia: The Dark Descent, I want to throw up--literally. Like, the nausea from the forced camera motion is so strong that I cannot play the game. I checked the forums, and there is no workaround for this introduction. I cannot give a game anything higher than a "0" if I cannot physically play it in the first place. Sorry.… Expand

Amnesia is one of the most overrated games out there. It *does* have decent puzzles and a fairly interesting story, but I would not call it 'scary', unless maybe you're someone that can't go to sleep after reading a Goosebumps book. I give it credit for being different, in that you're not some sort of macho space marine killing ghost alien bugs, but I don't really want to play the opposite end of the spectrum either, where my character is such a pant-wetting wimp that crouching in a dark corner of a room causes him to go insane. The monster AI is simplistic and exploitable, and as others have said, once you know what's going on they are easy to avoid. Meh overall.… Collapse

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is truly a good example of what "horror" is all about. Horror should be about the creepy atmosphere and story it's being placed in. Those cringing moments of anticipating something to come after you. Worse, those terrifying moments of silence. Amnesia: The Dark Descent had all those qualities plus many more. It lacked the use of weapons to defend yourself with but the skills of hiding, running, and closing. You would have a limited juice of light source to keep you from being frightened even more. Oh, and yeah this creature does not have the ability to die at all. But one thing that made this game unique from others is that you would actually have to open and close closets, doors, and drawers by yourself. That's the main thing that makes this game so realistic. I could go on with many things to brag about this masterpiece. Amnesia: The Dark Descent is and will be one of those timeless games for years to come. This is by far one of the most terrifying and unforgettable experience since Silent Hill. This is what you call horror.… Expand

A truly remarkable puzzle game, Amnesia is not for the faint of heart. The game takes advantage of ambient creaks, moans, and other creepy sounds to keep you constantly on edge, making the game super immersive. Once I heard a noise and felt something tap my shoulder. Immediately I started hyperventilating and holding down shift while sprinting, teeth gritted, down the hallway, until I realized that the enemy was actually my brother, who had snuck up behind me and tapped my shoulder (The little troll) There were a couple "Jump out and shout boo" monsters, but there was a lot of subtle creepiness that kept you at the edge of your seat. (And when nothing happens, you get closer to the edge of your seat. Then the monster pops out and you fall off your seat, promise you will never play this horrible, wicked game again, respawn, and keep going.) One point where I was genuinely terrified didn't even have any monsters. At a few points in the game you will have a big room leading to lots of separate rooms, each with their own set of minipuzzles, to solve. At one point I arrived at one such room, and quiet, relaxing music played. The room was well lit, carved with some nice beautiful architecture, paintings, fancy windows, it was like a safe haven. And then I solved the puzzles. When I returned to my safe haven, strange organic pulsating pinkish blobs of flesh appeared. The lights went out. The paintings changed. The fountain no longer looked like a lady bathing, but like a lady being drowned and eaten alive by a little impy thing. I felt terrified. I felt violated. I felt sick. My safe haven was destroyed, my sense of security and trust breached. I wanted to STOP PLAYING THIS GAME. It was exhilarating and I loved it. The puzzles themselves are fun, not too easy, not too hard, and not too frustrating. Some of them are Fix-the-Machine-puzzles, some of them are Throw-a-human-limb-across-the-room-so-that-you-can-make-a break-for-the-door-and-try-to-escape-while-an-invisible-demon-chases-you puzzles, but they are all interesting. I only have a little bit of critisism and that is the sanity. I think my character is afraid of the dark, and rightly so, because based on the sound effects, when it is really dark a ghost sneaks up on me and crinkles Jolly Rancher wrappers in my ear. I just don't get that. Penumbra wasn't my favorite game, but at least I could still solve puzzles in the dark. I guess that is the reasoning behind it though. Penumbra just wasn't scary because I could turn up my brightness and kill the enemies. In Amnesia the enemies are unkillable and there is an actual incentive to not just play in the dark with brightness up super high. All of Amnesia's neat features turned it into what I can safely and easily call the scariest game I have ever played. All in all, Amnesia. Great game. Scary. You buy. You buy now. Unless baby. If baby do not buy.… Expand

Oh jeez.. Where do I start..
Okay, the sounds are amazing, the whole feeling of the game is amazingly scary. The storyline is interesting in my opinion..
But after I finished the water part, my conclusion of this game was:
"Who needs sleep?" *nervous laugh*

I didn't expect much out of this game as I am not a fan of the horror genre, but I was plesantly surprised by it. The ability to pick up and move a good amount of things in the environment was greatly executed. The slow pacing followed by sudden shrieks or lourd noises kept me on my toes throught the whole game. I just wish some of the puzzles were more well thought out. Some of them were very difficult while others were quite easy. I wish they had implemented the ablility to stack boxes or other items to reach other areas better. The story was quite interesting at first but it began to lose steam towards the end and i ended up kinda forgetting what was going on when i did reach the end. I also felt that the ending scene was unfulfilling as well, no matter which of the 3 different endings I received. Overall it was an enjoyable experience, those that are fans of the genre should definitely look into it. If you're looking for more action, then stay away.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm not a fan of horror games, that was until I played Amnesia; the dark descent; a FP survival horror which drops the dodgy combat from Penumbra and instead forces the player to hide or run. What puts me off most horror games is their reliance on excessive gore, which isn't really that scary once you become desensitised to it. Amnesia understands this and implements just about every aspect perfectly: you're defenceless, the graphics are appropriately grim and spooky, resources are limited and the main antagonists are never really clearly seen. Negatives; the story is an interesting tale of your character Daniel waking up with amnesia and discovering that he must descend into the depths of the castle to kill an individual named Alexander. All I will say is that the ending is somewhat lukewarm and Frictional still have a tendency to use long letters to tell back stories rather than implement them into the environment. Also, despite the length of six hours or so, Amnesia would have benefitted from being trimmed to about half that. But any criticisms I have are overshadowed by the sheer terror that Amnesia manages to achieve. If you are a horror fan or even just any other gamer who wants to experience something truly terrifying, then look no further than Amnesia.… Expand

I wanted to love this game but it ended up pretty average.

Possibly the best horror game I've ever played. The horror in this game is done in the best ways possible. The "sanity" feature in the game was something I loved, and it made the game even more scary and interesting. Mikko Tarmia did an excellent job with the music. The story is not the best, but it's still well thought out, and the same can be said about the 1800's setting and atmosphere. The only negative thing I have to say about this game is that the controls can feel awkward and slippery at times. Still, any horror game fan that would pass up a game like this would make the biggest mistake of their lives.… Expand

Have you ever imagined playing a game in which you are afraid to check what is beyond the next corner, behind the next door ? I have, and boy was I with mixed feelings while playing this game. Amnesia: The dark descent is a game in which you do not have your guns with which you can shoot monsters between the eyes, nor blades with which to cut them to shreds for trying to kill you ... nope. The dark atmosphere, blood spills from paintings, screams that you hear in the begining of the game that echo in your mind until you finally lose the courage to continue on and just Save+Quit is what you will expirience in this game. Darkness is all around, making you lose your sanity and the only thing that could probably help you out is a little candle or a oil lamp - that is what keeps you from losing your mind in the game - light ! I will not spoil the story and start telling what you will see and thus spoiling all the "fun" you will expirience. The only thing I can tell you is this - must buy for all horror fans ! And even if you ARE an extreme horror fan - do NOT get overconfident - this game will crush you if you take it lightly ... think I am joking ? Play it at night on a widescreen monitor with all the lights turned off, doors tightly shut, headphones strapped tightly to your ears and dare finish the game in one go ... I dare you ! The story and game is said to be 4-5 hours ... well it took me 5 times starting the game with 2 hours of game time ... I couldn't afford any more of it, else you can't sleep at all !

For those that are "graphics obsessed" I can say that the game may not be in CryEngine 2, but the atmosphere from the sounds and everything else will make you stop paying attention to how pretty that rocking chair in the room is and make you ask yourself non-stop "Oh my God, what is that behind the corner ?!?!?!?!?!"… Expand

This is my all time favorite game. I am always on the lookout for games that can elicit a real emotion. This game does just that. Its atmosphere and immersion set you up for incredible scares. It turned out to be the game that has inspired the most emotion of any in me.

That's not to say that it's perfect. Its graphics clearly show that it is an indie game. Beyond that the ending is disappointing and there are sci-fi elements that detract from the story. Regardless it's one of the greatest games in terms of emotion and immersion.… Expand

New, refreshing, and scream-inducing. Buy this game the day before Halloween in your college dorm, grab many snacks, and prepare to keep everyone else in your building awake at night. I'm not going to explain the game since that would take away from it. Just try it. Trust me. Best played with friends in the dark at night.

This game is the most intense game I have ever played! the atmosphere is terrifying. Also the game shows originality and very unique, most horror video games gives you an option to fight back and defend yourself. And Amnesia is a different type of game play that actually requires stealth and hiding. A nice storytelling makes a good game. -the-epikninja

This game is just perfect. Whoever doesn't like it is an action game fan whore.

This is one of the best games Ive seen, ever. This is undoubtedly the scariest game i think ever created. Me and my friends often find people to play this game, and we all gather round to watch them crap themselves with fear.

This game is extremly intense and very gratifyting if you liked Frictinals earlier games (the Penumra series).
I just love this game so far.

The usage of tension, sounds, disorientation effects which kicks in (like "Eternal Darkness", Gamecube) when the sanity is going through the roof and the feeling of, almost constantly, fleeing from horrific enemies your charachter is too scared to look at, which sets an excellent feeling of being helplessly vulnerable.

Trust me, it's worth every penny.… Expand

This game... No... EXPERIENCE is the most frighting time I have ever had playing any videogame (no, this is an EXPERIENCE!)! Other games do rely on the player acting violently against enemies, but that only gives me a few jumps out of my skin, and I can kill them: that's all. But, this--this gives you the shivers throughout the time, wondering what the BLOODY heck I am going to do NEXT... It is frightening--to call it scary is an insult. I believe this going to be AT LEAST as successful as another great indie EXPERIENCE--Minecraft! Oh, and if you are on for seizures, or just don't like being scared or shivering your nuts out to the bone: this is NOT for you.

I am EXTREMELY impressed with this EXPERIENCE. This deserves a 9.5/10 from me! You can also find this review at http://s-me.weebly.com/amnesia-the-dark-descent.html!… Expand

I hate this game... but in a good way. I hate playing it because it scares me. I've not played a game like this in ages... in-fact I don't remember ever playing a game like this. It is truly amazing. When I walk home in the dark it causes me great paranoia!

If you're afraid of the dark... I highly recommend not playing this! Scratch that... I recommend you getting over your fear, playing this, then releasing your fear didn't leave you!… Expand

Wait until nightfall. Sit down at your computer, put your headphones on, turn on Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and get ready to poop your pants. I have never played a game scarier than this. Penumbra: Black Plague was terrifying, but Amnesia: The Dark Descent is deliciously repulsive, horrifying, and mystifying. I highly recommend this game to anyone who wants to stay awake until dawn.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Warning, if you haven't played yet, you probably don't want to read too many reviews or any and not mine.

First of all, turned off the lights, put on headphones, hope ended there...

The good: The game had a decent atmosphere and graphics as well as minor puzzle solving. The in game playing and use was easy to handle. Not a lot of glitches, didn't have to restart due to any odd issues. The bad: I was never once "terrified" or even a bit shaken up by this game and still sit back scratching my head as to the horrified reviews, especially the screamer reactions on Youtube. I suggest for those who are scared of this game, don't watch Scooby Doo, you will also be terrified.

There are decent puzzles, most of it was spent on useless object moving. Madness? Only after tossing 5000 books off shelves that had nothing behind them, that in fact, was maddening. Most solving was meager at best and child's play to figure out.

Scary? Disturbing would be more the word. The only thing completely scary was having to look at another man's genitalia of a tortured body. The creatures, zombies? that lurk in the dark, give plenty of warning they are there, so they may slash and kill you which is easy enough to avoid. The water creature? Yes, there is nothing more terrifying than a splash chasing you I guess.

There could easily have been more puzzles to solve, the game became extremely repetitive. There were a few instances of building, putting together objects, etc... but not nearly what could have been. Why give 10 candles to light in one area? Why not just one or two for what is needed? I started over simply due to wasting tinderboxes where they weren't needed. One hint I would give to players, save the tinder boxes don't waste them lighting everything in sight, only what's needed.

The over abundance of notes and entries were for what? The story line was very weak, and maybe would have made more sense to me if pulling out my fingernails wasn't more interesting than the read. What happened to some of these people? I have no clue, they disappeared along with the plot.

The ending was the easiest and most disappointing aspect of the whole game, waiting for that big finish only to find it was over in less than 20 seconds.

Conclusion: All in all, a good game to play once. I can't understand all the +10 ratings or the screamer reactions on Youtube but again, decent enough to have some fun.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Incredible. My words will probably do it no justice, but I will try.

When I first purchased this game, I found it hard to believe there was so much hype about the terror this game evokes, but almost instantly I found myself scared of every little noise. It just got scarier and scarier, but the creativity in the horror of this game lies in the fact that they never stoop down to the cheap "pop-up" scares. They build up suspense, and have a payoff of absolutely emotionally draining pixel terror. It was by far the most difficult game I've ever played, and I really appreciated the fact that there were no save reverts - everything you did was permanent, including (SPOILER) the end when I forgot to save Agrippa and didn't get the extra-good ending. I first got the **** ending, where the bad guy wins and there is no resolution to the saga of Daniel, but when I tried again I got the ending I was looking for - I killed that bastard Alexander, even though he and I were both similar in the fact that we were victims of circumstance acting as agents for a greater evil. There was so much depth in the little plot details they gave you, including the moral ambiguity. And the puzzles - the puzzles were **** hard, and it took me a total of about 12 hours to finish the game, and I only looked up the solution to a single part - the prison - which was a **** maze and I don't consider that to be part of the difficulty.

In the age of tired-out sequels and rehashing the same formula of first person shooters, this game is only contested by Skyrim in my 2011 GOTY.

But definitely the GOTCentury for the feature of dozens of uncircumcised naked men. God, if the modern day gaming industries is lacking one thing these days, it's dicks, and natural ones.… Expand

Its been a long time since I've played a true survival horror game. This is not only an immersing and incredibly scary game, its a fun and addicting game to play. I found myself pausing the game and sitting there waiting for my heart beat to slowdown! The physics in the game is great you can interact with almost everything making you feel like your part of the world. There is a lot of thinking like when to use your lantern, when to use a tenderbox on a candle or torch. The story and editor are also awesome, with custom stories and mods this is an amazing game that may never end!… Expand

Finally! A survival horror game - that is a survival horror game! Well done gaming industry as a whole! Was it really that difficult? Anyway, enough of this obnoxiousness. I thoroughly enjoyed Amnesia despite it's clunky controls. Genuinely terrifying with a very well told story that requires player exploration instead of intense cut-scene overkill. The removal of combat that was present in the Penumbra series (also made by Frictional) really helps keep the pace and prevents frustrating mouse swinging angst. You survive by running and hiding. The shadows are as much your friends as they are your enemies adding an element of risk to all of your actions. To a certain extent it has the same appeal as a well thought out point-and-click adventure with simplistic gameplay that allows you to get absorbed by the terrifically dark atmosphere instead of having you scrolling through inventory lists and entering attack combos. This game won't be for everyone, and many people will simply be bored by the lack of action and direct story telling. But I don't think this game was ever trying to grab a mainstream audience and all its appeal is rather quite niche. But nonetheless, it is a game that most should at least visit, for it truly is a welcome sleeper indie hit for us horror fans. This game is best played in a dark room with a decent headset. In fact I refuse to play this game during the day! It's also a good idea to have your face pressed up to the screen so you sh*t yourself quicker. True story.… Expand

Amnesia, what's not to say about the game... It has incredible, immersing gameplay that leaves you feeling shaken to the core for hours, even after you stop playing. The game was so frightening, yet so gripping that you can't help coming back for more. Amnesia is so psychologically testing, that it has effected my personality; I have developed paranoia, I lock the doors twice at night for precaution, the slightest thud makes me jump, I fear being alone for more than 3 hours and I have changed from my night shift at work. The game is in fact, too frightening, and too mentally trying, that is why I must give it an 8/10. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm returning to my corner to cower in fear.… Expand

While I feel it doesn't live up to the hype of Penumbra, it is still a great game. It may not be very scary, but it does give you a rush of adrenaline when you need to evade enemies. The puzzles are pretty original and symbolic, and you get a good feel for Daniel's psychosis, even though he never speaks when you are playing as him. The very beginning areas of the game, to me, were pretty boring. It kept me from playing the game for a few months (I forgot that I owned it for a while), but I eventually began to enjoy it. This game has become the popular "scariest game in the world" on Youtube, and you it's almost impossible to find a Partner who hasn't done a Let's Play of it (while also slapping a video of his face over the gameplay so you can see him pretend to be terrified). I think you'll enjoy it, but please, don't ham it up and pretend this game made you cry for your mommy. So in conclusion, I think this game is worth checking out, but more for the puzzles, and not for the scares.At its core, it is fun, and that's what matters. I recommend the Penumbra games if you want more. And I do mean a whole lot more.… Expand

After years of action-horror games, we finally get a proper survival horror game! This is the perfect horror game by me: no weapons, monsters to avoid, creepy scenery, constant darkness, horrific sound. Everything is perfectly set in order to scare the HELL outta you, and horror fans will enjoy....but what's wrong instead? To be honest, one of the fewest issues I had in this game were the mental state, mainly because you can't hide in the darkness for too long or you'll go crazy: in a game where you must hide, hiding is actually hurting you? Annoying, but I guess it's one way to scare you more, but still I found it bothersome. And of course, the light sources: you'll constantly have to carefully use your light sources, or you'll have a hard time in the game later: very bothersome. Maybe one issue is also when you die, the game loses a bit of its touch: yes it's scary, but suddenly you don't feel that much fear anymore: not a proper flaw, more like an annoying thing. Honestly that's mostly it: the biggest flaws could be for those who actually don't like this kind of horror games, meaning that this game is based on slow moments, on being carefull, on actually try to mentally focused and go on; those who just love to defend themselves somehow or who actualy can't stand slow paced games, this game is probably not for you. For the rest, this is how a REAL horror game should be made, and I CAN'T wait for another game like this.… Expand

My Review (WARNING! Some adult language exists within this review)

In two words, it sucks. I have to admit I was scared...for the first 1 hour of playing. After that, I was like "Yeah, yeah....wind blowing, creaky noise...I'm scared. Come and get me already!" The environment would have been much scarier if they hadn't thrown in the creaks, the moans, the things-that-give-me-hibbie-jibbies every 10 seconds or so. I found myself jumping at nothing...other than jumping awake after realizing I had dozed off. This game is boring. *Find the key to the Wine Cellar*: Whatever you do, don't give me a hint on where it might be..other than "...in the castle". Please, make me pull EVERY effing book off of every effing shelf just so I can become desensitized to the scary environment because I've seen, listened, hell, even TASTED it over and over and over again (okay...I admit...I hadn't tasted any of the environment).

Some may like this game, though. It seems to have those god-awful puzzles that some have always seemed to like. Me? I gave that **** up when I hit 25 years old. I want a game that is spooky, has a few puzzles, and gives me the chance to actually HIT something periodically. In this little gem, you run like a scared sissy from anything...even the **** dark. That's right...I said the DARK. If you remain in the dark for an extended period of time, you go...get this...INSANE. Not hysterical. Not just a little scared. Insane. Want to know how to stave off that little ounce of craziness? Look no further than...you guessed it...the LIGHT. Which is awesome, because they give you a lantern...that you have to find oil for...which is INSANELY (see what I did there? :P) few and far between...and, the oil is the fastest burning **** since human hair. I filled my lantern up and got about 5-6mins of actual light. I would have to be under contract with BP just to keep this **** burning.

So, if you enjoy running around in a spooky castle, avoiding anything that would make a 16-year-old school girl jump, then get this game.
Or, if you really enjoy taking aspirin. A LOT of aspirin, as this sonava**** gave me an Excedrin Headache +12.

Final Score:

1.5 Lit Lanterns out of 5.0 (See what I did there? :P)



P.S. I'm not bitter.… Expand

This game is #6 on my top ten favourite games of all-time. In Amnesia: The Dark Descent, you play as Daniel witch if you haven't figured out yet, has amnesia. This game game is CRAZY on scares. The thing that made me jump the most, was in the Storage room and I don't want to spoil it. The monsters? Don't even get me started on those, the first time you play, they are scariest things ever, but once you play it a few times, it gets less scary. The graphics could be improved and there are some bugs that I have found, but overall, great game.… Expand

With over 200.000 units sold up to date, Amnesia: The Dark Descent is one of the indie top sellers of 2010. This game made me feel terrified like no other, especially for the atmosphere and the fear to the unknown that i had to stop playing it for a while, just like Penumbra. The feeling that you are totally helpless an unarmed, make this for an intense survival experience. If you love survival horror games + psychological terror like Penumbra, well this game is for you, my friend.
If there is something i'm sure, Frictional Games knows how to scare the s*** out of us.
Get this game, it's well worth every cent!!!… Expand

There's nothing more scarier than your mind playing tricks on you. Here in Amnesia you expect the worse to happen, but a low rate. Examples being that these creatures somehow could and will mess with you through out the whole game. Amnesia is a game where the possible becomes the horrifyingly impossible as you journey through darkest places battling your own sanity for light. The graphics are well devoleped considering that the eriee feelings of darkness and pop-outs really set the mood. And of course lets not forget the monster designs that look specifily spectacular. (No Spoilers Will Be Added On What They Look Like!!!) The sounds, if playing with a turtlebeach headset, will sound more than realistic as the screams and cries make you turn your back in the darkness to look for someone behind you. You won't have to worry about staying awake, as you grow deeper into the game, you'll never want to sleep again fearing your own sanity. (God, I felt like I went into that WAY too much.) The gameplay is rather incredible considering the puzzles you'll rough over, the stradegy of hiding behind certain objects for your own life, and compelling story that just craves for an ending all things considered. This grame reaches not only the gameplay but will even reach your mind as your trying not to scream or cry at the levels and monsters you run from. If you ever need to keep yourself awake, need a good scare to put on for your friends, or playing it just for the thinking you have to get this. You'll love it... if youre not in fetal position in a corner of your bedroom.… Expand

Not a fan of puzzle game usually, I really got into it, especially thanks to the survival-horror side of the game. If you playing it like it's meant to be (alone, in the dark, headphone), it is a scariest game ever. The audio is amazing, graphics are decent enough for a full immersion. I liked the fact that you are scared at all time during the game, you are really under pressure, where in games like dead space, it's just punctual fear which is going to make you jump out of your chair (which I think is the easy solution in scary entertainment). A must have if you like horror games.… Expand

8.6 + Incredible atmosphere made alive by first rate sound design + Logical, interesting puzzles + Castle Brennenburg is an interesting place to explore + Genuine feeling of loneliness, terror and helplessness - Some AI inconsistencies can make the monsters become annoyances more than threats - Compatibility problems in Windows 7 with some sound cards - Unimpressive ending - Overabundance of lighting resources removes some of the challenge… Expand

This is the scariest game i have ever played, the atmosphere is really giving me a heart attack. If you are looking for a game that will scare you to death and immerse you in a great atmospheric story this is it. The bad things about the game is that after a few hours you have seen most of the tricks and dont get so scared anymore but that didnt stop me from enjoying the amazingly designed game. The art is simply amazing and you really feel you are Danel the main character… Expand

Amazing game. Since original Silent Hill I was scared very match. Great atmosphere, great logical puzzles, great story. But atmosphere disappears near the end, this is sad.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is the perfect example of atmosphere in a game being able to make you $&^% your pants. Now if you know of this game already I'm sure I don't have to explain the laxative qualities of Amnesia but for those who do not know allow me to elaborate.
The game play of Amnesia :TDD is quite simple when it comes down to it. You play the game from a first-person perspective, navigating the game realm in search of items, and tools to make it past the next area. To do this there are a variety of puzzles that one must solve, either being a simple "push this button" action or somewhat more complex physics based puzzles. Most of these puzzles are actually quite difficult to figure out, as I myself was forced to look up the solution multiple times. While the physics are not the best in the world, they're exponentially higher then most other Indie games, besides the odd game such as LIMBO. Now a first-person perspective puzzler isn't exactly riveting, and exciting, being a survival horror game, there are monsters. Unlike many of modern games set in a horror genre, Amnesia:TDD is different in that most horror genre games have situations where either on of two things occur: the player sees a monster jump out, it screams "BOO!" and the player turns it to shredded gore with a multitude of heavy weaponry (a.k.a. Doom 3 or similar titles) or the player sees a monster jump out, it does a quick dance to get the camera's attention, the player kills it, and moves on through more brightly lit rooms filled with more monsters fighting for the camera (a.k.a. Dead Space or similar titles). Amnesia pulls off a rarely well done method similar to Silent Hill 2, where as your walking around, the intense atmosphere, and ambience noise make you perceive a monster is nearly when it could be nothing, a harmless kitty, or indeed a monster. While the hardest to pull off it is also the most successful because it forces the player to fill in the blanks for themselves. And if Frictional Games was only making me hate my life even more, you cannot harm, wound, or kill any of the enemies. You are weapon less, and your only chance at survival is to run, and hide from the monsters, and hope you don't run into them again. If that wasn't enough you are given an insanity meter, which depletes by looking at enemies, witnessing horrifying situations, and by just being in the dark making it difficult to hide from monsters when there's the chance of losing, because you've gone absolutely bonkers!
The graphics of Amnesia:TDD are on par with most other modern day games, but I found one downside with this. For some reason my PC made for gaming had difficulties running the game, so in order to play it, I had to borrow a friend's PC. It may just be me, but it seems that the game is very demanding of a PC, which is also a gripe I have with PC gaming, but I digress, the graphics of the game, lighting, shadowing and the all too familiar insanity effects are beautiful. The sound of the game is absolutely necessary to making an atmospheric game, and Amnesia pulls it off brilliantly. The character, while never actually speaking, makes noises out of fear such as a gasp, but it is only by watching un-commentated videos that I was able to hear those noises as all too often these gasps, and moans were under-exaggerations of my screams of terror and fear. The ambient noise of the game is ominous, which serves to make the player feel truly alone in the game world, and any voice acting heard through diary entries are solid, and convincing.
Overall, Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a great survival horror game, with a strong atmosphere, and sound the likes of few games. The game is so engrossing, and immersing that you will frequently find yourself screaming at your monitors when monsters appear, and tucking your head in when navigating the dark corridors. An excellent game, and my only gripe is I wish the game would be ported to consoles as I myself hate my computer, as well as I prefer the simplicity of a controller as opposed to keyboard, and mouse. Being fair however, I can't negate points for that as that is an opinion, not fact about the game. A great story, engrossing atmosphere, and game play, and a Price tag of $20 on Steam make for a great experience. A well deserved 8. Can't wait to see what Frictional Games does next!… Expand

After I had finished Amnesia: The Dark Descent, I felt I could wear my victory as a badge of honor and experience against any and all horrors the video games industry could throw at me. For nothing could possibly compare to the masterpiece created by Norden and Frictional Games.

These folks have fear down to a science. Suspense that makes you remind yourself (hopelessly) that it's just a game, scenery that's to die for, music expertly integrated into your nervous system, sounds that quickly match your heart rate, a story I can't believe didn't come out of a novel, and seamless game play between fleeing horrors your friends won't understand and Valve-worthy physics puzzles.

The only hurtle for me was that this game did not immunize me to horror, but had by all means destroyed me. Thank you Frictional Games. Indie delivers again.

It's a shame Amnesia was not made by Russians, because you don't beat this game. It beats you.… Expand

First of all, I want to say I'm an extreme horror buff. Between movies and games, I can't get enough. This game was definitely one of the scariest things I've ever had the chance to witness in my entire life and I loved it. Now that probably makes me a little bias for this game but I don't really care at this point. The biggest thing this game has going for it is the atmosphere. Frankly I've yet to see anything come close to the kind of atmosphere this generates throughout most of the game (the beginning is a bit boring but once you get past that it gets really good). You will be freaked out immensely by playing this game and that's the best part. Yea there are some things that this game doesn't do well, including a lack of conveyance on where you need to go at times and what you need to do, but it's easily something you can get over if you are REALLY into scary things. And take it from someone who's seen tons of scary movies and games over the years: this will freak you and anyone else you know out so much you might not sleep for days afterward. Buy it and you won't regret it (or you will after you play it for awhile....but that's the best part :))… Expand

Imagine a game where you are stuck in an evil castle-type place, and not have any weapons!! Just the thought of it gives me goosebumps. I think because you genuinely fear for your mortality, it makes it all the more immersive. You can literally only place this game alone, at night, with your headphones on loud and no lights on. Otherwise, you might just get a tad confused, lost or bored ... I couldn't complete the game without having to check various online sources for solutions to a few puzzles, so that's not good. But because it isn't an expensive game, and it looks and feels so damn scary, I have to give this game an 8. Hope the people that made this game get out there and do another one, but bigger and bolder!… Expand

Very scary. The most tense and unpleasant (in a good way!) atmosphere of any game I've ever played. It's not perfect - the story tries to be mysterious but instead feels muddled (and the ending is massively disappointing), the puzzles are quite arbitrary and "computer-gamey" (I need some rope. Why do I need a particular special piece of rope which is miles away? Why not one of the bits I can see hanging on the wall right in front of me?), and the scares really drop off towards the end because the writers make the mistake of being too explicit and going down the ultra-gore route rather than leaving it all to our imagination. BUT... the prison level makes up for it all. I played it in the middle of the night when I was on my own in a big, old house in the middle of nowhere, and it was one of the best gaming experiences of my life. If you like horror games, you must, must play this.… Expand

This game is one of those classic games that will forever be remembered (and in this case feared). This game was very well designed and looks really nice on full graphics, which is actually recommended for this type of game, where it heavily relies on the atmosphere. In the game, you don't get any weapons at all. And in fact you can't kill anything, and that isn't the point of the game at all. What the designers where trying to get across was the feeling of helplessness, and that's exactly what the game does. Every single time you see a monster, or hear a growling in the darkness, you hide, and hope he doesn't find you, because if he does, you are dead. This game is very scary, and very hard. Although you may not die a lot, you will be puzzled at the events occurring as the plot slowly unfolds and you discover many areas and secrets that lay within the castle you've awoken in. In short, the story is amazing. Atmosphere is a huge part of the game, and it perfects it with the darkness. If you look at a monster too long, you start to lose sanity. The more you lose sanity, the more frequently monsters start showing up. The longer you stay in the darkness, the lower your sanity gets. And by doing this, the game encourages you to go toward light, and stay near the light, until the sanity aspect is forgotten, and it becomes a habit, and definitely enhances the game play. The only flaws in the game is that sometimes it's actually TOO dark, and it makes it impossible to see, even with a lantern. Overall though, this game is really, really fun, and is definitely worth the money put into it. If you wanna see what the game is like, I'm doing an LP of it right now @ http://www.youtube.com/TheMindSpaz : I'm not asking for a sub or anything like that, just trying to give an example of what it's like.… Expand

Each game has its own purpose. Some are to have an exciting and skilled FPS experience, some are micromanaging games where you build up an empire, and some games succeed at these goals to certain extents. Amnesia: The Dark Decent was made to redefine terror, and immerse yourself in such a dark and horrid nightmare and it does just that with utmost perfection. The horror and paranoia i felt while playing this game was just so intense, it FEELS like you are there and being in a moment of life/death in this game was such a terrifying thrill ride. Honestly, this is one of the very, very, very few games out there that truly deserves a 10/10… Expand

This game is not as great as everyone says. It's not scary or "immersive". People love to throw that word around, but the thing is, you can "immerse" yourself in ANY game - The question is why did you choose to do it with Amnesia, as opposed to any of the other games in the world? And honestly, I couldn't tell you. You spend a large portion of the game walking around in an open room, nothing to fight, nothing significant to do. When you first encounter an enemy, you can't fight it. Your character is apparently afraid of them, so I guess you have to be too, even though they're not actually scary. And I mean what's the worst thing that can happen? You would die and have to reload the game? That is the worst possible case scenario. It's not like something is going to come out of the screen and torture you if you do badly or something. I know I'm mostly talking about the philosophy behind the game, and not the gameplay itself, but that's because there's really not much to talk about as far as gameplay. You just walk around doing insignificant little things, like finding matches so that you can light torches, so that you don't have to watch the annoying screen effects when your character starts to go crazy because of the darkness. This game simply has no appeal to me. If you aren't into horror related games, don't buy in to the hype. It's just a very generic, typical horror game. Nothing more, nothing less.… Expand

Without a doubt the best and most beautifully done gaming experience out there. The scares are genuine, and the horror is real. This game is, in essence, a fear simulator. You know those train simulators? This is pretty much a fear simulator, only a captivating story was built around it. I enjoyed this game more than any other game I have played. It's super cheap, it goes on sale a lot on Steam (I got it for $4), and I'd say that it's worth far more than that. This is the easiest ten I will ever give.… Expand

There are many reasons why this game COULD suck. The controls aren't always practical, some parts of the game just feel like empty space, etc etc. But ALL complaints manage to be overruled by a single thing: the Atmosphere. If there's one thing this game has done that NO Horror Movie, NO Horror Video Game, and NO horror Book has ever done, is to ACTUALLY SCARE ME. The use of environments and music in this game make you feel like you're back to being a 5 year old in a dark basement. Some environments keep changing minimally whenever you reenter them, but just enough to throw your brain off and make you think ''oh **** something's odd''.
Monsters in this game are sparse. But that's actually a good thing, because this way I've been in many situations where I just snuck around like a boss for an hour, never getting caught, thought to myself ''oh hey there's probably no monster here'' and getting overconfident and run around just to find a monster around the next corner that just completely throws you off.
But beware: This game is only interesting due to the Tension it creates inside you. If you play it during the day you won't be scared at all, and you'll just find the game boring. Playing it over Skype or with friends works fine, as long as your room is dark.… Expand

There is no reason to hate this game, unless you hate scary things. This game is definition of scary. The atmosphere and everything. The fact you cannot kill the monsters and you have to run for your life. But you cannot experience the game entirely unless you follow it's instructions; dark room and surround-sound headphones. There's only one thing this game is missing and it's 3D. Too bad 3D doesn't work for OpenGL games.… Expand

If you like to do puzzles and like to wet you pants this game is for you .
Fantastic game just incredible i never knew being terrified would be so fun its a must buy grfxs work well its dark and terrifying
performance seems to fun easy maxed out no problems at all

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a terrifying experiece you wouldnt forget soon.............First of all i am here to confess that i was unable to complete the game(it was scary as hell)or you could say that i lacked the courage to complete it.From the first go you are straight into action with daniel awakening into the castle and ofcourse having amnesia....you cant fight the enemy there is no way you can.You need to escape them using ur wits(the most horrific and terrifying moments believe me).Stay in light or youll be seen stay in dark for two long you risk Daniel's sanity......Welcome to your undead nightmare since you are going to play one of the most scariest game of all times… Expand

For the first half, a nicely atmospheric horror adventure. It kind of lands somewhere between Penumbra 1 and 2, gameplay wise, keeping to the same style but bringing back some of the real danger and stealth elements that were (sadly, I think) toned down for the sequel. Still, most of your time is spent crawling through the dark, keeping track of your tinderboxes and lantern oil and looking for ways to progress deeper into the castle.

Around the halfway point, however, the game somewhat falls apart at the seams. The second half feels a lot more low-key compared to what came before it, and sadly fails to live up to the truly nerve-shattering set piece moments of the first. The whole experience loses some of its very compelling sense of dread and mystery as you go on, especially as it often fails to throw any real surprises at you.

Amnesia loses even more of its luster if/when you figure out its one big trick for keeping you on your toes - for me, this coincided with getting into the latter half of the game. Suffice it to say that it made the formerly exciting and horrifying monster encounters less so, though even then it managed to sneak a few satisfying scares right in my face.

In the end, it's worth playing through if you're at all interested in the type of games Frictional makes. Still, the first half seemed to promise so much more, and if only it had lived up to itself Amnesia would have been an exceptional game rather than a good, interesting but flawed one.… Expand