Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Reminds us how interactivity, perspective, and player disempowerment can be highly engaging, and that a slow creep of fear with abrupt spikes of terror is ultimately the essence of the horror experience.

In any case, Amnesia: The Dark Descent is an unforgettable survival/horror experience, one that should not be missed.

The sense of dread washing over you as you crouch in a corner in almost total darkness with your vision swimming, heart pounding and breath comes in short gasps as a humanoid creature with flayed skin instead of a jaw stands just metres away from you is more intense than any other video game has managed and if you even marginally enjoy the horror genre you owe it to yourself to pick it up.

If Resident Evil is Aliens, Amnesia is Alien. Frictional Games has created something wholly unlike the traditional horror game. Amnesia shows us by example that gaming has entirely new realms to explore. The price of admission is only $20 through your digital retailer of choice. Do the right thing.

Frictional made an interactive adventure that always pushes you to descend deeper and deeper towards the heart of evil, balancing the exploration of your own mind towards the point of maximum dementia with the exploration of a castle perhaps older than we are initially led to believe...

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is the Exorcist of horror games, it will scare you and make you not real thrilled to go to sleep.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is the scariest game in years. You'll get an extremely creepy vibe from the castle and all of the mysterious things that are happening there. The voice overs and the ending of the game aren't great, but this shouldn't bother anyone seeing how you'll be extremely scared when you play this on your own in a dark room.

At times it's a struggle to play purely because of how scary it can be, and it's not often you can say that about a video game. Just remember: lights off, headphones on, and try not to go insane.

It's a welcome, cold splash of terror that anyone with a pulse should try out.

This isn't a game, it's a trip into the human psyche's darker spaces. Not for the faint of heart, but horror junkies will lap it up. [Issue#246, p.107]

If you're the kind of person who enjoys the rush of simulated terror, follow the developer's advice: wait until sundown, put on some headphones, and start up Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Pick it up, but you should know that you might be so scared that you'll have to put it down.

The point of the matter is: we like this game.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a triumph, not only in the genre of horror games, but also in the field of interactive story telling.

Amnesia is the scariest survival horror in the history of video games. No other game gives you that real feel of fear and anxiety. Enter your nightmares if you dare. [Issue#196]

A few niggling gameplay elements can't keep Amnesia from succeeding in what it set out to do – offering players a true survival horror experience. If you're looking for a different horror game, Amnesia is for you. Just don't sleep with your lights off afterwards.

A remarkable experience.

If you're going to play Amnesia: The Dark Descent in the evening, with the lights out and headphones on, make sure the house is empty. Should someone come up behind and tap you on the shoulder it could be game over. You've been warned.

A solid experience for both the horror and adventure genres – but worth taking for a spin no matter what type of gamer you are.

Rich in atmosphere and big on scares, Amnesia: The Dark Descent goes where survival-horror fears to tread.

Amnesia is your worst nightmare that possessed a videogame. Terrifying, thrilling and innovative. It was a very long time but finally we can literally play a survival horror.

This is one of the scariest games in recent memory.

An excellent narration and a first-rate horror atmosphere, in association with a great value for money, live down little bugs and a translation not so accurate. Probably one of the best independent games of 2010.

Amnesia just might drive you insane, but in a very good way since this is one of the scariest horror games you're ever going to play.

This is one of the best horror games in years, and we will follow the future of Frictional Games very closely.

Amnesia offers an experience so rich that we're willing to forgive its weak ending, imperfections of the engine, and low-bugdet production values.

Amnesia is a little gem you don't want to miss. Unless you are too scared.

The game excels at involving the player in the unsettling narrative and remaining unrelenting at making you fearful of every single step taken throughout the decrepit castle.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a different kind of game, a really engaging one that you undoubtedly will play to the end. It's also by far the scariest game of 2010, regardless of format.

Amnesia's macabre sensibilities and slow pacing may not be for everyone, but horror fans looking for a truly frightening experience should turn off the lights, plug in some headphones and settle in.

The best horror game of this generation and one of the few courageous enough to try new ideas and make the player a victim, not a saviour.

The most terrifying survival horror game released in years. Buy it. What's the matter, too scared? [Dec 2010, p.58]

If you are looking towards a horror game without action and only the atmosphere in mind, this is an obvious choice. The ending leaves room for improvement and there could be more types of enemies, but the game as a whole is impressive.

Fear, terror, panic: these all are the feelings you'll have to face if you'll decide to play with Amnesia. The latest game from Frictional Games is probably the best one, with its excellent mixture of adventure, FPS and survival horror. Good luck with your nightmares!

We usually just play video games. With Amnesia, we play at scaring ourselves. You need to build some kind of relationship with this game, and let yourself be drawn in. If everything goes well (or rather, badly), you will really scare yourself shitless, and ask for more. Amnesia costs only 15 euros. There's a demo you can try for free ; if you're not afraid at all after playing it, then maybe it's not for you - but it's easy to try, and would be a shame to miss such an adventure.

A very scary and very effective horror game, that is guaranteed to give you chills and literally left us short of breath. Average story and voice acting and other small annoyances keep it from getting top marks, but we'll still recommend it heartily to all horror fans. Especially at the cheap price point.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent sublimates the gameplay made by Frictional Games in the Penumbra saga […] Sure we know a few ways way less interesting to spend 15 bucks.

It's a brave experiment in the genre, a more solid package than the Penumbra games and stops at nothing to make you truly, deeply uncomfortable.

This might very well be the scariest game I've played in over 20 years as a gamer, and I dread the thought of all the nightmare-fodder I've given myself by playing it.

When a horror story is told and paced this well you really don't need the bloody edge of graphics technology to keep you pinned to the edge of your seat. [Issue#101, p.110]

Amnesia isn't always the smoothest experience, but it is never dull.

Amnesia is a very difficult game to sum up. The best way to describe it is the slow, spooky, chilling, atmospheric train ride to Hell rather than the insane, kill all monsters action game concept usually associated with the Land of the Dead.