Some players may find this lack of challenge disheartening, yet the lower number of deaths and the inability to distinguish a fake versus a real threat keeps the illusion intact. Aside from a water-monster, a Shadow Chase and one encounter with an Infected, most threats you face do not need to be overcome at all. This aspect does not ruin the experience because it is explained in the lore, yet it often is used to scare the player into a corner or to heighten the tension for a set piece. It may be surprising to learn 75-80% of encounters can be avoided simply by waiting for enemies to vanish. While the puzzles become more engaging, the number of forced encounters makes a game devoid of anything other than immersion. This attitude is present throughout the game even though players have more mechanics to use and many more threats to be afraid.

Unless you know from hearsay or you have experienced the game yourself, there are plenty of tricks to never make the player feel alone in the darkness. Many would-be horror games fail in their execution to imitate Frictional Games by simply recreating situations of sensory deprivation without manipulating the player. Even with the puzzles, the generous resource-management and the вЂњhiding/runningвЂќ mechanics, Amnesia is a game without much breadth compared to the depth behind its experience.ДЇor starters, the initial hours never rely on enemies to make the player afraid instead, the usage of background noise and the usage of the darkness/sanity-meter creates the illusion of being pursued. While some may continue to use the term вЂњwalking simulatorвЂќ as a derogatory, Amnesia perhaps vindicates the idea. On the contrary, Amnesia embodies how horror should be treated as it instills dreading anticipation rather than moments to be feared. This statement does not discredit Amnesia as an effective horror game. When you strip away all the smokes and mirrors, it becomes obvious how often the player is responsible behind scaring themselves rather than what is truly happening. Had I realized how Amnesia has less to do with survival horror and more to do with walking-sims the illusion would not have become self-inflicting. This anecdote does not describe how terrifying Amnesia is as a game, rather how effective it taps into the fears of the unknown, manвЂ™s own worst creation. Whether it was a whim of fate or a crazy idea to understand the appeal of horror on ValentineвЂ™s Day, it has taken me six years to finish Amensia, and yet it only took one night against my nerves to overcome it.

Amnesia the dark descent explained