Amnesia: The Dark Descent - Completion

You're Entirely Bonkers. But I'll Tell You A Secret. All The Best People Are

I'll admit, I'm actually kinda bummed that I'm finished with Amnesia, because, my reluctance aside, it was an incredible game. I'm interested to see how A Machine For Pigs (the sequel) turns out, knowing that the Servants and insanity won't be coming back for gameplay purposes. But, that isn't out yet and I've four hours of Amnesia to write about here, so, let's get to it.

And I did, every time

A main sticking point I wanted to walk about was death (cheery subject, I know). I'm kinda bummed Amnesia didn't have more of a punishment for death. In fact, there were times I let myself die in order to come back, mere feet away, with more health and less insane, and still not losing any progress in the area I was in. I can get why Frictional Games did it, they wanted the experience to not be frustrating for players because the main focus is the tension, and that can be ruined if you're constantly pissed off at the game, but the fact that I was left rewarded by death on the odd occasion seems a bit silly.

About two thirds of the way through the game, I finally encountered another human, or rather, one that was actually alive. Agrippa acted as a guide for the last third of the game, but moreover, he acted as one massive exposition device! A tad jarring, considering the game had done so well before providing story in a very natural way to the player. However, even seeing another human alive gave me some sense of relief, which was pretty weird, but it made me feel like I wasn't alone in this traumatic experience. However, all good things come to an end...Sorry Agrippa.

I'm a fucking monster

I knew about the multiple endings before I got to the ending of the game, but I had no idea how each one was actually put into place. So, I went in blind, and in the end, my merciless slaughtering of Agrippa could've been avoided because I didn't even go for that ending, which made me feel like more of a dick. Instead, I made Daniel do what I would've done in that situation: revenge. I murdered Alexander and cleared Daniel's conscience, and I strode out of that crumbling castle like a badass...after murdering a naked, old man.

I wonder if Daniel was naked the entire time too

Above all, and despite the minor gripes I pointed out here, Amnesia will probably be an experience that sticks with me for a long time (ironic, considering the name). Between the tension, the pure fear instilled in me at times, and the sense of accomplishment I had at times when finished the smallest of tasks, The Dark Descent is a true masterclass in how to create atmosphere in a video game. It's up there with Resident Evil (the original) and Bioshock in terms of making you invested in the world and the stories and basically feel like you are in that world.

And in the end, all I have to say is Amnesia is simply one of the best game I've played this generation, and that says a lot.

I've emerged from darkness

Next up...Aquaria!