Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs

 PC
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 967 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 361 out of 967
  2. Mixed: 306 out of 967
  3. Negative: 300 out of 967

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  1. KcSmiff
    Sep 10, 2013
    5
    Do yourselves a favour and just skip this game, from the few negative votes I've seen here, I must agree with them. If you are expecting a bigger badder sequel to the highly acclaimed Amnesia: The Dark Descent, this isn't it.

    The first half of the game was actually filled with tension, and thinking 'What is going to happen in here; I do not like this room'. But when you see what you're    Do yourselves a favour and just skip this game, from the few negative votes I've seen here, I must agree with them. If you are expecting a bigger badder sequel to the highly acclaimed Amnesia: The Dark Descent, this isn't it.

    The first half of the game was actually filled with tension, and thinking 'What is going to happen in here; I do not like this room'. But when you see what you're trying to hide from without fear of losing sanity by viewing the creature, it just becomes a game of 'Okay it goes this route, so I'll go another'. In all honesty, I think all that fear comes from expecting this game to be like the first, in which later on you'll find it doesn't even come close to.

    Last half of the game got me to a point of 'This isn't even scarey anymore and isn't even trying to be.' I died once not because I was scared and messed up, it was because I couldn't care less if the creature got to me before I had to flip a switch.

    I think this lost a lot of what made Amnesia scarey; insanity as a means to prevent you from just remotely observing a monster added a lot of what made the game scarey.

    Adding lots of places to hide in the first made it a very viable option to jump into a room and close yourself in a closet; waiting for the monster to go away as you whimper and hope it never saw you jump in there. Most encounters you have in this game has absolutely nothing but 'run the opposite direction' and they just poof out of existence. There is no lingering fear or dread of a monster still being around and you only delaying the inevitable.

    You will not get the Amnesia experience with this one unfortunately... It looks really pretty though.    … Expand
  2. xZippy
    Sep 11, 2013
    5
    Wow. I found this game very disappointing. Many of the interesting and intuitive gameplay elements from the previous game have been forcefully stripped away, and only the bare bones of gameplay mechanics exist.

    It doesn't even come close to The Dark Descent. I don't want to say this game is downright horrible, but it's not very good either. You get some good scares and interesting    Wow. I found this game very disappointing. Many of the interesting and intuitive gameplay elements from the previous game have been forcefully stripped away, and only the bare bones of gameplay mechanics exist.

    It doesn't even come close to The Dark Descent. I don't want to say this game is downright horrible, but it's not very good either. You get some good scares and interesting moments sprinkled in, but apart from that, it's a pretty dull game with a sloppy, rushed plot. Not worth $20. Wait for it to go on sale or something.    … Expand
  3. Firos
    Sep 10, 2013
    5
    Hmm, I don't know, it just doesn't.....feel like the last one did. I didn't care too much for the way this one came out to be. I just don't feel scared when I am playing this.
  4. Ananas4
    Sep 10, 2013
    4
    It has a good, gloomy atmosphere, great voice actors (except the kids) and good soundtrack. But that's about it. It's dumbed down from The Dark Descent and nowhere as scary. It feels more like an walking simulator or a bad custom story for TDD. There are jumpscares here and there and most of scripted scenes are just an enemy or kid running past the hallway and then disappearing. EnemiesIt has a good, gloomy atmosphere, great voice actors (except the kids) and good soundtrack. But that's about it. It's dumbed down from The Dark Descent and nowhere as scary. It feels more like an walking simulator or a bad custom story for TDD. There are jumpscares here and there and most of scripted scenes are just an enemy or kid running past the hallway and then disappearing. Enemies aren't scary at all and it's easy to run away from them. Game is pretty short, it may be worth to try if you like stories but nice it wasn't something like $60.… Expand
  5. Deadspacelover1
    Sep 10, 2013
    4
    i've been looking forward to this game for years, and in the first hour it was very fun and creepy, but then it got so linier and was not even worth playing. i seriously just wanted to complete the damn game, and move on in my life. biggest disappointment in years! oh and it only takes 5 hours to complete
  6. Saffa_Kid
    Sep 11, 2013
    4
    What the hell happened here? I have been looking forward to this game for AGES, and it was probably one of the most disappointing games I've played this year.

    This game had the potential to be the scariest game this year, what were the developers thinking?!? There are no new features in this game, it actually downgraded from the previous game Amnesia: the dark decent. Did they add 1st    What the hell happened here? I have been looking forward to this game for AGES, and it was probably one of the most disappointing games I've played this year.

    This game had the potential to be the scariest game this year, what were the developers thinking?!? There are no new features in this game, it actually downgraded from the previous game Amnesia: the dark decent. Did they add 1st person full body awareness? NOPE. Did they add 1st person interactive animations with doors and objects? NOPE. What about jumpscares? NOPE, lets just make the entire place shake every 30 seconds, that'll scare the shiet out of them. Why don't we add some terrifying creatures? NAH BRO LETS ADD A PIG MAN that doesnt even look terrifying.

    This game isn't even a survival horror game anymore, no more tinderboxes, which is understandable because of the time of plot being in the 1800's where electricity started to develop. Yeah ofcourse you get a latern, but it will stay lit for an infinite amount of time! WOW what a good idea, the lantern will start flickering whenever enemies are nearby, meaning that you will never be surprised by monsters being in the area. What a way to go. It should be mentioned that you don't even have to use the lantern, because areas are so lit up even if the brightness is on its lowest.

    And also, you don't see other people in the game, it's as if they all just dissapeared! you'd expect with a better budget that they would add some additional characters that can acompany you in your journey. You hear people talking and screaming, but they are placed in cages with a big cloth over them so you cant even see them.

    You can't interact with each object individually, it's like they are glued to everything, where as in the previous game you can pick up any loose object and toss it around, in this game that is very limited to only "quest items". That being said, there is no inventory system, that got completely removed as well. The sanity system also got removed as well as the health system. You can't even open most doors or drawers anymore because they have locks on them that prevent them from being open. When you pick up documents and diaries, there are no more voice overs to read it for you. So basically they removed EVERYTHING that made Amnesia Amnesia!

    TO SUM IT UP:
    -No more health system or Sanity system
    -Rooms and areas are so lit up the lantern is useless
    -No jumpscares
    -Very limited objects to be interacted with
    -All doors and drawers are conveniently locked, that shouldn't be.
    -Same old things from the previous game, no added 1st person animations
    -Terrible character development, you dont even care about the guy you play as.

    This game is a rushed piece of cash in, your game is bad! and you should feel bad! I expected something better than this you could have done way better!    … Expand
  7. Dkashola
    Sep 10, 2013
    3
    I like a good story, and apparently The Chinese room does as well, the difference is however is that i like video games also. Before I get into A Machine for Pigs I insist on bringing up Dear Esther, the "non-game, game". As implied, their game "Dear Esther' isn't really a game, because games have game-play and 'Dear Esther' did not. You walked for about 50 minutes on an island while aI like a good story, and apparently The Chinese room does as well, the difference is however is that i like video games also. Before I get into A Machine for Pigs I insist on bringing up Dear Esther, the "non-game, game". As implied, their game "Dear Esther' isn't really a game, because games have game-play and 'Dear Esther' did not. You walked for about 50 minutes on an island while a story was being told to you in randomized bits.

    Now, to get to the actual game 'A Machine For Pigs', I was worried about how the game would turn out, due to the developers track record so far, but I decided to give it a shot since 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent' is my favorite horror game of all time. Unfortunately, my concerns were validated: they screwed up.

    The developers focus too much on story and not enough on actual game-play; It is as if they are pained to create anything that requires interaction and only have little in the game because Frictional was over their shoulders giving them menacing looks. There is no inventory menu, or sanity gauge, and hell you don't even have to worry about resources.

    In short when criticizing this game, I'm really criticizing The Chinese Room as developers. They seem like a talented group of people, but people who should be making films instead of video games.    … Expand
  8. Vixremento
    Sep 11, 2013
    4
    I've been super excited for this game for a long time now...sadly it was just barely a game (at least this time we could interact a little unlike with the Chinese Rooms Dear Esther) and instead felt more like an interactive story with bits of horror if you could even call them that (what the hell happened to having an enjoyable fun experience like one normally does in games withI've been super excited for this game for a long time now...sadly it was just barely a game (at least this time we could interact a little unlike with the Chinese Rooms Dear Esther) and instead felt more like an interactive story with bits of horror if you could even call them that (what the hell happened to having an enjoyable fun experience like one normally does in games with challenging puzzles and mechanics that force you to move carefully, use resources sparingly and to crap in your pants at the slightest shadow flicker in the distance?).

    I would seriously rather recommend that you replay Amnesia: The Dark Descent instead of buying this especially at full price.    … Expand
  9. black_pirate
    Sep 10, 2013
    4
    They took out everything that I loved in first Amnesia. I was waiting for this release long time ago.. and now I feel empty, cheated and disappointed. I even enjoyed in Dear Esther, but this...this...what they did with machine for pigs, it is just not a good combination, a wrong move. It is an average game with cool atmosphere...nothing else, and nothing special.
  10. cstrang
    Sep 11, 2013
    4
    Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs not only proves that The Chinese Room can't make a powerful horror game, but that they also still struggle with the concept of game vs. interactive storybook.

    The gameplay gripes here are many: A Machine for Pigs takes away everything from the original Amnesia that made it such a tense playthrough. Gone is the inventory, limited amount of lantern fuel (I use    Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs not only proves that The Chinese Room can't make a powerful horror game, but that they also still struggle with the concept of game vs. interactive storybook.

    The gameplay gripes here are many: A Machine for Pigs takes away everything from the original Amnesia that made it such a tense playthrough. Gone is the inventory, limited amount of lantern fuel (I use that terminology because the lantern in A Machine for Pigs is electric), coherent health system, and sanity meter. This means that not only are the "puzzles" one encounters simplified to the point were they entail player is simply dragging an item a few meters, but there is also absolutely no urgency to solve them. "Exploration" is largely linear to begin with, so the game itself devolves into a 3 hours (Yes, the game is about 3 hours in length) exercise of following the path, flipping a switch to solve a "puzzle", following the path, dragging a thing to another thing, flipping a switch, following the path, repeat.

    The monster encounters are few and far between and the AI appears to have the mental capacity of a 2 year old, making them not only completely trickable but also totally non-threatening. It won't be long in the game before you figure out that there isn't much to be afraid of in this "survival horror" game, which is certainly A Machine for Pigs greatest downfall.

    The story is decently done, though you will be able to predict one of the larger twists in the game before you even place your hands on the keyboard/controller to move your character, and you'll probably still be fuming over that the appreciate the rest the story has to offer since it is so short. Audio is probably A Machine for Pigs' greatest strength The voice-acting is well-done (though slightly sparse for a game that would be best described as story-driven), the music is haunting, and the sound effects try to build a tense atmosphere that is ultimately defeated by the fact that you will realize there is nothing there to hurt you.

    The price upon release in the US is $20, around $16 if you preordered. At a paltry 3 hours of gameplay, in a world that feels sparse, simple, linear, and as threatening as a new-born kitten, I can't possibly recommend it to anyone.    … Expand
  11. Max_Killington
    Sep 10, 2013
    4
    By removing insanity mechanic and management of your light source (lamp oil, tinderboxes) and not replacing either with anything equivalent makes this version of Amnesia very dull and boring. There is no more insanity which provided a sense of urgency and no pressure to make progress anymore makes this version of Amnesia nothing more than a boring stroll; the horror element evaporates asBy removing insanity mechanic and management of your light source (lamp oil, tinderboxes) and not replacing either with anything equivalent makes this version of Amnesia very dull and boring. There is no more insanity which provided a sense of urgency and no pressure to make progress anymore makes this version of Amnesia nothing more than a boring stroll; the horror element evaporates as well. The Dark Descent was great Machine for Pigs was very disappointing.… Expand
  12. okamimiyazaki
    Sep 10, 2013
    0
    I'm not sure how Frictional could have been satisfied with releasing this game. Maybe it was The Chinese Room's influence?

    First of all, it removes a lot of the mechanics of The Dark Descent e.g. lantern with limited fuel, tinders, inventory, sanity, picking up most objects, HIDING IN CABINETS... In return, we get nothing. Typically when a company develops another game in a series they    I'm not sure how Frictional could have been satisfied with releasing this game. Maybe it was The Chinese Room's influence?

    First of all, it removes a lot of the mechanics of The Dark Descent e.g. lantern with limited fuel, tinders, inventory, sanity, picking up most objects, HIDING IN CABINETS... In return, we get nothing. Typically when a company develops another game in a series they remove some features but add new ones that are supposed to be better. Not this time, apparently. The limited light fuel in TDD was great because it added another layer of suspense (the fear that you would run out of light and be stuck in the horrifying dark with monsters). Hiding in the cabinets was awesome.... I was expecting all of these old suspenseful features plus, ya know, NEW ones. Not the removal of the good stuff.

    Second, the game is NOT SCARY... When you see the first pig monster, you may think it is going to be frightening. Until you actually see it up close. WTF? Isn't this supposed to be a horror game? Then why did they take what looks like an undead dog with a pig head attached to it and call it a monster? There was so much freaky concept art out there with a lot of potential... The monsters also move slowly and behave predictably. They're not scary, just annoying to maneuver around.

    Last, it runs like crap. I can run nearly any game maxed out on my rig with no issues but Machine was giving me limitless problems (screen tearing, stuttering, etc). When I turned the graphics down, it got worse and ended up looking like the original Doom.

    The only positive things I have to say about Machine for Pigs are that the plot is somewhat interesting and that they (mostly) removed that blinding white light that kept flashing across the screen in The Dark Descent (which was hard on the eyes in the dark).

    Music is also nice. Kudos to the composer.

    Overall, not worthy of being called an Amnesia game.    … Expand
  13. EldritchW
    Sep 10, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I can't believe how far Frictional has fallen.
    Amnesia:MfP is literally Dear Ester 2.0 2deep4u story jump-scares.

    It literally removes all valid gameplay from previous titles, There is no more resource management,
    no more insanity.
    At least 50% of the game in Penumbra was storing stuff in your inventory, using them for puzzels, this was slightly less focused on in Amnesia,
    and taken out completly in MfP
    There is no advantage to just staring at the monsters from
    your corner in the dark and look at them move around.

    The monsters themselves are so common their presence stops being scary at all (not that their modles are scary anyway), This was less of a problem in the original,
    also negated by the insanity mechanic.
    Chineese Room seem to have no concept of horror, and also seem to have just lazily mashed together FEAR (telephone calls? dead children spazing around?), Dear Ester (no inventory press W to win),
    and other horror concepts.

    The very first section is ALL jump scares, and its not like their uncommon. They happen almost every time you turn a corner, after the first it is no longer scary.

    Next, what is probably the worst part. The scripted events. There is a part where you get knocked down, you look up and see your children. What happenes next is the cheesiest, moment in the game.
    They reach into their chests and pull out their harts and hold them up, only its not even dramatic, there is no build up, it happens so fast and casually I almost laughed.

    Its like this game is shouting at you "ARE YOU SCARED YET HUH? WOW THIS SETTING IS SPOOKY!, ARNT LITTLE DEAD KIDS SPOOKEY?" "HEY LOOK ANOTHER JUMSCARE, BOY THAT WAS CREEPY WASNT IT?"
    "DUN DUN DUNN.... THEY PULLED THEIR LITTLE HEARTS OUT!" "INST THAT JUST 2SPOOKEY4U!!"

    Which brings me to the writing. Honestly the writing is worse than a B list horror film. It probably uses every trope in the book to mash together some sense of naritive.
    Compare that to the writing of Penumbra or Amnesia, which aren't perfect, but are actually interesting. They are much more original and nested in a lovecraftian genre,
    I can't even think of one time in either games I thought "hmm.. wow that looks just like the Shining" (I mean dead twin brothers? really?). In Penumbra and Amnesia the lovecraftian story, and accompnying themes drive the game, in MfP the Game drives the story, which is seemingly derived from the cess filled machine pits anyway.

    Seriously, creatures from beyond make for a more interesting narrative than "Ohmygosh it was my fault all alongs XD!!!!!1!"

    One last thing. The game last me 2 hours, start to finish. The puzzles were so simplistic, and mostly considered of: get item X to location Y.
    The puzzels in Penumbra and Amnesia actually require you to figure things out by searching for notes, and trying to make sense of them. Often they were also meaningful,
    and added to the story. Not once did
    I rely on any of the notes or mementos in MfP.

    So, if you want a 2 hour walking simulator, go ahead and buy this game. Don't worry! its not even scary.
    If you want an actual horror game with an actual story, that at least tries to be original, buy/play Penumbra or Amnesia:TDD (although at this point I
    no longer wish to support Frictional for allowing this turd to slip the bowls of The Chineese Room and onto their brand)

    PS: Remember this game was slated for Halloween 2012, its almost a year late....I guess you can polish a turd all you like....    … Expand
  14. Dune_Jumper
    Sep 25, 2014
    6
    They took out the inventory and sanity meter, you don't have to worry about oil, and you can hardy interact with ANYTHING.
    They removed everything that made Amnesia, Amnesia. Now it's virtually Dear Esther with Amnesia slapped in the title.
    What do you know, The Chinese Room has made another flop. Working with them was a HUGE mistake and I hope Frictional Games doesn't do it again.
  15. kbrixx
    Sep 10, 2013
    4
    Sad....very sad.I had such high hopes for this game.isn't as crazy scary as the original,not even close.good news is i only spent 15 bux for this game.so theres that.
  16. Muuvinki
    Sep 10, 2013
    4
    After hour of playing i can definitely say that this is far from amnesia dark descent, horror element is almost completely gone from this game. They also have removed sanity and health meter.
    Enemies are stupid looking and not frightening one bit, i sure would like to know what happened to this game and how it became like this. I cannot recommend you to waste your money on this s***.
  17. Lanopo
    Sep 10, 2013
    4
    Very disappointing, the removed several features without adding a single one! Yes! They are is no new gameplay mechanics! In-fact, there is no gameplay at all. This is what happens when you give creative control of a sequel to a beloved horror game to the 'Dear Esther team'; what where Frictional thinking! The horror relies on jump scares, shaking the screen, and making loud noises,Very disappointing, the removed several features without adding a single one! Yes! They are is no new gameplay mechanics! In-fact, there is no gameplay at all. This is what happens when you give creative control of a sequel to a beloved horror game to the 'Dear Esther team'; what where Frictional thinking! The horror relies on jump scares, shaking the screen, and making loud noises, something The Dark Decent never had to resort to. Very disappointed. The only thing notable in this 'game' is the story and atmosphere; Oh liked picking literally anything up in TTD? The only thing you can interact with in AMFP is chairs and drawers.

    The Chinese Room; stop making games, please, go make art-house films. Everyone will look back and scoff once technology advances and your 'art games' look like Banjo Kazooie.    … Expand
  18. Sithiuss
    Sep 10, 2013
    2
    Honestly this game was one of the biggest disappointments of the year. Not only was the game incredibly easy
    the entire way through, but hardly scary at all. Not only was the fear factor lacking but I felt the story was incredibly predictable and dry as well. The writing shined in the notes in comparison to the former game but failed to add up to anything meaningful. They took out the    Honestly this game was one of the biggest disappointments of the year. Not only was the game incredibly easy
    the entire way through, but hardly scary at all. Not only was the fear factor lacking but I felt the story was incredibly predictable and dry as well. The writing shined in the notes in comparison to the former game but failed to add up to anything meaningful. They took out the survival elements of the game entirely (No fuel, no lighting of candles/lanterns, no sanity mechanic) 90% of the time you can simply run straight past the monsters with no penalty.The monsters weren't scary, the game-play failed hard, and a few minor plot twists along the way which were easily foreseen 2/10 biggest letdown of the year.    … Expand
  19. blake0812
    Sep 10, 2013
    0
    This game is bad. Now, before you discard this review as some troll post, let me tell you: I am a big Amnesia fan, since it first popped up on Steam I bought it and was hooked. When I first heard of the sequel coming, I was ecstatic, I was so excited came out my ass! I remember looking at the trailers for it, looking at the website, and everyday or so checking to see if there wasThis game is bad. Now, before you discard this review as some troll post, let me tell you: I am a big Amnesia fan, since it first popped up on Steam I bought it and was hooked. When I first heard of the sequel coming, I was ecstatic, I was so excited came out my ass! I remember looking at the trailers for it, looking at the website, and everyday or so checking to see if there was something different.

    Needless to say, this game is such a disappointment I can't even explain how let down I am. I'm so disappointed I feel offended. Let me try to sum up the ****tiness:
    -NO INVENTORY
    This was a big plow for me, because in the first it became a big factor in whether you live or die.
    -3 Hours long
    Now, this is debatable. Anyone can speedrun a game, but I didn't, and finished it in 3 hours, no less. The first game I finished in 6 hours, which then felt good. It was an indie game, but I got more out of it than I expected.
    -The lantern is infinite
    This too is debatable, but there were some things they could have made better with it, such as having to recharge the lantern if it went out. The use of a universal powered lantern is beyond me, this game takes place in 1899, they didn't even have electricity back then yet. Just barely.
    -A year too late
    The game was set to come out last year for Halloween, which would have made sense, it's a horror game and Halloween is associated with that. Makes sense and it works. But then, UH OH, WE HAVE TO DELAY IT. Some people will feel as though it was due to them added MORE content, which most ways is a good thing. I agree that more content is better. But what did they add? NOTHING. The only thing that was different was controller support, which would have taken at least a month to add. The rest of the gameplay is gone, it feels as though the game wasn't even finished yet.
    -The Chinese Room
    Let's talk about these people for a minute. Are you familiar with Dear Ester, a popular mod for HL1? If you've played it, you know what I'm talking about. It's a good mod, it was made by the Chinese Room, and they've been recognized as a great studio since then. More like a piece of dog I've played this game and felt that their presence was too much in this game, it felt WAY too much like Dear Ester rather than a survival horror game. You'd think that a respected indie studio wouldn't have been so lazy with it, it plays like Dear Ester too, with narrations out the ass, and the linearity that plagued this game.
    -It runs like dog ****
    This game uses the same exact engine that the first Amnesia game used, so you'd think that it'd run great if you ran the first one flawlessly, right? And it isn't my specs either, I'm using:
    An ATI Radeon 6870 1GB
    Phenom II x4 @3.01GHz
    4GB Ram
    all of this running at 1440x900 resolution.

    There is no excuse, you are a well respected studio. Do us a favor and never make a game again, Chinese Room.

    Chinese Room? More like a Chinese Sweatshop.    … Expand
  20. medip
    Sep 10, 2013
    2
    This was honestly the farthest thing away from what i was expecting from the second entry into the Amnesia franchise. Even though it was developed by the chinese room, surely i would imagine that at some point the people at Frictional at least had a brief look or perusal of what their most successful title was being turned into!
    They have simply taken out mechanics such as inventory and    This was honestly the farthest thing away from what i was expecting from the second entry into the Amnesia franchise. Even though it was developed by the chinese room, surely i would imagine that at some point the people at Frictional at least had a brief look or perusal of what their most successful title was being turned into!
    They have simply taken out mechanics such as inventory and sanity, and replaced them with.... it seems, they replaced them with nothing. Not to mention the total lack of an ability to manipulate any of the in-game environment, unless it is essential to some puzzle or progression.
    Besides all of this, the main problem with this "game" is that there is absolutely zero pacing with which to build tension and immerse the player in a world which feels lost and hopeless. The pig monsters are not only lackluster in design and implementation, but the fact that they have no hope of catching you if you simply run away completely takes away any unnerving effect that they may have had (if they did to begin with).
    There are so many comparisons which could be made, but i honestly just cannot be bothered wasting anymore time typing about a game that i have dreamed about for the last 13 months which has been torn asunder by a pretentious, mediocre studio which attained their 15 minutes of fame from an ambient environmental walk-through...
    Frictional honestly need to acknowledge that something went wrong here, or i will hold them just as accountable as i hold Blizzard for the piece of trash they call Diablo 3.    … Expand
  21. vare345p
    Sep 10, 2013
    8
    Puzles are kind of easy and guided but the atmosphere, the storytelling, the voice-acting, the enhanced level desing... It is just great.

    Don't be dumbass complaining because there's no oil or tinderboxes, cause you didn't clearly play the game; Now when you are in full darkness you can't see anything, not even turning your gamma up a bit. So, if you face a monster you have 2 options:    Puzles are kind of easy and guided but the atmosphere, the storytelling, the voice-acting, the enhanced level desing... It is just great.

    Don't be dumbass complaining because there's no oil or tinderboxes, cause you didn't clearly play the game; Now when you are in full darkness you can't see anything, not even turning your gamma up a bit. So, if you face a monster you have 2 options: Turning on the lamp and let him see you or turning it off and don't see anything. This makes a lot of tension.

    In any case, it is not like the first Amnesia, they changed a lot of stuff here and there, and if you are an Amnesia fan I think you'll enjoy it. Will you like it more than the first one? I don't know, but I think is totally worth the price.

    Edited: I have already beaten the game and I must say that I liked The Dark Descent more than this one.
    A machine for pigs tried to be different, simplifying gameplay and trying to be more straight-forward.
    The game is, indeed, more linear. You don't need to look for tinderboxes, oil or laudanum so making more rooms would have been pretty much an aesthetic thing.
    Setting is great and I like the new artistic design, and the sound is still great.
    It lasts about 4-5 hours, but I hope there will be mod support.
    If you are an amnesia fan you will probably like it, but just don't wait another TDD, because you won't find it.    … Expand
  22. BeeRadIsRad
    Sep 10, 2013
    8
    I am enjoying this game fairly well. So far, a nice dark atmosphere with chilling random events in the background. (Typical Amnesia) I only have three problems with this game that don't quite put it at the same level as "The Dark Descent" The game has many locked doors which takes away the adventure aspect. You can't pick up small objects and randomly throw them. There also is not anI am enjoying this game fairly well. So far, a nice dark atmosphere with chilling random events in the background. (Typical Amnesia) I only have three problems with this game that don't quite put it at the same level as "The Dark Descent" The game has many locked doors which takes away the adventure aspect. You can't pick up small objects and randomly throw them. There also is not an insanity meter. Even in these negatives, the story line is phenomenal so far. It makes me want to dive deeper and deeper. So far, in the first hour of game play, this is a really enjoyable sequel to "The Dark Descent"… Expand
  23. SophosTheWise
    Sep 10, 2013
    10
    Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is definitely not the same game as The Dark Descent. It's quite different. It's got fewer jump scares and it's not as splatter-horror-y as some fans might have wished. But boy, that overwhelming, thick sense of dread that comes with every step down into the unholy machine. Not to mention the brillant soundtrack by Jessica Curry (do yourselves a favour and buyAmnesia: A Machine for Pigs is definitely not the same game as The Dark Descent. It's quite different. It's got fewer jump scares and it's not as splatter-horror-y as some fans might have wished. But boy, that overwhelming, thick sense of dread that comes with every step down into the unholy machine. Not to mention the brillant soundtrack by Jessica Curry (do yourselves a favour and buy it) and the brillant writing by Dan Pinchbeck. I guess it takes a bit of effort to actually get involved into the story (similar to Dear Esther) but you'll probably get one of the most literary experiences in video games to date.… Expand
  24. Joso2304
    Sep 13, 2013
    5
    I played through this game in 2 hours. There was no need to explorer because there were NOTHING to gain from exploring. No oil, no health, no sanity, no freaking nothing. Dissapointed. But it was able to scare me sometimes and set a good atmosphere. But it was a big let down from the Amnesia Series. I think this game actually don't belong in the Amnesia series because; 1. He didn't haveI played through this game in 2 hours. There was no need to explorer because there were NOTHING to gain from exploring. No oil, no health, no sanity, no freaking nothing. Dissapointed. But it was able to scare me sometimes and set a good atmosphere. But it was a big let down from the Amnesia Series. I think this game actually don't belong in the Amnesia series because; 1. He didn't have (the same type) Amnesia as in the first game. 2. It doesn't have anything to do with Amneisa. It shouldn't have been an Amneisia game. It would have been better if it was just an indie game called Machine for pigs.… Expand
  25. Avadon
    Sep 11, 2013
    6
    If you're looking for Amnesia with more stuff, you won't find it here. AMFP is a different game, with its own strengths and weaknesses.

    Pros: Very atmospheric, excellent soundtrack and sound in general, good voice acting, some of the puzzles are well thought out and you have to be observant and manipulate the environment correctly to solve them. Also, the story is in my opinion better    If you're looking for Amnesia with more stuff, you won't find it here. AMFP is a different game, with its own strengths and weaknesses.

    Pros: Very atmospheric, excellent soundtrack and sound in general, good voice acting, some of the puzzles are well thought out and you have to be observant and manipulate the environment correctly to solve them. Also, the story is in my opinion better than the first game, although the villain's motivation is grade-school levels of simplistic (people suck, let's kill everyone), but at least it's well presented and comprehensible.

    Cons: Highly annoying blue tint glow makes the game tiring to the eyes, it is stripped of all gameplay elements apart from puzzles and a couple of chases, the new lantern lights about 2 feet ahead of you so it doesn't really do much and makes it hard to even look at a lot of the artwork that the devs clearly put a lot of work in, which is a shame. The game is about 3/4 as long as the first one, it is also not very scary.

    AMFP won't please everyone and is rather short, but it's enjoyable while it lasts, it's very atmospheric, well presented, polished and presents its story well enough. It's not extraordinary, but worth the price in my opinion, and it's waaaaaay better than embarrassing trash like Slender.    … Expand
  26. mysteryone
    Sep 15, 2013
    5
    I love Amnesia,
    but I must say, I'm disappointed with this game...
    they took off what was the best in "the dark descent" the puzzles are too easy to solve, because you have almost no interactivity with objects. no inventory, and worse, no insanity bar... in "the dark descent", you really feel the pressure, you don't want to be in the dark, because your character start to shake and    I love Amnesia,
    but I must say, I'm disappointed with this game...

    they took off what was the best in "the dark descent"
    the puzzles are too easy to solve, because you have almost no interactivity with objects.
    no inventory, and worse, no insanity bar...

    in "the dark descent", you really feel the pressure, you don't want to be in the dark, because your character start to shake and may cry, when scared he falls and you can only crawl into the ground like a worm afraid to become another pray... you have nothing like that in "a machine for pigs" is closer to "Dear Esther" than "Amnesia".

    Light was something precious, you needed light to cure, but you knew, you can't keep the lights on because monsters may see you, and you need to be careful about how you spend it, or it may end.
    in "a machine for pigs", you have an infinite lantern, and the dark does nothing to you.

    in "the dark descent" you don't want to look to the monster, because your vision blurs, you become insane, cry, and the monster sees you.
    I looked directly into the monsters eyes, what happens? nothing... nothing happens in "a machine for pigs".

    seriously, no Amnesia fans will like it... play the Dark Decent if you want real pressure, real immersion.
    this game took off what was the best.

    if a give them 5, is because they did a good work with the ambient, sounds and 3D, and I like the telephone calls.
    I hope the story will make me love this game.    … Expand
  27. vaurne
    Dec 23, 2020
    7
    This game as failed to have any impact on me after all these years. I very easily would have forgotten it, were it not part of an amazing series. The story falls short, the content and atmosphere could be more consistent, and the gameplay is the worst part.

    It's a visually appealing game, with it's fair share of scary moments as well as scream worthy jumpscares (to be fair, some are    This game as failed to have any impact on me after all these years. I very easily would have forgotten it, were it not part of an amazing series. The story falls short, the content and atmosphere could be more consistent, and the gameplay is the worst part.

    It's a visually appealing game, with it's fair share of scary moments as well as scream worthy jumpscares (to be fair, some are quite cheap).

    I do think it is worth playing due to it being scary, beautiful and easy-going.    … Expand
  28. FormerHuman
    Sep 14, 2015
    8
    Having finally got around to finishing A Machine For Pigs, I can see now why people are complaining, but I would have to disagree on the majority of complaints, which are largely based around the gameplay. The Chinese Room have proven that they are interested in doing things a little differently, and this title has a good deal of influence I think from Dear Esther, at least as much as itHaving finally got around to finishing A Machine For Pigs, I can see now why people are complaining, but I would have to disagree on the majority of complaints, which are largely based around the gameplay. The Chinese Room have proven that they are interested in doing things a little differently, and this title has a good deal of influence I think from Dear Esther, at least as much as it does the original Amnesia from Frictional Games. The game is primarily a linear narrative journey, with puzzles, and some survival aspects (although these are simplified and less important than in Amnesia or something like Alien: Isolation). Essentially you are being taken through the story in a similar fashion to Dear Esther, but with more complexity. Once this is understood, then the quality of the design of the game and the games themes and nuances start to really become apparent - there is definitely the sense that the developers want you to soak it in as much as possible, and that Pigs' story is more significant than the gameplay necessarily is. Inevitably this has divided people quite severely (the metacritic user reviews display this about as directly as you'd expect, with a 5.8 average).

    As for the narrative itself, most immediately the word 'nightmarish' comes to mind. The environments are oppressive, the themes nihilistic and monstrous, bleak and truly horrific and the written exposition often bizarrely creative and unsettling. The narrative intensity and strangeness ratchets up in the last third, but the survival aspects of the game take a dive simultaneously towards the games' climax.

    It's somewhat difficult to recommend the title to survival horror fans, but more broadly minded fans of horror in general (perhaps those particularly invested in horror literature and more abstract cinema) will find a lot to enjoy here. It is not Resident Evil, however, and nor is it really that similar an experience to The Dark Descent, so if that is what you are looking for, you may be disappointed.    … Expand
  29. scissor
    Sep 13, 2013
    5
    Overall,a machine for pigs(AMFP) is not better than the dark descent(TDD).Apparently AMFP has lower tension and lower stressful.
    I think AMFP is mainly focus on plot of a play it lost lots of fun and challenge for lack of many puzzles and inventory systems especially the lantern oil system.
    Still like the horror game who made by FrictionalGames ,like Penumbra and Amnesia-TDD. AMFP was    Overall,a machine for pigs(AMFP) is not better than the dark descent(TDD).Apparently AMFP has lower tension and lower stressful.
    I think AMFP is mainly focus on plot of a play it lost lots of fun and challenge for lack of many puzzles and inventory systems especially the lantern oil system.
    Still like the horror game who made by FrictionalGames ,like Penumbra and Amnesia-TDD.
    AMFP was mainly developed by Chineseroom ,and the AMFP's game style is very familiar with their games->Dear Esther.Sometimes i thought i was playing DearEsther instead of Amnesia series.
    And the most important thing is that they remove the Customstory! The customstory is the "Continuation of life" in this game,don't know why the Chineseroom remove it.    … Expand
  30. SH3RIFFO
    Sep 13, 2013
    5
    Before I pre-ordered it, I was mind blown by the teasers and the description of the game. It said to expect classic 'Amnesia game-play.' And how it is a complete fresh game, but it stays to its origins. This was all nonsense. There was absolutely no 'Amnesia' in it. As a sequel to the masterpiece of the Dark Decent, this was preposterous. Horrible sequel. I was honestly disappointing. ItBefore I pre-ordered it, I was mind blown by the teasers and the description of the game. It said to expect classic 'Amnesia game-play.' And how it is a complete fresh game, but it stays to its origins. This was all nonsense. There was absolutely no 'Amnesia' in it. As a sequel to the masterpiece of the Dark Decent, this was preposterous. Horrible sequel. I was honestly disappointing. It lacked interaction, scares, puzzles, and mostly the horrifying feeling of being haunted you had when playing the first Amnesia.

    Let me tell you something, if this was a stand alone game by The Chinese Room, and it was no official sequel to Amnesia at all, it would have been a Great game! I would've rated a 7.5. As a standalone game, it was great, really was, amazing story, incredible graphics for an indie game, and all in all, fun gameplay. But knowing that this is the official sequel to the mind-blowing "Amnesia: The Dark Decent", this was a bad careless move. I rate this 5 for that particular reason. This lacks everything great about Amnesia. I saw this comment on YouTube and I have to admit, it's so accurate:

    Graphics: 9 10
    Atmosphere: 8 10
    Story: 9 10
    Scares: 2 10
    Gameplay: 4 10
    Horror: 3 10
    Amnesia: 0 10

    This is my review. Thanks for reading. Play the game for yourself and judge only then.    … Expand
  31. gvazdas
    Sep 13, 2013
    5
    Everyone IS right that this game is different from The Dark Descent.
    And it's different in a bad way.
    The environments look nice, the graphics are okay for a game for it's time and the sound design is flawless. The first few levels seem to throw you into this sort of 'look everywhere, explore and leave no stone unturned' mentality. After an hour of play, as you continue down into The    Everyone IS right that this game is different from The Dark Descent.
    And it's different in a bad way.
    The environments look nice, the graphics are okay for a game for it's time and the sound design is flawless.
    The first few levels seem to throw you into this sort of 'look everywhere, explore and leave no stone unturned' mentality. After an hour of play, as you continue down into The Machine, the game gets linear, loud and boring. Jump-scares, screen-shaking and loud noises are the main 'scares' in the game.
    Not to mention that the game seems to have degraded in terms of gameplay. There's no more inventory interaction, the only objects that you can use for the 'AMAZINGLY POLISHED PHYSICS ENGINE' are chairs, closets and big boxes you have to push. The physics are extremely buggy and you can get ragdolls stuck inside of things, including walls and small crevices.
    The monsters seem to be really well-made though and the soundtrack is top notch.
    I honestly think The Chinese Room should stick to no-gameplay 'hipster art' games. Dear Esther was great, but this game is horrible. After playing Dear Esther, I expected the developers to turn the Amnesia game into a horror thriller with shiny graphics and an amazing narrative.
    Sadly, only the narrative catched on. The unique writing for the game did not save it's horrible gameplay and linearity.
    This game is a huge let-down considering I have waited long for it. Frictional Games, I have no idea why you let a few indie developers famous for beautiful games develop a game that has to have actual horror and atmosphere in it.    … Expand
  32. Brosman
    Oct 15, 2013
    4
    Interesting story condiluded by bad writing and an unclear narrative structure. It is too easy to miss important parts of the story. Gameplay has been to simplified and their are next to no monster encounters or scares. Its a boring ride most of the way, and i feel that this story would have been better told as a novel or movie. Anyone who gives this game over a 6 is either a fanboy orInteresting story condiluded by bad writing and an unclear narrative structure. It is too easy to miss important parts of the story. Gameplay has been to simplified and their are next to no monster encounters or scares. Its a boring ride most of the way, and i feel that this story would have been better told as a novel or movie. Anyone who gives this game over a 6 is either a fanboy or just hasnt played the original. Amnesia the dark descent is incredible and more worth your money than this. Sadly disappointed by AMFP.… Expand
  33. SweetRollsAhoy
    Dec 29, 2013
    6
    This biggest mistake was putting "Amnesia" in the title. Though it did begin as just a custom story for Amnesia: The Dark Decent, it does not uphold to the standard The Dark Decent put in place. I feel I put unfair expectations on A Machine for Pigs simply because of "Amnesia". With that it mind, it does have it's own charm.

    With the removal of the inventory menu and a few other    This biggest mistake was putting "Amnesia" in the title. Though it did begin as just a custom story for Amnesia: The Dark Decent, it does not uphold to the standard The Dark Decent put in place. I feel I put unfair expectations on A Machine for Pigs simply because of "Amnesia". With that it mind, it does have it's own charm.

    With the removal of the inventory menu and a few other mechanics, AMFP focuses very much more on story than it's predecessor. Where it failed to scare me, it's interesting story and world had me absorbed throughout the entire game. Enough to where I played it all nonstop in one sitting. It is short and, as far as I know, lacks the custom story option on the main menu that DD had, but I feel that it's setting and story excuses that. I would recommend this game to someone who was too scared to play the first Amnesia game, but still wants to try. And to those who were Dark Decent fans, please approach this game with an open mind you would have with a stand alone game or custom story.    … Expand
  34. gloriouspotato
    Oct 4, 2015
    7
    A Machine for Pigs offers a different type of horror that I'm guessing doesn't really resonate with most Dark Descent fans. If you're coming to this game looking for entertaining scares that look good on Youtube, you'll probably be disappointed. The game is thematically darker than its predecessor, but doesn't carry that same sense of panic and terror that the original had. The game doesA Machine for Pigs offers a different type of horror that I'm guessing doesn't really resonate with most Dark Descent fans. If you're coming to this game looking for entertaining scares that look good on Youtube, you'll probably be disappointed. The game is thematically darker than its predecessor, but doesn't carry that same sense of panic and terror that the original had. The game does become somewhat stale because of it, but to call the game an absolute failure is a bit of an exaggeration.

    The game's strong points are the story and the sound design. Voice acting, soundtrack and sound effects are all excellent, unmatched even against multimillion dollar 'AAA' games, producing a satisfyingly dark atmosphere; an atmosphere that often smoothly transitions to a more mournful or sadder tone.

    The story is intriguing and understandable, so long as you're patient and attentive. Don't rush the game without pondering the metaphors, meaning and references behind some of the notes, otherwise you might find yourself in the dark with what's happening. There are instances where notes can become overly descriptive and elaborate, but for the most part the writing is reasonable, and does carry a certain poetic flair that makes A Machine for Pigs feel somewhat more polished and sophisticated in a sense. There is a predictable plot twist, but I'm fairly sure this was intended to be the Chinese Room's attempt at dramatic irony, which probably could've worked out better. The final monologue though certainly does seal the deal with the story, offering an ending scene that is melancholy, dark and very conclusive in a most gratifying way.

    The brunt of the criticism for this game is directed towards the lack of traditional gameplay mechanics, which I partially agree with. There's nothing inherently wrong with having no inventory or resource management, you just have to make up for it with something else. The story and 'puzzles' if you can call them that, weren't enough to reel me in completely though. Among the more story oriented segments should've been more stealth based sections and more engaging puzzles to really top off the suspense the game continuously builds, and also to introduce some more variation.

    In the inevitable comparison between Dark Descent and Machine for Pigs, this one comes second place. However it does remain an interesting experiment with what games could be and has a lot of potential.

    Overall rating - 6.7/10    … Expand
  35. Squidsie
    Nov 3, 2014
    8
    I'd like to preface this by saying I didn't go into playing this game expecting the same gameplay and mechanics as The Dark Descent. I figured it would be more about telling a story than interacting with a creepy environment. Don't get me wrong, the environment in A Machine for Pigs is definitely creepy, and there are puzzles, but I just think where The Dark Descent did well with gameplay,I'd like to preface this by saying I didn't go into playing this game expecting the same gameplay and mechanics as The Dark Descent. I figured it would be more about telling a story than interacting with a creepy environment. Don't get me wrong, the environment in A Machine for Pigs is definitely creepy, and there are puzzles, but I just think where The Dark Descent did well with gameplay, this addition to the series did very well with telling a gruesome story. I do recommend you give it a playthrough.… Expand
  36. aznassassin
    Sep 16, 2013
    6
    Lacks the same flavour and taste that made the original so great while also being less accessible with fewer scares. Mediocre graphics that look a complete step down from the original and frustrating long load times dont help either.
  37. slappycider
    Jan 28, 2015
    7
    Wow. It's definitely far from it's predessecor in atmosphere and story, but I can honestly say that I enjoyed this 10 times more than I enjoyed The Dark Descent. The story in this game is phenomenal. It keeps you guessing until the very end.

    The scares are intense and far between, leaving you on the edge of your seat and right when you let your guard down, you're being chased down an    Wow. It's definitely far from it's predessecor in atmosphere and story, but I can honestly say that I enjoyed this 10 times more than I enjoyed The Dark Descent. The story in this game is phenomenal. It keeps you guessing until the very end.

    The scares are intense and far between, leaving you on the edge of your seat and right when you let your guard down, you're being chased down an alleyway.

    The music... oh man, the music. Just haunting... Scary ass discordant opera music.

    The gameplay itself is a little bit formulaic and dumbed down. No more sanity, no more oil... it's simplified. And as I did enjoy playing through this game, it did feel way too simple.

    Overall, it's a scary ass game with a cool story and a killer atmosphere with a final half hour that will leave you speechless.    … Expand
  38. Klewer
    Jun 17, 2015
    7
    The strongest aspect of this game is the story, and the atmosphere that creates in the location setting. Voice acting, music and sounds make this a haunting and atmospheric experience.

    Only draw backs are the slight tweak to the mechanics from the first, such as no inventory and electric lamp draw from the atmosphere. The length is also quite short ranging from quick at 3 to long at 5.    The strongest aspect of this game is the story, and the atmosphere that creates in the location setting. Voice acting, music and sounds make this a haunting and atmospheric experience.

    Only draw backs are the slight tweak to the mechanics from the first, such as no inventory and electric lamp draw from the atmosphere. The length is also quite short ranging from quick at 3 to long at 5.

    Still for fans of the first and horror games not just counting on jump scares worth a look.    … Expand
  39. Synyster19
    Sep 17, 2013
    5
    I want to start off by saying that I did enjoy this game. It had a great story line with heavy immersion and great atmosphere that one rarely finds in other horror titles. The game was good, but it felt rather bare compared to The Dark Descent. Inventory, tinderboxes, and oil are completely removed from the game, along with the health and insanity meters. This was quite a disappointment,I want to start off by saying that I did enjoy this game. It had a great story line with heavy immersion and great atmosphere that one rarely finds in other horror titles. The game was good, but it felt rather bare compared to The Dark Descent. Inventory, tinderboxes, and oil are completely removed from the game, along with the health and insanity meters. This was quite a disappointment, but I eventually got over it because the game's primary focus was immersion and atmosphere. But what really lowered the score for me was the fact that there are no custom stories! What in the world were they thinking?? Without custom stories, this game offers absolutely no replayability, which really sucks due to the fact that you can beat the game in just 4 hours. There was a great community of people who modded Amnesia and made many awesome custom stories that really added to The Dark Descent's content, but what happens to that now? Are we just forgetting about one of the best features of Amnesia? That doesn't seem fair to all the dedicated people who made custom stories before and who were probably looking forward to doing it now in A Machine for Pigs. I hope they might put a patch out or something to add this back into the game, because otherwise I don't see any point in keeping in my Steam library anymore. As I said before, it is a good game, but it's hard for me to decide whether it was even worth the purchase due to all these awesome features that were just stripped out of the game, as well as the fact that it was only 4 hours long. Maybe they will patch it, maybe not. We will just have to wait and see how they deal with this issue.… Expand
  40. MacyNell
    Sep 27, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I cannot understand why most people are underwhelmed by the scare factor in A Machine For Pigs. In all honesty, I found it to be creepier and more fear-inducing than Dark Descent, mainly due to the games inclusion of children and...*shudder*....pigs. In fact, the underlying story was amazingly horrific directly because of the effective use of these elements as its basis.… Expand
  41. Count69
    Sep 30, 2013
    6
    Amnesia 2 is like taking good parts out of your computer, and replacing it with parts, that can't produce the same effects, or just barely can do those, that the previous parts done greatly.

    It was a twisted journey, with a lot of interesting thoughts, but it was like the developers praised they great words in the game. Wanted too much poetry, but drowned in it. Overally, it was a    Amnesia 2 is like taking good parts out of your computer, and replacing it with parts, that can't produce the same effects, or just barely can do those, that the previous parts done greatly.

    It was a twisted journey, with a lot of interesting thoughts, but it was like the developers praised they great words in the game. Wanted too much poetry, but drowned in it.
    Overally, it was a mediocre storyline, with some lights.
    The puzzles were too simplistic, and unvariable.
    The music and the art of it were wonderful things, but I wanted to see more of the facility.    … Expand
  42. SubspaceNinja
    Oct 2, 2013
    5
    Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, compared to The Dark Decent, was a major let down. The atmosphere was good, and the aesthetics were nice, however it did not feel like an Amnesia game. The game did very little to frighten me and the 'monsters' did nothing but make me laugh. The AI was horrible as I, on countless occasions, managed to walk up to them and stand there while they did nothing toAmnesia: A Machine For Pigs, compared to The Dark Decent, was a major let down. The atmosphere was good, and the aesthetics were nice, however it did not feel like an Amnesia game. The game did very little to frighten me and the 'monsters' did nothing but make me laugh. The AI was horrible as I, on countless occasions, managed to walk up to them and stand there while they did nothing to prevent me from going past them. Another disappointment is the fact it took me only 3 hours to complete it, and that was with getting stuck at points due to misguidance in the game. For £13 that is horrible, I expected the game to last at least a bit longer than that, but alas it did not.
    Overall, it failed to grip me at all like the previous title(s), so I would not recommend buying this game at full price, just wait until it is on sale as it is not worth the money.    … Expand
  43. MLP_Gustavia
    Oct 14, 2013
    6
    This game is a HUGE disappointment! The environment is non interactive, the inventory is gone, you don't have to worry about sanity, oil and tinderboxes anymore, no custom stories and the monster is not even scary! The story is pretty strange and some of the textures look like
  44. Kuszh
    Oct 24, 2013
    4
    This game is disappointing for reasons which a lot of reviews have stated: This is NOT an Amnesia game.

    If one were to look at this title from this perspective it makes the game look better: This is essentially a REALLY good community mod for Amnesia: Dark Descent. Which in this case it almost is. There are no major overhauls on the visual end of things. In terms of gameplay though,    This game is disappointing for reasons which a lot of reviews have stated: This is NOT an Amnesia game.

    If one were to look at this title from this perspective it makes the game look better: This is essentially a REALLY good community mod for Amnesia: Dark Descent. Which in this case it almost is. There are no major overhauls on the visual end of things.

    In terms of gameplay though, things have actually been pruned back. There is no interaction with the world, and less linearity to the story (no alternative endings, less notes to pick up). The amount of tension in the atmosphere is significantly reduced, and for me this also reduced the immersion.

    The story goes a long way to redeeming this game. It's philosophical, intelligent, and gets you thinking. Unfortunately it's not interesting enough to me to ever consider playing it again.    … Expand
  45. Malchy
    Oct 30, 2013
    6
    A Machine for Pigs (AMfP) shows how badly can games end, if the original studio doesn't work on a sequel as well. Atmosphere and focus on enviorements and personal storyline of the main protagonist (antagonist?) is a great idea, but the lack of interaction, puzzles and any form of gameplay mechanics really turns this game into boring corridor stroller. It has much better enviorments andA Machine for Pigs (AMfP) shows how badly can games end, if the original studio doesn't work on a sequel as well. Atmosphere and focus on enviorements and personal storyline of the main protagonist (antagonist?) is a great idea, but the lack of interaction, puzzles and any form of gameplay mechanics really turns this game into boring corridor stroller. It has much better enviorments and interesting victorian London locations, but that is all. Fear and horror gets repetitive after while. I would much rather suggest investing in Outlast, but I have faith in the community. It shouldn't be hard to make more atmosferic story with better scenario, than the original made by devs.… Expand
  46. Outlander999
    Nov 16, 2013
    7
    Despite that this sequel denies some mechanics of the predecessor, it shows a scary atmosphere with an interesting story. It's not a "perfect sequel", but will satisfy you. VIRTUALINN.IT
  47. Pistolz4Pandaz
    Nov 19, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Overall this game had a pretty good atmosphere, but there were aspects that I felt it was missing that I enjoyed from the first Amnesia. There is no sanity meter, and there is no inventory. This means that there is no way to light up various areas other than the use of your lamp. It also means that there is no need to explore, as there is no running out of important tools, and there is very little that you have to look for. The Dark Descent definitely hit the nail on the head in terms of scare and suspense, and I think that MFP came up a little bit lacking, as there is none of the "How many tinderboxes do I have? Will I be able to make it through this area in the dark, while my sanity slowly goes down?". The game still has its moments, but there are fewer enemies on the map, and once you come to this realization, the game becomes less frightening. The ending of the games gives players something to think about as it has some insight into how our world may actually be, but I'll let you play it to find that out.

    Overall a good experience, but it was lacking some of the aspects that made Amnesia: The Dark Descent so good.    … Expand
  48. Overvulture
    Nov 9, 2015
    8
    If you're looking for more of what made the first Amnesia so good, you'll probably be let down. This one takes things in a very different direction and dials back the scares and puzzles in favour of sheer atmosphere. It still can be unsettling in parts if you let yourself get sucked into it, and has excellent writing and sound design that really make it memorable. More a very creepyIf you're looking for more of what made the first Amnesia so good, you'll probably be let down. This one takes things in a very different direction and dials back the scares and puzzles in favour of sheer atmosphere. It still can be unsettling in parts if you let yourself get sucked into it, and has excellent writing and sound design that really make it memorable. More a very creepy playable horror story and less an outright horror game, you'll enjoy it if you like more emphasis on environmental horror than the threat of monsters. Experimental and worth experiencing, but not for everyone.… Expand
  49. Moses_Bushido
    Nov 9, 2015
    8
    When people talk about this game being "dumbed down", they mean that the mechanics are more simple, more straightforward. The lantern never runs out of oil, there's no sanity meter and your health regenerates. Basically, that means you'll spend less time hunting for oil and matches, and more time trying to advance the story. I liked the sanity meter in the first game, but I kind of preferWhen people talk about this game being "dumbed down", they mean that the mechanics are more simple, more straightforward. The lantern never runs out of oil, there's no sanity meter and your health regenerates. Basically, that means you'll spend less time hunting for oil and matches, and more time trying to advance the story. I liked the sanity meter in the first game, but I kind of prefer not having it after playing "Machine". I'd rather feel scared rather than play around a mechanic that tells me, "you are scared now."

    This game isn't like the first, but that doesn't mean it's bad. The emphasis is on the story, and it's a fantastic story. It's the kind of thing you have to play through more than once to take in all the subtle references, parallelisms and metaphors. It's the kind of thing you will spend days thinking about after you've played it, maybe weeks.

    The simple truth is, this game got mixed reviews because of two reasons:

    1) It's an "Amnesia" game that strayed from the "Amnesia" formula
    2) It's a story-heavy game, which means less emphasis on gameplay

    Many gamers (in fact, most gamers, I'd say) care more about the gameplay than they do the story, and I think that's creating a narrow view of how games can be utilized. It can work if the "Interactive Story" has more emphasis on the "Story", but it's not for everyone. Purists will say, "if you want a story, watch a f-----ng movie!" I would say, "it wouldn't be as scary." I wouldn't have been as horrified by the revelations I uncovered regarding the main character- the guy who represented me in this imaginary world. The monsters attacking wouldn't have felt as terrifying, because it wouldn't have felt like they were after "Me" in a film context.

    This story could not have worked as a TV show or a movie. It's co-developed by The Chinese Room, the studio behind "Dear Esther", another story-focused game with simple mechanics. People hated that game too, but only those who could not appreciate it as an interactive story, as something not quite the same as a standard video game.

    The Indie game development scene is thriving right now, and with that comes the emergence of a new kind of game. This is why "Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs" will stand out in the years to come as a prototypical example of how story-based games should be.    … Expand
  50. DJKrimson
    Mar 9, 2021
    4
    Huge disappointment, this game is basically Amnisia: the walking sim. The game is way more linear than TDD, there's one straight path from start to finish and you would never risk to go the wrong way because the correct path are always super obvious. Not that it would matter anyway I guess since you can't ever interact with any "wrong doors", there's actually very few things you canHuge disappointment, this game is basically Amnisia: the walking sim. The game is way more linear than TDD, there's one straight path from start to finish and you would never risk to go the wrong way because the correct path are always super obvious. Not that it would matter anyway I guess since you can't ever interact with any "wrong doors", there's actually very few things you can interact with in this game apart from the notes and the audio storytelling objects.

    They also removed all items, insanity meter, oil meter and basically all puzzle elements.    … Expand
  51. Awanka
    Jan 8, 2021
    7
    Despite the lukewarm reception, I found Machine for Pigs to be almost as good as the original Amnesia. The game shares many similar conceits, as you take control of a character with a dodgy memory who is revealed over time to have a dark past that he shares with the main antagonist, an enemy that periodically speaks to you over the phone or through telepathy to give foreboding warnings orDespite the lukewarm reception, I found Machine for Pigs to be almost as good as the original Amnesia. The game shares many similar conceits, as you take control of a character with a dodgy memory who is revealed over time to have a dark past that he shares with the main antagonist, an enemy that periodically speaks to you over the phone or through telepathy to give foreboding warnings or to mock you. The medieval/victorian occult settings of Dark Descent have been replaced by an ominous steampunk aesthetic, as you wander an enormous structure of pipes and machinery. My biggest worry was that they had toned down the dark part of this game, but it's almost as morbid and horrific in subject matter as the original. The main villian has a fascinatingly twisted psychology that marries a deep sense of nihilism about humanity with a savior complex. Monsters aren't as annoying or unavoidable as the first game. There's no sanity mechanic. Fewer moments of improvisational brilliance than the original. All in all, a strong effort.… Expand
  52. Dhelio
    Sep 11, 2013
    5
    "Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs" (AAMFP from now on) takes off several years after the original "Amnesia: the Dark Descent". You play as Oswald Mandus, a feverish english gentleman on a quest to find his children. Story wise, the game is really good. It offers many considerations, and it really gets the player after the first half of the game. The atmosphere is absolutely fantastic, a true"Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs" (AAMFP from now on) takes off several years after the original "Amnesia: the Dark Descent". You play as Oswald Mandus, a feverish english gentleman on a quest to find his children. Story wise, the game is really good. It offers many considerations, and it really gets the player after the first half of the game. The atmosphere is absolutely fantastic, a true lighthouse for the horror genre to follow. Unfortunately, these are the only real good things about AAMFP. After the first of the four hours needed to complete the game, the player will know exactly what to expect from the game. The monsters are plain and not frightening at all, nor will they bother the player too much, since they're easy to outrun or hide from, and their relative uninterest for the player, which is unforgivable in an horror game. Level design is lacking, with too many sideways to avoid monsters and foreseeable dangers, which in turn make the game even easier than it is. Monster encounters are few and forgettable. The necessity to hunt for oil and light has been removed giving the player an electric lamp, which light will defeat anyone fears. Puzzles are far too easy, and the inventory is gone in the name of a more immediate gameplay.

    In the end, AAMFP feels more like a story, told in front of a fireplace in a rainy and cold night, rather than a travel in the depths of human fears. The storytelling is superb, with a writing among the best I've ever read, the visuals are stunning and inspiring, but the gameplay lacks many elements that made Amnesia and Penumbra famous. AAMFP is a good game in its own right, but can't stand the confront with "The Dark Descent".    … Expand
  53. HannibalSmith92
    Sep 11, 2013
    6
    AMFP is not what i expected it to be. You dont have an oil lamp (runing out of oil) like in "The Dark Descent". Your lamp in Machine for Pigs wont go out.
    Another thing which is very dsappointing for me is that you cant open all doors. This makes the game very linear. You always find your way.
    In TDD you could open all doors and explore the whole world which makes the game more scarry    AMFP is not what i expected it to be. You dont have an oil lamp (runing out of oil) like in "The Dark Descent". Your lamp in Machine for Pigs wont go out.
    Another thing which is very dsappointing for me is that you cant open all doors. This makes the game very linear. You always find your way.
    In TDD you could open all doors and explore the whole world which makes the game more scarry too because you never knew what happens next. But now you just have "one way" and you can guess whats coming next. Thats why i'm totaly disappointed from "A Machine for pigs"
    The Graphic is the same like in the first game i think, but thats ok.

    My advise to you: Invest your money in buying "The Dark Descent". You have much more horror there and, whats important too, you can play Custom Stories. A Machine for pigs doesnt support custom stories and i think its not worth the money.    … Expand
  54. Sboriky
    Sep 11, 2013
    6
    Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is completely different from his great predecessor and from the Penumbra series. The gameplay has been greatly simplified, the interaction with the environment has been reduced and the scary atmosphere is less intense than in The Dark Descent.

    Personally I don't like the vision which has The Chinese Room of a game as a "walking adventure"... And unfortunately    Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is completely different from his great predecessor and from the Penumbra series. The gameplay has been greatly simplified, the interaction with the environment has been reduced and the scary atmosphere is less intense than in The Dark Descent.

    Personally I don't like the vision which has The Chinese Room of a game as a "walking adventure"... And unfortunately that's what A Machine for Pigs really is.

    The game is way too easy for being a survival horror game, and the enemies AI is worse than what we have seen in The Dark Descent. The gameplay has not been improved during this three years of development, resulting in a slow and boring gaming experience.

    However, the soundtrack composed by Jessica Curry is simply great and it blends perfectly with the story which is quite engaging, even though I have found it way too complicated and pretentious.    … Expand
  55. Subject98
    Sep 11, 2013
    5
    Perhaps I'm just not a fan of the work that The Chinese Room does. What was supposed to be an 'interactive horror story' is really nothing more than a walk through dark and empty maps with nothing to do and not much to be scared of. By the last hour I found myself running through the rest of it wondering when it would be over because I was starting to get bored. I generally like the ideaPerhaps I'm just not a fan of the work that The Chinese Room does. What was supposed to be an 'interactive horror story' is really nothing more than a walk through dark and empty maps with nothing to do and not much to be scared of. By the last hour I found myself running through the rest of it wondering when it would be over because I was starting to get bored. I generally like the idea behind this game, the story, the setting, the enemies, it's cool and all but the short length and few enemy encounters, and all the mechanics they took away from the first amnesia really left me scratching my head. It feels incomplete to me, is the best way I can describe it.… Expand
  56. asdgqw23
    Sep 11, 2013
    1
    Dear Esther 2 aka Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. What an waste of potential. If this would be made same way as the original, but with its own layout, it would be a big hit. Unfortunately thechineseroom have no visions of pleasing loyal fans of original Amnesia and Penumbras. It seems that they didn't even want to make spiritual successor to original one. Frictional Games has put itself inDear Esther 2 aka Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. What an waste of potential. If this would be made same way as the original, but with its own layout, it would be a big hit. Unfortunately thechineseroom have no visions of pleasing loyal fans of original Amnesia and Penumbras. It seems that they didn't even want to make spiritual successor to original one. Frictional Games has put itself in place similar to as when down syndrome child gives you painting, you are just not allowed to say, that it's piece of This game should not have anything to do with Amnesia brand. One point for partially improved visuals.… Expand
  57. BigDrako
    Sep 11, 2013
    2
    Amnesia: A machine for pigs is a disgrace to the original Amnesia. Why the hell did they have to join forces with The Chinese Room? Dear Esther was a tech demo, not a game and they forced their way into this game basically ruining it. There are no mechanics: the game is just a scary tour. And the worst part is its not scary, not even close to The Dark Descent. The story is boring, youAmnesia: A machine for pigs is a disgrace to the original Amnesia. Why the hell did they have to join forces with The Chinese Room? Dear Esther was a tech demo, not a game and they forced their way into this game basically ruining it. There are no mechanics: the game is just a scary tour. And the worst part is its not scary, not even close to The Dark Descent. The story is boring, you don't feel like you are in the main character shoes, you just push WASD and avoid 2 or 3 ridiculous monsters, face the same water monster as in the first game, sprinting for like 5 seconds in a straight line, and just running through the game like its was a chore after half of it. Amnesia: The Dark Descent scared the crap out of me, challenged me with esploration, resources management and enigmas. I actually had to read the notes. Amnesia: A machine for pigs most amusing moment was grabbing pigs and throwing them. I cannot bother to read the notes and I am not scared or even interested in whats going on. This is a failure and I hope the guys at Frictional Games understand they will not be able to sell again many copies riding the hype that came with the name and the youtube abuse of the game. I hope they take the full brunt of our disappointment and change path if they intend to go for a third Amnesia. Don't dumb down your game, don't strip it of the mechanics that made it good. We are gamers and we want to play, if we wanted to watch a horror movie we would've gone to the damn movie theatre!… Expand
  58. MustacheYou
    Sep 11, 2013
    5
    I understand that atmosphere and everything, and how it has a great "literary" experience. But.. I don't really play a game to read for hours. And a lot of the time you have to sit back and re-read to even understand what the stuff is trying to say to you. And the constant noise... oh my god. Is that ever annoying. I don't understand why they thought putting a million different "scary"I understand that atmosphere and everything, and how it has a great "literary" experience. But.. I don't really play a game to read for hours. And a lot of the time you have to sit back and re-read to even understand what the stuff is trying to say to you. And the constant noise... oh my god. Is that ever annoying. I don't understand why they thought putting a million different "scary" noises would do anything... it only serves to annoy the crap outta me. Otherwise... its not the dark descent. I'm sorry, but I started playing amnesia because it was SCARY and the puzzles were actually challenging. Its none of the above anymore. Yea, atmosphere is nice... but I wasn't expecting to play a dark version of dear Esther... I can't even build my cool forts with boxes to hide from monsters anymore. I'm still going to play it... but i'm not going to be as happy as dark descent made me.… Expand
  59. manchester18
    Sep 11, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game gets a C+... but it should have been an A.

    Mechanically, musically & atmospherically 'a machine for pigs' is perfect. But what wins the game its C+ is its confused, unorganized writing & story. From what I understand, the crew at frictional sacked their old writer (or writers) from 'the dark descent' for dan pinchbeck the guy who wrote for the indie adventure game 'dear esther.' and, as someone who has played 'dear esther,' I can tell you... the writing in that game is not very good.

    as I was playing 'a machine for pigs' I developed several questions, none of which were satisfactorily answered. pretty much all of them had to do with the basic parts of the plot, such as:

    - why are there secret rooms in my house? are these to spy on my own wife? my children? why?
    - why did I begin the game in my bed, which was surrounded by a cage?
    - who let me out of the cage? and aren't I mandus, the boss?
    - for that matter, why did I build 'the machine'? what is its purpose? is it to collect the vitae and become immortal (like alexander of brennenburg in 'the dark descent')? to bring my sons back to life?
    - I do not understand the character of Mandus, his saboteur alter-ego, or the evil mandus which is personified by the machine. none are really explored or have their motives explained. and this is very important because if you're going to have these 'different manduses' having conversations with each other, they need to be distinguishable.
    - what happened to my sons? my wife? I seem to understand that they died but why is this not more clear to me?
    - for that matter, why am I an amnesiac in 'a machine for pigs'? was amnesia a necessary plot element to keep?
    - what the hell happened in mexico? how did it affect me? this is not clear.
    - and who is the professor? why do I speak to him on the tapes?

    I'd also like to add:

    - there were too many notes. 'a machine for pigs' must have had 4x the notes of 'the dark descent' in a much shorter game. and all of them were filled with extraneous nonsense, couldn't keep on topic.... and somehow still failed to explain to me even the basic parts of the game (see above).

    thinking about it now, this game really pisses me off. why? because this should have been even better than amnesia. I understand the vision they had: the vitae alexander strove so hard to collect in 'the dark descent' (which he used to become immortal) is being collected in this game now on an industrial scale. but, like alexander found that animals were a lackluster source of vitae, so, too, in 'a machine for pigs' mandus finds it necessary to extract the vitae from humans. here then come implications of a conspiracy, in which murderers are hired to bring in dead bodies. in which graves are robbed of the recently deceased. and in which imbeciles are brought in from overcrowded mental hospitals. then, the machine is unleashed over all of london in an orgy of horror. but, when this happens its constructor, seeing his own wickedness, decides to the destroy the machine. but this whole vision is exectued poorly. the writer and the producer are at fault here. everyone else did their job.    … Expand
  60. DOSfan
    Sep 10, 2013
    3
    i'm sad to say this game was incredibly boring. no puzzles, no scares, a few chases?
    just felt like you walk around pulling levers and interacting minimally, picking up notes to read, and just making your way to the next section.
    the environment was pretty cool but the game was devoid of substance. the story was there but it doesn't really make up for removal of all the other elements    i'm sad to say this game was incredibly boring. no puzzles, no scares, a few chases?
    just felt like you walk around pulling levers and interacting minimally, picking up notes to read, and just making your way to the next section.

    the environment was pretty cool but the game was devoid of substance.
    the story was there but it doesn't really make up for removal of all the other elements amnesia had previously. the story was ok, but very short.

    i really enjoyed the first amnesia, penumbra games, and even found outlast way more fun than this.

    what a bummer.    … Expand
  61. playercz
    Sep 11, 2013
    2
    TDD= The Dark Descent
    AAMFP= A Machine for Pigs
    Okay, so, I was waiting for the game right when it was announced, I think it was a year ago, it sounded great, Frictionl games thechineseroom would work perfectly right RIGHT?! I will start now. Music The music is decent, its not a masterpiece, but fits the "atmosphere". Voice acting: Voice acting alone was "okay" but it takes    TDD= The Dark Descent
    AAMFP= A Machine for Pigs

    Okay, so, I was waiting for the game right when it was announced, I think it was a year ago, it sounded great, Frictionl games thechineseroom would work perfectly right RIGHT?!

    I will start now.

    Music The music is decent, its not a masterpiece, but fits the "atmosphere".

    Voice acting: Voice acting alone was "okay" but it takes away the main thing that the first amnesia had the feeling of being alone.

    Graphics: The first Amnesia had good graphics for an indie game in 2010- mediocre when compared with AA titles, but in the Machine for pigs the graphics are not even mediocre, theres a lot of recycled textures from TDD, that dont even fit in the industrial-like era of AAMFP.

    Gameplay: Okay guys, this is the worst part..
    I loved TDD for all the interactive enviroment, the inventory system, a light source the Lantern that always didnt have enough oil, but in AAMFP....YOU DONT HAVE AN INVETORY! No you dont, you just have a an upgraded version of the lantern with UNLIMITED "battery", you cant interact with the enviroment, only with chairs and some drawers, not even all the doors!

    The monster: This is a little spoiler so if you still want to play the game skip this paragraph.
    In TDD you were chased by a horrific human-like creatures, but in this game youre. chased. by. a. PIG!
    Yes, a PIG. It isnt even scary and everytime you meet it in the game it just squeels the all time same sound effect and runs away..

    Oh yeah, the story, I will summarize it in one sentence: You have to go turn on a scary machine.

    Verdict:

    Dont buy it, it isnt wort it, if you like a chllenging horror, go for The ol´silent hill games, but not this, its not even a little bit like the first Amnesia.

    2/10 For music.
    I am not even angry anymore, Im sad you fu**ed up thechineseroom.    … Expand
  62. Immun
    Sep 11, 2013
    0
    Where are the mechanics ?
    Everything that made the first Amnesia brilliant was removed. You are left with almost no mechanics.
    You can open doors, pick up notes ...and that's about it.
    It's a dull experience with little to no mechanics, awful puzzles and overcomplicated story telling.
  63. xPocketRavex
    Sep 11, 2013
    3
    Sorry about the low score but if you read you will know why

    Well what can I say, I was worried about this game and thought it would be Amnesia exactly the same as the first one, now i wish it was. Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is a game that has been streamed down as much as possible to give them a wider audience the puzzles are no longer puzzles, no sanity bar, regenerating health and    Sorry about the low score but if you read you will know why

    Well what can I say, I was worried about this game and thought it would be Amnesia exactly the same as the first one, now i wish it was. Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is a game that has been streamed down as much as possible to give them a wider audience the puzzles are no longer puzzles, no sanity bar, regenerating health and no inventory.

    The game lacks fear and suspense, you can now run around the enemies as long as they don't hit you 3 times your fine, you always know were your going as the game is so linear, so run forward and eventually a gate close on the enemies. everything is scripted, so no more random encounters which you had in the first game, which is sad. and the story is uninteresting you just wish it would end. fortunately the game is around 4 hours long and even less is you don't read anything

    I don't have a lot of good to say about this game as even the graphics are poor, very low polly textured static meshes. you like picking up glasses or any object you can see and smashing them against the wall, well its been taken out.

    overall i'm hoping this was just a spin off and this was just something just to keep us going until Amnesia 2 (if there will be) .

    I don't like giving out scores but how much the game is worth so i give it a 5 Gbp (Pounds) meaning bear minimal effort has been taken to make this game and if it does sell well its because it has the name Amnesia in the title.    … Expand
  64. John1337
    Sep 12, 2013
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs falls well below the standard set by Amnesia: The Dark Descent and it was not the experience that I was hoping for. I was hoping for horror like the sounds of torture victims being carried by pipes to prisoners cells that made The Dark Descent so memorable. I was expecting to see horrifying machines doing horrifying things to helpless victims but that is not what I got. I didn't get to see a human being turned into a Pigman which I thought would have been at least part of the climax of the game. Speaking of the Pigman I found this monster to be cute which is not a good quality you want in a supposedly terrifying horror monster. The story was average not great and left a lot to your imagination which like I stated before was extremely disappointing. There is nothing controversial about this game other than the mixed reviews it has been receiving. It is sad to say that Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is a completely forgettable game.… Expand
  65. gimmedatsammich
    Sep 10, 2013
    3
    Handing this off to The Chinese Room was a HUGE mistake, and I hope Frictional never repeats it. Dear Esther was awful- one of the worst gaming experiences of my life- so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that their sequel to The Dark Descent isn't much better. Points about the butchering of the gameplay mechanics and the failure to even come close to matching the depth and emotional impactHanding this off to The Chinese Room was a HUGE mistake, and I hope Frictional never repeats it. Dear Esther was awful- one of the worst gaming experiences of my life- so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that their sequel to The Dark Descent isn't much better. Points about the butchering of the gameplay mechanics and the failure to even come close to matching the depth and emotional impact of the original Amnesia's story have been covered by other irate users, so I won't go there. I'd just like to express how profoundly disappointed I am by A Machine for Pigs (terrible, terrible title by the way- that should have been our first indication of how crappy this game would be.) The Dark Descent was my favorite game of the last decade. I'm just going to pretend like this game doesn't exist. All I can say is that Amnesia 2 better be developed by Frictional, and it better be really, really effing good.… Expand
  66. Musa3486
    Sep 10, 2013
    3
    Sad to say as an Amnesia fan, but this was terrible.Felt so dry and unfamiliar.Every element of a survival horror has been replaced by a Dear Esther story book. The core of the game has been removed with just the name that reminds.Best words to describe this is the final scene in Pleant of the Apes, "You manics,you killed it,you blew it up....etc"I so looked forward for this game.HeySad to say as an Amnesia fan, but this was terrible.Felt so dry and unfamiliar.Every element of a survival horror has been replaced by a Dear Esther story book. The core of the game has been removed with just the name that reminds.Best words to describe this is the final scene in Pleant of the Apes, "You manics,you killed it,you blew it up....etc"I so looked forward for this game.Hey Chinese Room, stay printings pictures in museums and like Fictional do their thing.… Expand
  67. Aiwaz
    Sep 11, 2013
    5
    I am a huge fan of Frictional Games titles and i loved the out of Amnesia, but this "game" its not exactly the kind of thing you would expect from the guys who brought you the Penumbra Series and Amnesia the Dark Descent and i believe (thanks to Chinese Room) this episode could be a pure example of pure "Pretentious Indie bull****" why you can guess why by thinking who made this game,I am a huge fan of Frictional Games titles and i loved the out of Amnesia, but this "game" its not exactly the kind of thing you would expect from the guys who brought you the Penumbra Series and Amnesia the Dark Descent and i believe (thanks to Chinese Room) this episode could be a pure example of pure "Pretentious Indie bull****" why you can guess why by thinking who made this game, like Dear Esther there's no gameplay element in this "game", and you are driven through this linear journey by just solving stupid and easy puzzles and reading scrap of story here and there.
    I am mostly disappointed because they managed to dumb down an already simple but solid gameplay, and everything up by creating a game so linear without any interesting elements which Dark Descent brought us.
    I am utterly disappointed and i hope FG won't make another game with The Chinese room again    … Expand
  68. Zyglroxenon
    Sep 10, 2013
    5
    I find this game very meh. First off, here are the negative things about the game: removal of inventory results in contrived puzzles and discourages exploration, there's limited interactivity with your environment (no more searching in every nook and cranny for precious resources), unlimited light source and removal of the sanity metre results in severely lowered tension, there's overusageI find this game very meh. First off, here are the negative things about the game: removal of inventory results in contrived puzzles and discourages exploration, there's limited interactivity with your environment (no more searching in every nook and cranny for precious resources), unlimited light source and removal of the sanity metre results in severely lowered tension, there's overusage of some heavily scripted events ie jumpscares which lose their impact very fast. Oh, and the story premise (note; premise) is pretty cliched and is a trope. Finding your children, really? That also creates an entirely different tone to the game, it isn't so much about survival as it is about just... finding your children. Too many doors that you flat out can't interact with, they're just there for decoration. The game is also on the short end of the spectrum in terms of length to completion.

    On the positive side, the lighting and sound designs are superb. It really immerses you into the atmosphere and there are also outdoor environments (that is a preference whether a positive or negative thing).

    In short, it doesn't compare well at all to The Dark Descent.

    I hope you found this informative.    … Expand
  69. Isabelbdn
    Sep 15, 2013
    1
    I was expecting something else ...
    1 the story of the game was good but too short
    2 the scenes were good but not too interactive 3 infinite lantern is a joke? 4 the puzzles were laughing, too simple 5 do not need the inventory because the game is too easy 6 do not you worry about your health or getting laudanum or find parts for a complicated puzzle is so easy that you will    I was expecting something else ...
    1 the story of the game was good but too short
    2 the scenes were good but not too interactive
    3 infinite lantern is a joke?
    4 the puzzles were laughing, too simple
    5 do not need the inventory because the game is too easy
    6 do not you worry about your health or getting laudanum or find parts for a complicated puzzle is so easy that you will not die even once
    7 The plot is very repetitive (but simpler) draining pumps to remove the water and was in the first amnesia ...
    8 NO SCARES, there are no moments of fear they promised to

    I expected a lot more They promised us many things and have not been complied The first amnesia with less money was infinitely better ...

    CONCLUSÓN: Do it again

    Make good use of the money collected because it was not worth what I paid for it    … Expand
  70. TheGamingKing
    Feb 16, 2014
    10
    On of the best games I have played, Other reviews are saying that they played the first 30 minutes and quit, to fully get the game you have to play through it, it gets so much scarier. In my eyes you have to fully play a game to review it
  71. Cygon
    Sep 10, 2013
    5
    A machine for pigs does have entertainment value. I played the game from end to end (all 3.5 hours of it) and it was interesting to make guesses as to what's actually going on and getting more and more clues.

    However, that about sums up the game. You can leave your light on from start to finish if you wish and there's no inventory. The scare factor is 0/10 (the game features about 4 or    A machine for pigs does have entertainment value. I played the game from end to end (all 3.5 hours of it) and it was interesting to make guesses as to what's actually going on and getting more and more clues.

    However, that about sums up the game. You can leave your light on from start to finish if you wish and there's no inventory. The scare factor is 0/10 (the game features about 4 or 5 enemy encounters, but they're just anthropomorphic pigs with bad pathfinding, so when one appears in front of you, you lead them in a circle and continue (which is one of the problems: the game is almost entirely a linear walk through rooms, it never locks you in the dark with something scary or such). All puzzles are object fetching (reaching their highpoint when you have to fetch two things instead of one).

    I don't regret this buy, but it is more of a playable fan-fiction story inspired by Amnesia than anything else. "The Dark Descent" was much smarter about how it tried to invoke fear (eg. the water chase, the wine cellar, the vivisection room) and it had clever puzzles. Frictional Games should have taken this game from "The Chinese Room" in its current state and then built their own scares and puzzles into it because what I see could have been an excellent foundation for a real Amnesia 2.    … Expand
  72. AColdOnion
    Sep 10, 2013
    1
    What people are saying is true for the most part...the "gameplay" factor is just not there.. This game has that feel of Gone Home to it and is not really that enjoyable.. I was a huge fan of Dark Decent I had sky high hopes for this game but was let down so bad.. If i would have known that this game was going to be more of a visual novel and not a video game I would have passed on it..What people are saying is true for the most part...the "gameplay" factor is just not there.. This game has that feel of Gone Home to it and is not really that enjoyable.. I was a huge fan of Dark Decent I had sky high hopes for this game but was let down so bad.. If i would have known that this game was going to be more of a visual novel and not a video game I would have passed on it..

    During the first 45 minutes I loved the atmosphere and was actually enjoying myself alot, But after awhile I kept waiting for it to get better (it never did) The game had amazing potential!! But it just seemed the more you dug into it the worse it got. I felt like i was playing a watered down version of TDD minus the fun..If you are going to buy I would 100% recommend waiting for a sale, could not insist anyone to pay $20 for this.    … Expand
  73. soulrider95
    Sep 10, 2013
    6
    I decided to play through the whole game before writing this review, maybe slight spoilers but nothing major. I found this game to be a good exercise in horror. I would hesitate to call this survival horror, as you spend most of your time running through a VERY linear (not necessarily a bad thing, but more about that later on) well constructed corridor. The story is well done, and isI decided to play through the whole game before writing this review, maybe slight spoilers but nothing major. I found this game to be a good exercise in horror. I would hesitate to call this survival horror, as you spend most of your time running through a VERY linear (not necessarily a bad thing, but more about that later on) well constructed corridor. The story is well done, and is what compelled me to go through the game, about 4-6 hours, in one sitting. The sound design is also superb, and made me engage my senses through most of the game. However, the removal of the survival part of survival horror was questionable at best. Your lantern has no oil, and can be used infinitely. The animations on the "monsters" is shoddy, and left me laughing more than screaming. Another questionable part of the game is the decision to make the lantern flicker whenever enemies are near. "Hey guys, here's an idea! Let's warn the player that something scary is going to happen!" Quite honestly this is the main reason for my 6/10 score. That said, for the price (I paid $15, full is $20) the game is fun to play, and will occupy you for a good 4-6 hours. If you can look past some of the questionable design choices, and focus on the world and story built, the game is well worth your time and money.… Expand
  74. davidov_b
    Sep 11, 2013
    1
    I've been waiting for this game for a looong time, and its built up a lot of hype. And this game just falls flat on its face. I'm just gonna keep this short:

    There's no pacing, it's extremely linear, mechanics such as sanity, lamp oil and tinderboxes have been completely removed from the game, the pig monsters are much more dull and easy to escape, the puzzles haven't evolved a bit    I've been waiting for this game for a looong time, and its built up a lot of hype. And this game just falls flat on its face. I'm just gonna keep this short:

    There's no pacing, it's extremely linear, mechanics such as sanity, lamp oil and tinderboxes have been completely removed from the game, the pig monsters are much more dull and easy to escape, the puzzles haven't evolved a bit since the previous game, no inventory, and above all it's poorly optimized.

    Did I also mention it's made by the team behind 'Dear Esther'? There's no need too, because it feels EXACTLY like it. This isn't horror. This is just a quick (really quick; as in 5 hours quick) stroll.

    This game has devolved more than it has evolved.    … Expand
  75. Declow
    Sep 11, 2013
    1
    This is Dear Esther 2. Not amnesia. Most of the gameplay elements from the first game has been removed. They try to make you scared by making you lantern blink but this just spoils the moment of surprise
  76. ianboswell
    Sep 12, 2013
    2
    The first word that comes to mind when thinking about Amnesia a Machine for Pigs now for me, having completed the game, is “Pasturized”
    This is both a good and a bad thing. This is an amnesia that anyone can pick up, play, and be spooked by. There won’t be any moments when you have to just stop playing. If you die you just get right back up again in the previous room. If you get attacked    The first word that comes to mind when thinking about Amnesia a Machine for Pigs now for me, having completed the game, is “Pasturized”
    This is both a good and a bad thing. This is an amnesia that anyone can pick up, play, and be spooked by. There won’t be any moments when you have to just stop playing. If you die you just get right back up again in the previous room. If you get attacked you can sprint past whatever’s attacking you. The control is NEVER taken out of your hands except in a few key moments when there’s no visible or audible threat present. Your character’s sanity doesn’t cripple in fear of the dark. You don’t lose control and hear a heart start beating faster when gazing directly at a monster…
    And let’s talk about the monster. He’s short, fat, and comes off as a little non-threatening. When I first saw the Pigman I actually thought of him as a really sympathetic character. And then he became a down-right comical character. And I really don’t think that’s what the creators wanted to go for in the least bit at all.
    This is a game from the makers of Penumbra: One of the most terrifying survival horror experiences I’ve ever played. And a hell-of-a brain teaser to boot. These are the guys who made a game I actualy had to QUIT because of how difficult and unsolvable a puzzle was. And with Amnesia A Machine for Pigs I managed to complete the game on its first run, without having watch any let’s plays, without any prior knowledge to the game or its puzzles, in just under 4 hours.
    I kept asking myself: Is this the best tool engine they could have used? Did their scenario designers have enough trigger mechanics at their disposal? Because a lot of the jump scares and scary portions of A Machine for Pigs are triggered by just opening a door, or turning a vale: In fact almost all of them involve valves, switches, and ladders. There was one moment when the game’s HELP TEXT actually managed to evoke some honest terror in me. When the game instructed me on how to RUN I was like “oh my GOD am I going to have to start RUNNING FROM SOMETHING NOW?” But that was the most true lovecraftian-style horror-invoking moment for me. And it came from just some help text Dialog.

    At the end of the day, Amnesia: A Machine for pigs is good for a few jump scares, but that’s about it. You might get more joy out of it watching people do a lets play in the dark and getting really scared by goofy looking pig men. That’s about it really. One part near the end had my heart racing only because it was a maze with a teleporting monster inside- Pretty damn horrific! But at the same time I also had moments where I felt like I was playing Half Life 2- when the city was being ransacked by an army of pigmen. Normally comparing a game to Half Life 2 would be a compliment, but in this case it just felt really out of place. It’s like I was a small cog in a much bigger story that was going on and I only got to see a few hints of it- mostly due to the game’s low budget- minimal use of character models and it’s attempt at making the user feel disconnected from the world. The over-use of the same animations again and again also bothered me.

    The best kind of Horror in my opinion is the kind of horror that stays with you. Long into the night, after you’ve put down the book or game, your dreams are reminded of it, your subconscious is so drawn to the terrible consequence of it that it just ruminates about it over and over again- so it infects your dreams, your psyche, your soul- and changes you at the core, making you think about the world differently than you did when you first came into it… Perhaps even developing new phobias, new fears, of the dark, of tight spaces, of even silly things like Spiral Patterns or Children’s Literature.
    You know that kind of horror, right? Or perhaps you’ve been reminded of it.
    The key, dear viewer, is that for every Pasturized horror game out there, we need another Penumbra- or an Anna, and in my opinion Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is not a diamond in the rough- It’s a roller-coaster, you scream then you get off and it’s over. It’s just another poster on the wall of high-budgeted out-of-touch mistakes which forgets the message of the original and forgets about the entire concept of true, lingering, fear…    … Expand
  77. Amnoled
    Sep 10, 2013
    1
    I beat the game in a single four hour sitting. It did not live up to it's predecessor at all.
    First things first, many of the horrifying aspects of the original were removed, including
    tinderboxes, lantern fuel, sanity and the inventory. Without the fear of losing all your sanity, you lose a lot of the fear from the original. "Should I use this tinderbox now, or save it for later? When    I beat the game in a single four hour sitting. It did not live up to it's predecessor at all.
    First things first, many of the horrifying aspects of the original were removed, including
    tinderboxes, lantern fuel, sanity and the inventory. Without the fear of losing all your sanity, you lose a lot of the fear from the original. "Should I use this tinderbox now, or save it for later? When will I find more fuel for my lantern?" Those thoughts were constantly in my mind in the original, making me fear what lies ahead in the darkness even more. Another major problem were the monsters. They were not scary, and quite frankly, they kind of made me laugh. You also don't see them very often. When you do, you MUST sneak past them, there are no wardrobes to hide in if you're spotted. The wardrobes and most doors are locked, leaving a very linear game. No exploring whatsoever. Finally, the story is very predictable, and not overly intriguing. Yes it had it's moments, but it just seemed kind of messy. The music was the only thing that made me give this review a one instead of a zero. It was haunting and beautiful, especially one of the last songs you hear. Overall, this game was a large disappointment, and as there are no custom stories available for it, I'm not sure if I'll be playing it again in the near future.    … Expand
  78. kaosdarkness
    Sep 11, 2013
    1
    El nuevo amnesia no me pareció para nada bueno. Le quitaron demasiadas cosas y no agregaron completamente nada. Donde está el medidor de cordura, mi estado de salud, etc etc etc etc. donde está esa oscuridad infinita que me hace desear no avanzar. Ya no existe. ¿Por que trabajaron con los desarrolladores de Dear Ester?!!! por que?!! Los enemigos son demasiado estúpidos. El juego recurre aEl nuevo amnesia no me pareció para nada bueno. Le quitaron demasiadas cosas y no agregaron completamente nada. Donde está el medidor de cordura, mi estado de salud, etc etc etc etc. donde está esa oscuridad infinita que me hace desear no avanzar. Ya no existe. ¿Por que trabajaron con los desarrolladores de Dear Ester?!!! por que?!! Los enemigos son demasiado estúpidos. El juego recurre a pobres movimientos de pantalla para asustar. El primer amnesia es una obra maestra, pero este deja mucho que desear. Outlast es mas amnesia, no puedo creerlo. Estoy muy decepcionado.… Expand
  79. JohnDoe123
    Sep 12, 2013
    3
    There are lots of things that I could criticize the game for, but I think I can sum it up by saying this:
    A Machine for Pigs entirely fails to be a horror game. It mostly fails to be a game. And as a storytelling exercise it is overly pretentious and poorly executed.
  80. SR_Gaming
    Sep 11, 2013
    6
    Amnesia A Machine for Pigs has an ok story however the story was pretty short as well as enjoyable but there is no custom story mode which is a little bit disappointing the story was not drawing me in and most the time i was hoping for jump scares but... there is only one or two but not like the Dark Decent which was amazing the jump scares where amazing in the original but i would notAmnesia A Machine for Pigs has an ok story however the story was pretty short as well as enjoyable but there is no custom story mode which is a little bit disappointing the story was not drawing me in and most the time i was hoping for jump scares but... there is only one or two but not like the Dark Decent which was amazing the jump scares where amazing in the original but i would not want you to buy it unless you really want to.… Expand
  81. Phenominaljard
    Sep 11, 2013
    6
    This game... This psychological horror game fails to thrill on the levels it desired, and then some. When a master chef creates a recipe for something incredible he usually writes it down and never forgets it. He will continue to refer to that recipe over and over again and improve on that recipe until he makes something unbelievable. Replace master chef with Frictional Games and youThis game... This psychological horror game fails to thrill on the levels it desired, and then some. When a master chef creates a recipe for something incredible he usually writes it down and never forgets it. He will continue to refer to that recipe over and over again and improve on that recipe until he makes something unbelievable. Replace master chef with Frictional Games and you have what the Amnesia games SHOULD have been. Instead they subtract what made the original so amazing. A lot of reviews are bashing the game for being unlike the original and I am not doing that. Instead I will look at it as a stand alone game: A boring, easy, over simplified five hours of meandering through an atmospheric world, sometimes avoiding creatures that don't necessarily go "bump in the night". Don't get me wrong, the monsters will scare you from time to time and they will require you to take a deep breath here and there, but overall, even on a psychological level, this game just isn't horror. It is more like a very disturbing story created by very good writers, not scarers. The lack of mechanics in the game were supposed to create a more "story-driven" experience instead just ruined the experience altogether. No lantern oil, no tinderboxes, no sanity, no inventory, no object gathering, no exploration. What's left? Walking through straight corridors hitting buttons, picking up phones, and pulling levers. It doesn't take strategy, it doesn't take skill, and it certainly isn't worth comparing to the original. However, there is one redeeming quality, the story. This disturbing, putrid, vile, horror story manages to almost completely accomplish its task of engulfing the player into the world, and it ALMOST scares the of the average player. Unfortunately, for most, it will not do so, and thus Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs receives a 6 out of 10. Thank you for reading!… Expand
  82. theK2
    Sep 11, 2013
    6
    A Machine for Pigs is an enjoyable horror game. It's got some pretty well done environments, excellent sound, and if you hate pigs, creepy enemies. The problem is, its not a good amnesia sequel. The enemies fail to shock the way the misshapen freaks of the the first game did, and many of them poof out of existence once you get past them. This kills the game's tension, and you rarely haveA Machine for Pigs is an enjoyable horror game. It's got some pretty well done environments, excellent sound, and if you hate pigs, creepy enemies. The problem is, its not a good amnesia sequel. The enemies fail to shock the way the misshapen freaks of the the first game did, and many of them poof out of existence once you get past them. This kills the game's tension, and you rarely have to worry about an enemy you've past re-appearing to hunt you. Also, the ever-fueled electric lantern and lack of a sanity system lets you creep around the few enemy encounters in the dark like a Victorian ninja. Machine lacks the jump scares of The Dark Descent, but in its place it has a well developed atmosphere that's sure to disturb. All in all, Machine's a good game, with a twisted (but confusing) story that sadly fails to deliver a satisfying conclusion. Its good, but it's not Dark Descent.… Expand
  83. dReaMMMM
    Sep 14, 2013
    6
    Amnesia the Dark Descent was one of my favorite games ever made. It perfectly blended horror, adventure, and inventory management and was a perfect package (despite being 3-4 hours long). A Machine For Pigs scraps the inventory management as a WHOLE, and focuses on puzzles and such to keep you progressing. While playing A Machine For Pigs, I realized one thing.

    I was bored. The puzzles    Amnesia the Dark Descent was one of my favorite games ever made. It perfectly blended horror, adventure, and inventory management and was a perfect package (despite being 3-4 hours long). A Machine For Pigs scraps the inventory management as a WHOLE, and focuses on puzzles and such to keep you progressing. While playing A Machine For Pigs, I realized one thing.

    I was bored.
    The puzzles weren't entertaining enough to keep me wanting to play, and It takes WAY WAY WAYYYYYYYYY too long to ramp up the horror factor. The Chinese Room obviously had their way with Amnesia, as it truly feels like Dear Esther with a bit more interaction. To me, A Machine could have been GREAT if it had just retained the Dark Descent's mechanics, but no. A Machine For Pigs is not a terrible game; it has a great story, and great music/sound effects that match the tone and atmosphere perfectly. But the gameplay was obviously dumbed down, and it shows. So once again, AMFP is not terrible.

    It is just disappointing.    … Expand
  84. Zimbardo
    Sep 10, 2013
    5
    If you want a horror game or a sequel to Dark Descent, this is not it. Use your $20 on Outlast.
    If you want a darker version of Dear Esther, then A Machine for Pigs is pretty entertaining but get it when it's on sale for $5.
    When Frictional games had set out to make Dark Descent they used their experience with the Penumbra series to make gold. They built on what worked in the 3    If you want a horror game or a sequel to Dark Descent, this is not it. Use your $20 on Outlast.
    If you want a darker version of Dear Esther, then A Machine for Pigs is pretty entertaining but get it when it's on sale for $5.

    When Frictional games had set out to make Dark Descent they used their experience with the Penumbra series to make gold. They built on what worked in the 3 Penumbra games and dropped what didn't. It was like a lab for creating the perfect monster.
    The problem with A Machine for Pigs is that the devs at the Chinese Room did not have this experience and it shows, hard. This game has some jumps but you will not feel fear while playing it. If you see someone really scared while playing this on youtube, they are hamming it up for the camera to get ad revenue. The game tried to evoke disgust, not fear.
    The Chinese Room also dropped many of the mechanics that make Dark Descent so good, which is probably one of biggest and most confusing mistakes imaginable. Everything was in place, why drop what worked? For example...
    1) The insanity meter is gone. In Dark Descent this meter helped ensure that you couldn't look directly at the monsters and this kept them scary throughout the game. The pigs here will not scare you after you get a good look at them.
    2) Puzzles are gone. Puzzles are challenging and rewarding when you solve them. A Machine for Pigs is not challenging in the slightest. A Machine for Pigs is also highly scripted and as on the rails as you can get (a la Dear Esther). There's little in the way of exploration, you are essentially moving forward on a linear path turning wheels and hitting switches as you bump into them. In Dark Descent you had to have some idea of why you were doing these things, not here.
    3) Your torch lasts forever. Having to limit your use of the lantern in Dark Descent game the game a sense of urgency and impending doom (aka if I run out of light I am dead).

    The things that made this game enjoyable are also what made Dear Esther kinda fun. Good voice acting and music. Excellent visuals (albeit on a dated engine) and visually distinct areas made for nice variety. The story is also cool. So it's a nicely packaged visual story but don't expect anything remotely related to your experience during Dark Descent.    … Expand
  85. NotoriousPyro
    Sep 11, 2013
    0
    When I heard there was going to be a sequel I was over the moon, until I read it was being produced by The Chinese Room... I thought, under the eye of Frictional it surely can't go wrong... Boy was I wrong.

    This game is wrong on so many levels, no tinderboxes, lamp fuel, no real monster chases or hiding, no inventory, even the story is badly written compared to Amnesia: The Dark    When I heard there was going to be a sequel I was over the moon, until I read it was being produced by The Chinese Room... I thought, under the eye of Frictional it surely can't go wrong... Boy was I wrong.

    This game is wrong on so many levels, no tinderboxes, lamp fuel, no real monster chases or hiding, no inventory, even the story is badly written compared to Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

    I have been a very long time fan of Frictional, but I will not play another game developed by anyone but them from now on.

    Save your money and buy Outlast and Amnesia: The Dark Descent instead.    … Expand
  86. HelloMrHell
    Sep 10, 2013
    6
    Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs is an okay game, with no cheap jumpscares, scary moments, and a frightening atmosphere. It's not as scary as Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Nothing will beat that. It has some problems with shadows. But! It's hell a' scary when you play it. You encounter pigs. Not normal pigs. But buffed up, HUGE pigs.
  87. PenisMan69
    Sep 11, 2013
    5
    Amnesia: A Loading Screen for $20 combines an interesting (if not creative) and overall well-written horror story with gameplay that does not do it justice, and is disappointing compared to the original amnesia. With no sanity meter, you're free to look at the enemies, and when you do you'll notice that they aren't scary.

    I'd give it a 5 (roughly an 8 for the story and a 2 for the    Amnesia: A Loading Screen for $20 combines an interesting (if not creative) and overall well-written horror story with gameplay that does not do it justice, and is disappointing compared to the original amnesia. With no sanity meter, you're free to look at the enemies, and when you do you'll notice that they aren't scary.

    I'd give it a 5 (roughly an 8 for the story and a 2 for the incorporation of gameplay.)

    Also, there are very long loading screens every 15-20 minutes.    … Expand
  88. Sepultor
    Sep 11, 2013
    2
    A esta porqueria de juego le doy un 2 y porque el sonido no esta nada mal. El resto es todo basura, una autentica porqueria.

    Graficos de ps2 Jugabildiad basada en mantener durante 4 horas la W para avanzar y girar el raton en algunas curvas o esquinas. Historia que esta medio bien y que luego se va a tomar por culo. En fin una mierda de juego 56.000 VECES PEOR que la primera parte    A esta porqueria de juego le doy un 2 y porque el sonido no esta nada mal. El resto es todo basura, una autentica porqueria.

    Graficos de ps2
    Jugabildiad basada en mantener durante 4 horas la W para avanzar y girar el raton en algunas curvas o esquinas.
    Historia que esta medio bien y que luego se va a tomar por culo.

    En fin una mierda de juego 56.000 VECES PEOR que la primera parte que s una obra maestra y otras 56.000 veces peor que OUTLAST.

    BUY AMNESIA THE DARK DESCENT & OUTLAST.    … Expand
  89. DigitalAcuity
    Sep 11, 2013
    3
    I've been looking forward to this for a long time, but I have to say it's my biggest gaming disappointment of the year. This game is not really worthy of the name Amnesia at all as its just so different and in my opinion not in a good way.

    They have removed several gameplay mechanics of the original and replaced them with, well nothing actually. You can't manipulate the environment at    I've been looking forward to this for a long time, but I have to say it's my biggest gaming disappointment of the year. This game is not really worthy of the name Amnesia at all as its just so different and in my opinion not in a good way.

    They have removed several gameplay mechanics of the original and replaced them with, well nothing actually. You can't manipulate the environment at all unless its puzzle related, of which you just bring an item to a certain place or pull levers to progress. In-fact, there isn't much gameplay at all now. Its a very linear short experience, around four hours at best.

    The horror aspect basically now relies on jump scares, shaking the screen, and loud noises, something the original never had to resort to. In fact once you realise how terrible the monsters AI is after the first few encounters and how bad they are at actually catching you it isn't even scary anymore, plus your warned whenever a monster is nearby by your flashlight flickering. There's also only about 5 places in the entire game where you can actually even be chased.

    The only good points I can say about it, is the storyline isn't that bad, it has a good soundtrack, sound assets and the atmosphere in general is good up until that point you cease being scared for the above reasons anyway.

    All in all though a huge disappointment.    … Expand
  90. harrydoener
    Sep 10, 2013
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First things first, the story of this game is really good and i really liked the ending. Okay, the storytelling was quite straight forward and it was kind of obvious, that the children were already dead, but there were also some nice plot twists and overall it was pretty good.
    The graphics were also rather pretty to look at and they helped to build a spooky atmosphere.
    But the huge problem I had with this game was everything else.
    I think I should describe what I experienced when I played the game. Note that I did not read any reviews beforehand and just jumped right into it, expecting a game like Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

    It started out pretty creepy, but suddenly I noticed I couldn't interact with anything. After five minutes of running around searching for something to interact with, I figured there was nothing. Okay. Perhaps people did not like that in "The Dark Descent". Next I found the lamp. I tried to open my inventory, but there was none. Then came the puzzles. Except there were none, just carrying item A to point B and pulling lever C. Then I saw the monster for the first time, whilst refilling my tank with something (oil? I don't remember what that black goo was). I was pretty excited and afraid when it started to bash down the door in front of me. I hid in the corner and faced the wall, hoping the tactics of "A Dark Descent" would still work. After ten seconds, the monster stopped the bashing and left. I was a little disappointed but went on my merry way. When the monster ran past me for the second time, I was scared again. That was the last time in the whole game.
    And that is the biggest problem I had with "A Machine for Pigs". It was not scary. Sometimes I had the feeling that the monsters were afraid of ME. You just have to turn out your lamp and they won't even notice you. And when they do, run 6m and they stop following you. You won't go insane looking at them. The sanity meter? You have none. And you have only 4 encounters with those normal monsters in the whole game! 4! Why only 4? That is NOTHING!
    Then came the waters of doom and the famous splooshers... wait? You just see them? You don't interact with them? That is right. It felt like a zootrip. Hey, honey, look over there? That is a tiger. And that is an imp. Ridiculous. But there is a chase with the monsters. You fall down a bridge and run over a fenced alley to a ladder. 10 seconds max. And the chasing monster is too slow to catch you even if you stop. And then it all went REALLY downhill...
    You go to the surface after a long quest and... BOOM, pigmen everywhere! Excited? Don't be, they won't attack. About twenty of them and THEY DON'T ATTACK. Why not? That would have been great, sneaking through a burning, pigmen-infested city... but no, you have ONE pigman at the end of the level that chases you down an alley. After you trigger him. Or you just stop in front of the invisible "the pigman can see you"-line and look at him. Felt like being in a zoo... oh, wait, deja vu.
    But after you trigger him he starts chasing you and... you can just turn around and run through him. I played bullfighting with that stupid thing for about 2 minutes, then I left him alone back in the streets. I hope he is alright. Was the best friend I had in the game And that was it.
    No wait, I think there was a bossfight. Kind of. With two stages. The boss is a teleporting electropigman I s*t you not). The first time I barely saw him, because I already solved the "puzzle" before he could appear and he just burst into lightening. In the second phase he chased me through some corridors. I died once, because I wanted to see how many hits I could take from him (hoping he was a one-hit-killer like the brute). It took him 4 hits to kill me. Pathetic. By the way, I died once before that in the game against a normal pigman (for the same reason). He was weaker than his teleporting counterpart, he took me down with six hits. Yes, I am not making this up. Sadly not. But back to the endboss. He once had me cornered but I was saved in the last moments. By whom? By HIMSELF. He jumped into me and teleported away. Why did he do that? Who programmed that AI? And afterwards the game was over.
    It took me about three hours a little bit more perhaps) to finish the whole game. It would have taken less time without the fun I had with the pigmen. Yes. FUN. In a horror game. Great.

    Okay,I think I said enough. I am so incredibly disappointed. I waited almost two years for this. I was so excited I couldn't sleep the night before release. And this is what I got? Well, if this would have been called "A Machine for Pigs" it would have been quite a funny little game. But this had nothing to do with what I had expected of an "Amnesia"-Sequel. Nothing. Perhaps I should have done more research about the whole game. But this was not worth the wait.    … Expand
  91. interpulse
    Sep 11, 2013
    0
    Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is a regressed, disgraceful, version of The Dark Descent and should be avoided by anyone expecting the same quality and experience of the previous title.

    Most of the game's functionality has been stripped and removed completely, such as: - Inventory and Item management - Sanity (Replaced with scripted 'Insanity' effects during events that last only a few    Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is a regressed, disgraceful, version of The Dark Descent and should be avoided by anyone expecting the same quality and experience of the previous title.

    Most of the game's functionality has been stripped and removed completely, such as:
    - Inventory and Item management

    - Sanity (Replaced with scripted 'Insanity' effects during events that last only a few seconds)
    -- No Sanity potion

    - Item pick-ups such:
    -- Oil (Your lantern can stay on indefinitely)
    -- Tinderboxes (Light as many candles as you want)
    -- Laudanum (Health regenerates quickly now, no need for potions)
    -- Puzzle pieces (You have to carry the items by holding them and walking)

    - Most objects in the game are static and non-interactable. The only items that are interactable are puzzle-related pieces.

    The puzzles in the game are non-challenging and provoke no intellectual problem-solving. Anytime there is a "puzzle" you receive a flurry of journals indicating what exactly you must do with very little effort on the developer's behalf to deceive the message. No challenge whatsoever.

    No voice-overs for the journals or documents.

    The lighting in the game is practically useless. I understand by keeping the game dark it creates fear and suspense in the player, but this is ridiculous. A typical light, such as a desk light, will illuminate an area of about three feat in diameter. There is no ambient lighting or bounce lighting. You could light 20 desk lights (which probably have at least a 40watt bulb) and still have a majority of a room pitch black.

    The post-process effects are awful. They coat the screen in a thick green or blue colored filter that washes out all other colors and tints everything green or blue, even your lantern spotlight.

    The AI pigs aren't scary. Not in the slightest.

    The level design is built with linearity in mind. In The Dark Descent there were times where you would have to backtrack to a certain areas to ultimately be able to progress; that has been removed.    … Expand
  92. Diango
    Sep 14, 2013
    3
    A:amfp was marketed as an Amnesia game. Sold as an Amensia game. Its nice that it wasn't mean to be an Amnesia game, but you can't sell apples to people and then flip you wig when customers get pissed off when they discover you actually sold them oranges.

    I understand FG and TCR are relatively new to the major gaming market, but welcome to marketing responsibility folks. I wish art    A:amfp was marketed as an Amnesia game. Sold as an Amensia game. Its nice that it wasn't mean to be an Amnesia game, but you can't sell apples to people and then flip you wig when customers get pissed off when they discover you actually sold them oranges.

    I understand FG and TCR are relatively new to the major gaming market, but welcome to marketing responsibility folks. I wish art houses like TCR could make really cool and experimental experiences without the need to worry about pesky things like customers and brand identity. But you know what, they sold the game for a profit, people paid money for a promised product, they got something different as evidence from the mixed reviews and now its time to sit down and think about not how you want to make games in the future, but how you market them from now on.

    Overall good job on the game A:amfp. It was a good game. Wasn't my cup of tea as I still consider the story to be shallow and pretentious. The scares were intellectually cheap in my opinion. Using ambiguity recklessly, and relying on shocking narrative just doesn't do it for me. But the atmosphere and sound assets where phenomenal. In terms of marketing, really poor job guys.    … Expand
  93. flamingskulls73
    Sep 17, 2013
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As an avid Amnesia: The dark descent fan, I am extremely disappointed with A Machine For Pigs. For starters, the monsters are laughably easy to avoid. Every time there was an actual encounter with one of the walking pigs, I could literally run right by them, be chased for a few seconds, and they would give up. In the original, the monsters would actively seek you out for a very long time, forcing you to run in the darkness as the terror-meter blared, and tremble in a dark corner as they approached. The fact that you can stare at the new pig monsters with no ill effects is another minus, for I'm sure we all remember the horrible repercussions of staring too long at a monster in ATDD (being discovered and promptly chased from here to Marathon).
    The removal of the inventory was another major letdown. One of the best little features of ATDD was being able to pick up pretty much anything and investigate it, and possibly store it in your inventory. In AAMFP, you can pick up a few chairs, not that you need them to throw at monsters since they don't really chase you. Removal of the need for light was also a terrible mistake, in my opinion. Without the need for light, the horror factor of running into a monster was incredibly diminished. The lantern in AAMFP even flickers to let you know that there is a monster nearby! The few jump scares involving the pigs ended with no chase, no continuation of the feeling of dread, no follow up monster. Just silence and confusion on my part.
    On the plus side, the story was fairly good. I absolutely loved Mandus' character and the way the plot unveiled, but it was a bit predictable. After the experience of realizing that Daniel was torturing people in ATDD, finding out that Mandus was the saboteur and the inventor of the Machine wasn't that shocking, just kind of "Oh, yeah. I thought so."
    In addition, the game kept crashing on me in the middle of the most tense moments, causing me to quickly loose interest and immersion, whereas ATDD told me how to play the game for the best effect and ran smoothly on the highest graphics settings.
    Not worth the $20 I spent on it.

    Pros: Soundtrack, first 1/2 of plot, graphics
    Cons: Monsters, lack of inventory, no environmental interaction, weak last half of plot, everything else    … Expand
  94. Rhys1000
    Sep 10, 2013
    5
    Sadly this game is good and bad in alot of ways and it is worse then it's predecessor, i should probably start on the gameplay, the gameplay in a machine for pigs is lacking in alot of ways in this game they decided to limit to how much objects you can pick up which i don't know why the they thought this was a good idea also removing the inventory system,refueling your lamp, and also ALSOSadly this game is good and bad in alot of ways and it is worse then it's predecessor, i should probably start on the gameplay, the gameplay in a machine for pigs is lacking in alot of ways in this game they decided to limit to how much objects you can pick up which i don't know why the they thought this was a good idea also removing the inventory system,refueling your lamp, and also ALSO removing sanity, why in the i know they wanted to go for a more story approach this time around but they didn't have to remove everything that made the dark descent fun also for a horror this game ISN'T SCARY in the dark descent i was always paranoid checking behind me to check if something was there i had chills going down my spine and it truly scared me HERE the pigs look ridiculous and instead of being petrified i laughed seriously and to add insult to injury there are less enemies in this then the dark descent WHY?! in this there are 2! ****ING 2 and they barely look different one is big the other is small in the dark descent they were 3 and they all looked different and horrifying in so many ways, to be honest in this game i had more fun interacting with a chair then anything else in this game!. For graphics the graphics are not fantastic but they are not the worst for 2013 some low res textures here and there but nothing terrible. The thing this game does good is the story and the atmosphere and probably the only thing that made me want to learn further more about what is going on and it intrigues you UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY SEE WHAT YOU ARE UP AGAINST Guess what the game is also very short! it will last you a whole 6 hours 6 HOURS?! that is how long it took me to complete the game and i have no thoughts of returning to this sadly what an utter disappointment i have to give this game a 5 an average score… Expand
  95. KillaRiku
    Sep 10, 2013
    3
    I was'nt this disappointed for years. No Inventory. Low level puzzles. Barely horror. You can't even put out your lantern. It is'nt scary anymore.
    Buy Outlast. Or play the first game. Those are two good horrorgames!
  96. Baub
    Sep 12, 2013
    4
    They took a "Survival Horror" game, and removed the 'survival' aspect, and the game wasn't even scary so it loses its title of 'horror' as well.

    So what are we left with? Certainly not a game (thanks Chinese Room!), but rather a mediocre, interactive story.
  97. Marco299
    Sep 13, 2013
    3
    This game shouldn't be exist. the chinese room ruin the good name of this brand. I don't know why Frictional decided to give his game to another team, but the result is a disaster. Amnesia: a machine for pigs is the worst sequel you can imagine.
  98. dupdog1
    Sep 10, 2013
    1
    This game sucked. It was a huge step backwards from the previous game. There is no longer an inventory system, sanity system, or even a limited light source. The new lantern no longer has a limited supply of fuel and never runs out. If you have played Dear Esther, you will feel right at home. This game plays the same way, with a few mutant pigs running around which i never could figure outThis game sucked. It was a huge step backwards from the previous game. There is no longer an inventory system, sanity system, or even a limited light source. The new lantern no longer has a limited supply of fuel and never runs out. If you have played Dear Esther, you will feel right at home. This game plays the same way, with a few mutant pigs running around which i never could figure out how they got there in the first place. The only good thing about this game was the new "boss" which is a fat pig with electrical super powers. Which would be cool except the AI for all the pigs seemed about as intelligent as the ghosts from PacMan. I can count on my fingers the amount of "scary" moments included in this game. You can feel that they tried so hard to keep a dark atmosphere, but it doesn't work. At one point I was climbing a ladder, and they tried to throw in a jump scare by having what looked like a 4 year old's drawing of a pig appear in front of my face. It actually made me laugh. I could have spent my 15 dollars on a good indie game and supported new developers. I could have taken my money and bought 15 hamburgers from McDonald's and been more scared. I'm really angry right now. This game made no sense, I hate it.

    Love Dupdog1    … Expand
  99. ProfessorCoke
    Sep 11, 2013
    0
    This game is not even worth checking out, its not even close to the first amnesia, all the jump scares are cheap, and the monsters AI is stupid, wish I could get my money back, 0/10 would play again.
  100. ShocklineHD
    Sep 11, 2013
    0
    The most frightening part of this game was the story line.

    Thanks to(EldritchW) It literally removes all valid gameplay from previous titles, There is no more resource management, no more insanity. At least 50% of the game in Penumbra was storing stuff in your inventory, using them for puzzels, this was slightly less focused on in Amnesia, and taken out completly in MfP There is    The most frightening part of this game was the story line.

    Thanks to(EldritchW)

    It literally removes all valid gameplay from previous titles, There is no more resource management,
    no more insanity.
    At least 50% of the game in Penumbra was storing stuff in your inventory, using them for puzzels, this was slightly less focused on in Amnesia,
    and taken out completly in MfP
    There is no advantage to just staring at the monsters from
    your corner in the dark and look at them move around.

    Not scary at all what happend in all those months working on this game?
    I barely scared once and after about 20 minutes of playing there was nothing left that could let me freak out!

    If you want to laugh this is the best game for it!

    Shame on you, chinese room and co.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
69
#69 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 59 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 59
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 59
  3. Negative: 1 out of 59
  1. Level7.nu
    Dec 12, 2013
    70
    A Machine for Pigs is a well made and impressive game with a thorough thematic design and atmosphere. As a horror game it is rather spartan yet brilliant in that it let’s your brain conjure most of its horrors. Unfortunately it comes with a rather numbing effect that makes later parts of the game feel more formulaic and not as scary.
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  2. GameOver.gr
    Nov 5, 2013
    50
    With problematic pacing and a complete lack of the horror element -that was the highlight of the first game- A Machine for Pigs didn't meet our expectations.
    Read full review
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Oct 24, 2013
    80
    A perfect clash of Dear Esther and Amnesia, focused on straining your nerves while easing - perhaps a tad too much - on the interaction and gameplay. [Issue#234]
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