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. diezlwolf
    Sep 16, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Honestly I had very high hopes for an Amnesia sequel, but A Machine for Pigs was very disappointing. I don't want to impugn the hard work of the wonderful developers who worked on the project, but the game felt like it was half-assed, for which there is no excuse given that the release date kept getting pushed back. My biggest complaint is that this game is barely even 30% as scary as The Dark Descent mainly because they removed the insanity mechanic. The Dark Descent was so terrifying because you were FORCED into the darkness at the cost of your character's sanity in order to survive and make progress, relying only on your finite lantern oil and finite tinderboxes to keep you on the right track.

    This game also lacks any kind of puzzles worth mentioning, making it feel dull and easy if there's nothing to use your brain on then why not just have the player walk through the entire game?

    Elimination of the inventory screen was also a big mistake. Having items for the player to collect: whether they're vital pieces of some puzzle down the road or precious vials of laudanum or lantern oil entices the player to explore dark areas they might otherwise just walk by. The inventory screen also gives players the option of having and using tools to solve puzzles or break through impassable areas, giving another dimension of creativity to making progress.

    The enemy design in this game is uninspired to say the least. Given there is no "insanity penalty" for looking at the monsters it allows the player to study them closely and see just how unthreatening they are. The enemies encountered in the Dark Descent by contrast are nothing less than the stuff of nightmares: I've played through thousands of hours of zombie games in my lifetime and I've yet to encounter anything even remotely as terrifying as the Servant-Gatherers from the Dark Descent (honorable mention: Pyramid Head but he STILL doesn't strike fear into the heart of the player like Mr. Face screaming towards you in a dark corridor).

    Finally, the storytelling elements in this game fall flat over so many omitted details. The journal entries were just words on the screen (in a hard-to-read font) rather than the outstanding voice-acting and ambiance-of-terror music of its predecessor. A Machine for Pigs had none of the dramatic irony through music, well-placed flashbacks, hallucinations of screaming victims, or other unsettling events which make a horror story feel authentic. While the music composed for this game wasn't bad, it didn't go far enough and there wasn't enough of it. Silence through corridors isn't spooky it just seems lazy. Attention to every little detail of the experience is why I've recommended Amnesia: The Dark Descent to just about everybody I know, purely on artistic grounds alone to say nothing of being the single most terrifying work of media I've ever encountered.

    I thank the developers for their hard work on this entry into the Amnesia series, and I hope they will return to and build upon the original formula of The Dark Descent in making a third Amnesia game.    … Expand
  2. btard
    Sep 16, 2013
    0
    Hated it. Story was great. Idea was great. There's barely any evading! There's zero to none interactions with objects, only the one they want you to use. I only got scared 2 or 3 times in the entire game. Very disappointed.
  3. Noxious
    Apr 9, 2014
    4
    I only want to say a few things about this:

    1) My vocabulary was increased whilst playing this game. Thanks Frictional, I learned a bunch of new words, yay me! 2) And all you need to know, is I have never played a single player game and wanted it to end so badly and for so long - only to have it drag on for hours as I began my sprint to the finish far too soon. Just not even CLOSE    I only want to say a few things about this:

    1) My vocabulary was increased whilst playing this game. Thanks Frictional, I learned a bunch of new words, yay me!

    2) And all you need to know, is I have never played a single player game and wanted it to end so badly and for so long - only to have it drag on for hours as I began my sprint to the finish far too soon.

    Just not even CLOSE to A Dark Descent.    … Expand
  4. EKS666
    Sep 26, 2013
    4
    This game was one of the biggest disappointments lately. What made the original so memorable is not sustained in this installment, instead there is a game of walking through large, uninteresting areas and doing simple puzzles. The soundtrack for this game was very immerse and matched the style of the game perfectly, but it felt like most of the game was spent in an awkward silence. I haveThis game was one of the biggest disappointments lately. What made the original so memorable is not sustained in this installment, instead there is a game of walking through large, uninteresting areas and doing simple puzzles. The soundtrack for this game was very immerse and matched the style of the game perfectly, but it felt like most of the game was spent in an awkward silence. I have played many games that a silent soundtrack for most of the game works in its favor, but this isn't one of them. This entire game just feels empty. All of the areas have no one else in them except for the occasional enemy that you can simply run past with no challenge, and I found myself asking "Where is everyone?"

    This game does do some things right, such as the absolutely dreadful atmosphere, with the added immersion from the soundtrack and the excellent voice acting. It is a game similar to Dear Esther, with about the same amount of immersion, but without the memorable visuals and the interesting and original areas like in Dear Esther.

    Anything that might have been hard to program for the developers is left out, such as the inventory system, sanity system, depleting light source, extra items to interact with other than the immediate next thing to do, and other things that would have made the game more interesting. This game is way too short and way too easy, only around 3.5-4 hours with no replay value and no multiplayer, which is unacceptable for a game priced higher than better indie games such as Fez or Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. It's extremely lazy, and just a cash-in on the success of the first game.    … Expand
  5. Zeno3399
    Sep 13, 2013
    4
    This feels more like the first amnesia a lot of features are gone that was in dark decent these devs got lazy no more phys but chairs and doors pretty much., but better then nothing still sorta dissapointed game did go down hill.
  6. Blackpearl2929
    Sep 21, 2013
    4
    Amnesia a machine for pigs is not as good as I expected it to be. It has barely any interaction with objects, no potions, good jump scares or a good monster.In my opinion it was quite a downfall for the creators. Personally for me it just seemed like a mod, not a full game made by the same creators as Amnesia's the dark descend's. Again: the monsters were simply ridiculous and the storyAmnesia a machine for pigs is not as good as I expected it to be. It has barely any interaction with objects, no potions, good jump scares or a good monster.In my opinion it was quite a downfall for the creators. Personally for me it just seemed like a mod, not a full game made by the same creators as Amnesia's the dark descend's. Again: the monsters were simply ridiculous and the story didn't connect what so ever, the game cant even be called horror anymore, there wasn't even an inventory! The game was just bad.… Expand
  7. Alexx101
    Sep 30, 2013
    1
    Do not purchase this game. It was a disappointment. First, you can't interact with anything in the game, want to grab that flower pot? Nope, this chair? NOPE, very little interaction.

    Second, their is no more sanity mechanics, the dark does not do anything to you anymore, Lame lame LAME. The lantern you use is infinite in power, it must be nuclear or something The monsters in the    Do not purchase this game. It was a disappointment. First, you can't interact with anything in the game, want to grab that flower pot? Nope, this chair? NOPE, very little interaction.

    Second, their is no more sanity mechanics, the dark does not do anything to you anymore, Lame lame LAME. The lantern you use is infinite in power, it must be nuclear or something

    The monsters in the game are not scary, they remind me of a 5 year old's Halloween piglet costume. They also use the same EXACT items and décor as in amnesia dark descent, same chairs, same everything. Its a piss poor excuse of a new game.

    Overall I was very disappointed. I'm sad I waited so long fur such a lame game    … Expand
  8. theecakee
    Jun 22, 2014
    3
    Quite a let down in comparison to The Dark Descent. The story is at least more interesting but thats about it. They removed a lot of the mechanics that made Amensia good. Its like if Nintendo took away the powerups from Mario, and you just ran through the whole level with powerups but just avoid the enemies. Thats pretty much Machine for Pigs, all the insanity and resource management isQuite a let down in comparison to The Dark Descent. The story is at least more interesting but thats about it. They removed a lot of the mechanics that made Amensia good. Its like if Nintendo took away the powerups from Mario, and you just ran through the whole level with powerups but just avoid the enemies. Thats pretty much Machine for Pigs, all the insanity and resource management is gone.

    I'd avoid this game.    … Expand
  9. AmyImpact
    Sep 21, 2013
    0
    I really was waiting more from this game. Really disappointed. Where is the sanity? Where is the oil? The only good point is the main history. The last game was much better.
  10. Andjelico
    Nov 6, 2014
    0
    Horrible game. Boring story, just walking around, not scary at all. Great graphics, but that is not the important part. I hoped that i was near the end when i played this game, so i runned through everything that is "scary*.

    I was very disappointed.
  11. Alowishus
    Sep 16, 2013
    3
    The game is too short I completed it first time in 3 and 1/2 hours whilst exploring, so I was hardly rushing through. The game is not scary this is due to the removal of the insanity effects and the infinite lantern you now have. The game itself is actually rarely if at all in total darkness so you can see everything coming. There is basically one type of enemy the rest being pastedThe game is too short I completed it first time in 3 and 1/2 hours whilst exploring, so I was hardly rushing through. The game is not scary this is due to the removal of the insanity effects and the infinite lantern you now have. The game itself is actually rarely if at all in total darkness so you can see everything coming. There is basically one type of enemy the rest being pasted from the Dark Descent and they are not scary at all. In fact most of the enemy encounters are scripted and they cannot kill you, making the enemies almost trivial. There is only a few sections were the enemies roam about and you know when they are coming because they always occur in large rooms were the enemies can move about. If you are in a linear corridor you know you are safe. The puzzles are basically non-existent, mainly because you can barely interact with any items which makes the locating of "puzzle" items extremely easy in fact to call them puzzles is an over-exaggeration, they are mostly lift item x and place in slot y.

    Basically the gameplay is non-existent. You walk through linear corridors, see an enemy jump out and go boo and that is it. It's basically walk from the start of the game to the end. The pros of this game are the soundtrack, voice acting and the story.

    So for a horror game, it is a bit of a joke and it was hugely disappointing for me.    … Expand
  12. molarity69
    Feb 16, 2014
    1
    Pure Disappointment...
    Where are the puzzles where you had to collect things and combine them?
    They really took away all the fun of the game by letting you interact only with a handful of items... Amnesia The Dark Descent was all about smashing pots and throwing chairs all over the place to overcome your fear about the truly terrifying monsters and moving every little stone until you    Pure Disappointment...
    Where are the puzzles where you had to collect things and combine them?
    They really took away all the fun of the game by letting you interact only with a handful of items...
    Amnesia The Dark Descent was all about smashing pots and throwing chairs all over the place to overcome your fear about the truly terrifying monsters and moving every little stone until you find the solution to the puzzle!
    It was fun searching for tinder or oil and opening all drawers and cupboards in your way too!
    Machine For Pigs has really fancy graphics, with lots of moments that make you chill through the combination of beautiful scenery and music, but that's all about it...
    Waste of money... As a big fan of Frictional Games' series I am sad cause i expected much more from this game after waiting for a long time! I hope they won't disappoint us on their next try or sequel...    … Expand
  13. dondon
    Nov 2, 2013
    2
    A technical failure for me. With all the supposed fixes out there nothing helped with my stuttering and freeze's. I pushed through all that to see what this game is like. All of the game-play that made Dark Descent is stripped away. There is no sanity meter, tinderboxes for candles, limited oil for lantern, and no inventory. It is mostly just a linear walk in the park type game. Thank godA technical failure for me. With all the supposed fixes out there nothing helped with my stuttering and freeze's. I pushed through all that to see what this game is like. All of the game-play that made Dark Descent is stripped away. There is no sanity meter, tinderboxes for candles, limited oil for lantern, and no inventory. It is mostly just a linear walk in the park type game. Thank god I got the torrent of this game first. Otherwise, I would have been pissed about the money I spent.… Expand
  14. m0rb
    Sep 20, 2013
    1
    I loved Amnesia: The Dark Descent!

    it was probably the first commercially succesful "survival-horror" game and it instantly became the benchmark for the genre... it's mechanics were great and very innovative, hiding in closets, a constant search for matches and lamp-oil and above all, keeping an eye on your "sanity metre", which became too high whenever you were in the dark for too    I loved Amnesia: The Dark Descent!

    it was probably the first commercially succesful "survival-horror" game and it instantly became the benchmark for the genre...
    it's mechanics were great and very innovative, hiding in closets, a constant search for matches and lamp-oil and above all, keeping an eye on your "sanity metre", which became too high whenever you were in the dark for too long all these were simply GREAT! innovative (for the most) and refreshingly different from everything we've had seen to that point.

    to make a long story short: "Amnesia: The Dark Descent" is a fantastic game, it's innovative gameplay-mechanics were simply wonderful and the game was full of suspense, thrills, a reasonable amount of jump-scares.
    an almost perfect game, a truely perfect survival-horror game!

    so, when I heard about the sequel and saw the trailer to "Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs", I was looking forward to it.

    all those great gameplay-mechanics I've mentioned above GONE!

    "Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs" LACKS_EVERYTHING_THAT_MADE_THE_FIRST_GAME_SO_GREAT!

    the story is decent, sure, but that is in no way, shape or form enough to make a halway decent game.
    apart from the well-written story, "Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs" is just boring.
    the athmosphere is quite tense, but the comical "monsters" do not look threatening or scary at all. you can outrun them easily, so there wouldn't even be the need to hide in a closet... unfortunately.

    the developers "The Chinese Room" have proven once again (and hopefully for all and ever!) that an interesting story is NOT ENOUGH to make a good game!
    I wanted to like this game, I really did(!), but the lack of gameplay is the scariest thing this piece of game has to offer.

    retrospectively, I am really glad I didn't buy or even pre-order this game.
    since "demos" have disappeared, I found a solution I can live with: I PIRATE everything I am interested in! then I play it, I "test" whether I want to buy and own a game or not. and guess what, after I decided whether I like it or not, I BUY or delete the games I pirated before.

    and if anybody doesn't believe me, you can have my steam name and take a look at my +200 games steam-library!

    I feel really sorry for everybody who spent money on this game... story and a semi-frightening athmosphere are NOT enough to make a game I truely hope "The Chinese Room" realizes this, before they release another game.

    as much as Iwanted to like "Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs", it simply isn't good enough and the fact that "The Chinese Room" took ALL mechanics that made "Amnesia: The Dark Descent" so great OUT OF the sequel is a shame! A SHAME!

    1 point for a decent story, which unfortuantely wasn't immersive enough for me and didn't make me goosebumps once.

    A SHAME! (gosh, this game really pissed me off! I LOVED the first one and I came to realize, I HATE "The Chinese Room" hopefully, someone burns the down! another game that doesn't sell, like this one and that "room" will be boarded-up)    … Expand
  15. TheGrand
    Sep 24, 2013
    1
    Welcome to Dear Esther 2!
    I can't do a serious analisis because this isn't amnesia.
    Sound: Good.
    Atmosphere: Good
    Graphics: Good
    Terror: 0%

    If terror doesn't exist the game shouldn't be called Amnesia.
  16. Gaarvaag
    Oct 4, 2013
    3
    I was looking forward to the sequel to Amnesia The Dark Descent, expecting it to be a horror game like the first one. A machine for pigs is, however, much more like Dear Esther than it is like Amnesia. All the mechanics that made Amnesia Amnesia have been removed. No sanity, no inventory, no interesting puzzles... The game is still dark, but there's no reason to fear it because you startI was looking forward to the sequel to Amnesia The Dark Descent, expecting it to be a horror game like the first one. A machine for pigs is, however, much more like Dear Esther than it is like Amnesia. All the mechanics that made Amnesia Amnesia have been removed. No sanity, no inventory, no interesting puzzles... The game is still dark, but there's no reason to fear it because you start with a latern that won't ever run out of fuel.

    The story is decent enough, but it wasn't enough to keep me interested in playing. Aside from that, the game also had a weird stuttering issue at the launch of the game which really broke the immersion. After reading up on it and seeing that Frictional wasn't going to do anything about it, I just stopped playing altogether.

    Frictional promised us a frightening game equal or better than the original, but they lied. If they had been honest about it, and at least tried to solve the game's problems (which fans have already done by this time), I might have been more forgiving. Frictional, however, really didn't keep their promises, and seemed not to care when reports of bugs were given.

    Frictional, I hope this is the last I hear from you,

    One of the fans you cheated.    … Expand
  17. TheDVS
    Nov 5, 2013
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Well congrats two frictional and Chinese room for making the biggest disappointment in the world. This game took me 5 hours to beat, i was taking my time reading the notes and listening to the recordings. No replay value at all. And it doesn't look like custom stories are coming out ever. The game looked like it took a lot of work to make. unfortunately it want scary, didn't have an impressive story, no physiological scares, and no replay value.… Expand
  18. MatRicX
    Dec 5, 2013
    2
    Play the first amnesia and hell even the penumbra games were better than this. 2-4 hours is unacceptable for the "game play" provided.

    The game wasn't scary, the AI is stupid. I ended up running past most of the AI because they are virtually harmless and it became a game of cat and mouse. The puzzles were mind numbingly easy to the point where you see fuses right beside the empty fuse    Play the first amnesia and hell even the penumbra games were better than this. 2-4 hours is unacceptable for the "game play" provided.

    The game wasn't scary, the AI is stupid. I ended up running past most of the AI because they are virtually harmless and it became a game of cat and mouse. The puzzles were mind numbingly easy to the point where you see fuses right beside the empty fuse box.

    Don't waste your money, hell even get outlast which was wayyyy bettter compared to this.    … Expand
  19. Sankarri
    Dec 15, 2013
    3
    All the main elements of the game had been taken away, such as sanity meter, darkness, scarcity of oil and tinderboxes. Pigs in the game were clumsy and were more than easy to avoid. After a one year of hype and excitement the game was a huge disappointment for many of my friends (only 1½ to 2 hours of gameplay). Good things about the game was that the puzzles were easy and obvious soAll the main elements of the game had been taken away, such as sanity meter, darkness, scarcity of oil and tinderboxes. Pigs in the game were clumsy and were more than easy to avoid. After a one year of hype and excitement the game was a huge disappointment for many of my friends (only 1½ to 2 hours of gameplay). Good things about the game was that the puzzles were easy and obvious so complete so that the player couldn't get stuck easily, voice acting was good and the graphics were better than the previous game.… Expand
  20. orgymu5ik
    Sep 23, 2015
    1
    The only reason a give a 1 to this game is because the name is Amnesia.

    it's not a good game. In fact is one of the worse games I ever played.

    Not recomended.
  21. Spijut
    Sep 6, 2020
    0
    This game is fun as a food poisoning
    If the wankery story won't melt your brain the nonsensical puzzle certanly will
    Dont pay for this crock of **** , for the same price you can purchase some kilos of spice and have an actual goodtime
  22. Kangrin
    Oct 29, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bastante malo, puzzles que no tienen ningún sentido en un principio, como por ejemplo (spoilers) ir, devolverse, hacer cosas que en un principio ni siquiera te indican, hay uno, en especifico, que por las texturas no se diferencia, hay que buscar una vela que nada que ver, prenderlas y se abre una compuerta en el suelo, no tiene ni pies ni cabeza ni sentido, luego de eso directamente no supe que hacer, lo logré pasar, pero la historia está mal contada, De lo Que peor he jugado en cuanto a terror se refiere… Expand
  23. doodlerman
    Sep 11, 2020
    4
    This sequel falls short in pretty much every regard. The first game was an immersive survival experience, while this is more of a haunted house walking simulator with puzzles and a few stealth scenarios. Even if you're spotted by an enemy, they're slow, unintimidating, and forget about you almost immediately. There's also no resource management, which tosses another element of terror outThis sequel falls short in pretty much every regard. The first game was an immersive survival experience, while this is more of a haunted house walking simulator with puzzles and a few stealth scenarios. Even if you're spotted by an enemy, they're slow, unintimidating, and forget about you almost immediately. There's also no resource management, which tosses another element of terror out the window: your lantern can never die, you can't go insane, there are no healing items or tinderboxes. It feels underdeveloped, too. You can hardly interact with anything, aside from chairs, doors, and key items. Also, the font on notes is difficult to read. In terms of pacing, this game is already over by the time a game like The Dark Descent really gets started. I bet most people who play this have the whole 'twist' figured out before they even enter the factory. It's just disappointing. Glad I got it for free.… Expand
  24. GigaHz
    Nov 5, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Never have I been so disappointed in such a finely made game.

    Yes, you've read correctly.

    Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs from an aesthetic standpoint is well done. The artwork, with the exception of some bland or dodgy areas for certain locations, is wonderfully done. The sound design is excellent, easily one of the best among indie titles. The score, while having bombastic, clumsy instances, fits the depressing tone that Machine for Pigs aims for. The voice work is strong, though some may complain about the obnoxious children. And lets be honest here, what child isn't obnoxious?

    What's wrong with Machine for Pigs is not the design. No, the problem goes much deeper than that.

    It seems after hours of touching up decour, writing scripts, designing loading screens, banging metallic things together in a foley studio, they forgot to design an actual GAME around the project. In fact, it seems as if fleshing out the gameplay was the last thing on the developers' priority list. It's akin to devoting several days to wrapping a present. You pick the right wrapping paper, make sure the fold is perfect, put bows, strings, glitter, and whatever fancy crap on it. But when the recipient finally unwraps everything, they're left with a pet rock.

    The game played like a disappointment because it starts out promising.

    Amnesia? Check.
    Nihilistic, depressing story? Check.
    Journal Entries/Backstory? Check.
    Motivation? Check.
    Intriguing mystery? Check.

    What could go wrong? Well, everything.

    First off, the game is at its best when you know absolutely nothing. You're wandering around your mansion, strange things are happening, and you have no idea what answers are in store for you. The mansion too is one of the best looking locations in the game, which is kind of unfortunate as some locations are bland by comparison.

    As you start to get deeper into the machine and story, the answers to the supposed mystery become more and more disappointing. You'll find yourself asking why they chose to make the story flow in such an obvious fashion. It was almost like there was absolutely no twist or curve ball you couldn't guess hours before it was officially stated in the context of the narrative.

    "Durrr, you mean my kids aren't still alive, trapped in a machine?"
    "Durrr, you mean I killed the kids myself?"
    "Durrr, you mean the machine feeds on people?"
    "Durrr, you mean I was the saboteur all along?"

    And just when you thought it couldn't get any more obvious, it becomes ridiculous. Moments after discovering that you were the saboteur, undoing what you had intended to do initially, you immediately return to becoming the saboteur again... but for reals this time!

    Then you... magically teleport from one location to another, and encounter pigmen who happen to have the exact same ability. Not that teleporting pigmen actually inconvenience you in the slightest.

    Then you... have pretentious hallucinations about your kids, rife with symbolism and obnoxious score. It's like something straight out of a bad arthouse film.

    At this point in the game, I felt that it was no longer trying to hold my interest or attention. It was like Machine for Pigs thought its core message was so profound and meaningful that it had to jerk itself off a little and bathe in its own perceived afterglow. I was buying none of that and slogged my way to the predictably disappointing ending. The whole experience left a sour taste in my mouth.

    Oh, and I didn't even mention the game aspect of this gold encrusted turd.

    You have a lamp with an endless supply of oil, no health or sanity to manage, no inventory, minimal puzzle solving, and laughable monster interactions. I must have died once my entire playthough and it was entirely inconsequential. I spawned near where I died and the monster was no where in sight. Completely contradictory to the first Amnesia, where any death hindered progress.

    The monsters are also a disappointment. Not only are they not frightening in the slightest, there are points in the game where you can view them in isolation, allowing the player to see them for prolonged periods of time without danger. I understand that the whole idea of the scene in question was to allow for the player to sympathize with the creatures but that's not something that you do in a game where you're supposed to be afraid of the unknown menace lurking around in the darkness.

    So, congratulations The Chinese Room: You have managed to create a beautiful, anti-horror, anti-game, psychological horror... experience!

    If you care at all about the Amnesia series, play this one if it goes on sale just keep the expectations to a minimum if you want to complete it. Otherwise, I suggest you only play Amnesia: The Dark Descent or any of the Penumbra titles.    … Expand
  25. keredd1010
    Nov 24, 2018
    2
    Wow. What can I say. Disappointment, disappointment, disappointment. That is the word that keeps popping up in my mind. And shame on you critics for having the audacity of rating this game anywhere above a 5. I hope you enjoyed your royalty check. There is no way anyone who plays video games and critiques them for a living can say with an honest heart this game is acceptable in quality.Wow. What can I say. Disappointment, disappointment, disappointment. That is the word that keeps popping up in my mind. And shame on you critics for having the audacity of rating this game anywhere above a 5. I hope you enjoyed your royalty check. There is no way anyone who plays video games and critiques them for a living can say with an honest heart this game is acceptable in quality. Even if the original one did not exist. So many things wrong and excuse me for comparing it with the first one but it just makes it easier to point out what is wrong with it.

    First off the story is a jumbled mess. One of the features of the original one which made it so fun was they was Daniel was telling himself the story of how he got to where he was. I mean, you had an actual voice actor reading it out to you and that helped build intrigue and mystery. It was told in a coherent and orderly fashion that was easy to follow as well. In AMFP (A Machine For Pigs) there is no narration. It is speckled with "recordings" that sorta tell you what is going on along with notes found here and there but no narration. The original actually had notes like this as well but with the narration it was much easier to follow and much more interesting. What anyone worth their weight in the story telling business will tell you is the biggest killer of a story is creating apathy for the characters to the audience. If no one cares what happens then no tension can be built up.

    The other thing that was missing that the original has was it was just too darn easy. No real puzzles that posed any real challenge, It was ridiculously easy to circumvent the monsters, and you had infinite light! One of the greatest aspects of the original one was how you had to collect oil and tinderboxes to light your way and you had to watch how many you had. In this one your lantern lasts forever. Also they completely eliminated the insanity factor which was another huge tension builder of the game. But the half ass puzzles is what really gives away that they really put no real effort into this game at all.

    I would not recommend this game if you really liked the original. It holds nothing of what made the original great and I never got spooked one time from it. I played the original last week to get myself psyched up for the release of this which I had pre-bought and it STILL made me jump and I have played the game through about three times already! I can't express just how bad of a disappointment (there goes that word again) this game is. I'm thinking about asking for my money back. That's how bad it is. Do not waste your time or money on this game.    … Expand
  26. iseeall
    Nov 2, 2013
    2
    Definitely worse than the first Amnesia game. You just run thru endless dark rooms and collect some notes. No gameplay whatsoever. Oh, you can throw chairs around. To the game's credit, there is some artistic style and classic music playing at some places, but this doesn't compensate for the global boredom this game brings. I just wonder why anyone would want to make like this, afterDefinitely worse than the first Amnesia game. You just run thru endless dark rooms and collect some notes. No gameplay whatsoever. Oh, you can throw chairs around. To the game's credit, there is some artistic style and classic music playing at some places, but this doesn't compensate for the global boredom this game brings. I just wonder why anyone would want to make like this, after seeing such great examples like Fallout or Deus Ex which came 10-15 years before. The person who designed this piece of junk definitely has nothing to do with games and doesn't know the word "gameplay". Gee, this so-called game would be worthless even if it were free.… Expand
  27. Joellemm
    Oct 2, 2020
    4
    Playing it back-to-back with Amnesia: A Dark Decent Decent doesn't reflect well on A Machine for Pigs. It never outstays its welcome, but spending much of your time running through linear corridors, sometimes being chased by a barnyard animal isn't particularly scary or enjoyable. Intractability with the game's physics is dialled down unnecessarily, puzzles are made so straightforward itPlaying it back-to-back with Amnesia: A Dark Decent Decent doesn't reflect well on A Machine for Pigs. It never outstays its welcome, but spending much of your time running through linear corridors, sometimes being chased by a barnyard animal isn't particularly scary or enjoyable. Intractability with the game's physics is dialled down unnecessarily, puzzles are made so straightforward it would be disingenuous to describe them as puzzles, and the plot always feels like its blowing smoke up its own rear with its overly pretentious writing and obsession with pig metaphors. Also, the minimalistic inventory system in the original Amnesia, and the simple sanity gimmick, added to the tension ever so slightly. You're concern for lighting was persistent as well. It felt far less scripted, and absolutely terrifying for it. The new lantern doesn't need oil, and flashes when enemies are in your proximity, if only to make it really obvious that something scary might happen. Its kind of hard to feel the impact of any horror when there is so much handholding.

    Its still a mildly tense experience, but like Chinese Room's other games, its mostly just a walking simulator with a plot that feels as though its desperately crying out for clarity or just an interesting character to latch onto.    … Expand
  28. Kumasimc
    Aug 8, 2018
    0
    There are many ways to scare someone, and horror, like comedy, is not only subjective but can be quite brittle. Amnesia: The Dark Descent was a breath of fresh air for horror games, with its flight over fight mechanics and lets-play-friendly jump scares, but despite all the atmosphere, all the screams, all the hiding in broom closets, the actual story was a little dull.
    What The Chinese    There are many ways to scare someone, and horror, like comedy, is not only subjective but can be quite brittle. Amnesia: The Dark Descent was a breath of fresh air for horror games, with its flight over fight mechanics and lets-play-friendly jump scares, but despite all the atmosphere, all the screams, all the hiding in broom closets, the actual story was a little dull.
    What The Chinese Room and Frictional have done is brilliant and should happen more often. Having a new developer take a fresh perspective was the only way another Amnesia was going to be actually exciting.
    First off I am seeing a correlation between the people claiming this game is only 4 hours or so and people saying this game is awful. You can beat it in 4 hours, I’m sure. I think the speed run is like 50 minutes. But you shouldn’t.
    A Machine for Pigs is a different kind of horror. It’s meant to be taken slowly. You are meant to have time to look around. And yes, it is not as instantly scary as its predecessor, but it is much more deeply frightening.
    When you finish the game you’ll have questions. If you talk to people you’ll find theories. If you research the things that inspired the story you’ll find all manner of horror you’ve never known. And then you’ll be thinking about it at work, when you’re walking in a park, as you’re going to sleep. And the horror won’t fully leave. Then you’ll play it again and really feel the scope of what was accomplished.
    Not only have The Chinese Room built a thrilling take on Amnesia, they have built a horror game that is still scary on repeated play-throughs, not because of the monsters, but because of how much more it says after you’ve thought about it.
    I have been playing games since I can remember, almost 3 decades, and I’ve played a lot of beautiful, frightening and amazing games. I can easily, without a doubt, call A Machine for Pigs one of the best games I have ever played. If we let it tell its story I think that many others might agree.    … Expand
  29. frederik1478
    Aug 25, 2021
    3
    I could not get behind this game the atmosphere from the first one was gone and it was not scared ,The moving of the Inventory and items makes the game fuel empty like the only things to do is to move as fast as possible to get the ending. I hope that you can find something in this game the I couldn't
  30. Xxdaniels751xX
    Jul 12, 2018
    2
    No estoy seguro de cómo Frictional Games dió luz verde a sacar este juego al mercado por que es horrosamente decepcionante.

    En primer lugar, elimina muchas de las mecánicas que caracterizan a los juegos de AMJESIA a cambio de.....sorpresa... NADA. Normalmente, cuando una empresa desarrolla otro juego en una serie, eliminan algunas funciones pero agregan nuevas que se supone que son    No estoy seguro de cómo Frictional Games dió luz verde a sacar este juego al mercado por que es horrosamente decepcionante.

    En primer lugar, elimina muchas de las mecánicas que caracterizan a los juegos de AMJESIA a cambio de.....sorpresa... NADA. Normalmente, cuando una empresa desarrolla otro juego en una serie, eliminan algunas funciones pero agregan nuevas que se supone que son mejores o por lo menos mejoras aspectos negativos de los titulos anteriores de dicha saga pero en este caso NO.

    Este juego no vale lo que cuesta, no es un Amnesia y lo único que hace que estés en tensión durante el tiempo que le dediques a completarlo es "Coge una cosa que necesitas para poner en un sitio para poner continuar" mientras te mueves por una casi completa oscuridad AUNQUE LLEVES UNA COSA QUE DA LUZ, y digo cosa por que no sirve para nada, no alumbra, no hace su función.

    Si os gustan los juegos de terror este no es vuestro título a si que en resumen mi veredicto es que NO COMPRÉIS ESTE JUEGO.    … Expand
  31. damaso7
    Jan 10, 2018
    0
    Juego facilón, falto de atmósfera, y del suspense de la saga, e historia muy mal contada
  32. allwititnowsuck
    Feb 2, 2019
    4
    They removed annoying sanity system so main character is no longer terrified of his own shadow, other than that it's just a walking simulator with some simple puzzles here and there,tries very hard to be scary but fails on every level,mediocore garbage just like the first game and Penumbra series.
  33. 4ya5h1
    Oct 31, 2022
    2
    its so bad and boring and empty, this game is really hard to play, you just walk in dark places and do nothing, no any scary moments, no interesting story or quests, game is empty. only good things about "machine for pigs" is the pigs, until you get to know that they are useless and harmless
  34. Nekellor_Met
    Jul 5, 2020
    3
    Свиньи не особо страшные. Я даже не особо помню сюжет, вроде там были трубы какие-то.
  35. HusoBabush
    Dec 31, 2020
    4
    game is not even worth to play the other amnesia games are better than it and machine for pigs is just like a walking simulator which have little scary sounds and pigs it is better to skip this game
  36. 2-D
    Dec 13, 2020
    3
    The world and atmosphere is really up to par with the original, even the story gets quite grim and intense by the end however it lacks any sort of character or even genuine horror. Feels more like a walking simulator with occasional cutscenes stringing along an interesting narrative, the gameplay itself is utterly boring.
  37. JuanDeLeon
    Nov 1, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What a waste of time.

    Nothing that made Amnesia what it was is present here. No inventory, no sanity or darkness management or even health (!) to worry about. Hell, there aren't even any puzzles; push this thingy over here, flip this switch, and shuffle off to the next section. That's the extent of it. There are monsters, yes, but they are uninspired and are as unfrightening as you could probably get. Not to mention they are very limited in their range and dumb as a box of rocks. The game tries too damn hard. Where it tries to be scary, it is instead dull and occasionally frustrating---if stumbling around in a pitch-black series of rooms that all look the same while an incompetent, near-blind pig man chases you is your idea of scary, then help yourself. All of this might be worthwhile if the "game" actually had a plot worth pursuing, but it doesn't. A reasonably astute person will figure out what's really going on in the first fifteen or so minutes; after that, all that's left is to trudge through the hackneyed succession of notes, letters, and bits of dialogue that serve only to remind you of what you've known all along. None of the visuals are particularly arresting, unless you find dimly-lit Edwardian industrial areas compelling. I would also like to point out that the developers apparently have no idea how a carbide lantern actually works. This is a glaring misstep, considering that it is your main tool through the game. For the record, carbide lamps do not "flicker," as much as the developers would have liked to make it into a strobe to heighten the fear of an approaching enemy. Instead all it did was make me laugh.

    Don't play this game. Play Amnesia or its excellent add-on Justine instead, or anything else, really. Your time is wasted here.    … Expand
  38. Antavardo
    Aug 24, 2022
    2
    Queriendo jugar un juego de "Horror" y salí decepcionado, no encuentro la mecánica del juego por ninguna parte, solo es entrar a una zona y llevar un objeto de punto "A" a punto "B" y darle vuelta a alguna válvula y ya, quizá si tuviera una historia mejor presentada con mas momentos de terror, que en todo el juego solo intentaron colar unos pocos mal logrados, definitivamente con esteQueriendo jugar un juego de "Horror" y salí decepcionado, no encuentro la mecánica del juego por ninguna parte, solo es entrar a una zona y llevar un objeto de punto "A" a punto "B" y darle vuelta a alguna válvula y ya, quizá si tuviera una historia mejor presentada con mas momentos de terror, que en todo el juego solo intentaron colar unos pocos mal logrados, definitivamente con este basto a que no le de la oportunidad a ningún otro amnesia.… Expand
  39. korku
    Jul 18, 2023
    0
    ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏‏‏
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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.
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  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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