Amnesia: The Dark Descent

 PC
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1612 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,375 out of 1612
  2. Mixed: 170 out of 1612
  3. Negative: 67 out of 1612
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  1. MrWeezee
    Jul 30, 2011
    7
    Personally, I don't find that Amnesia: The Dark Descent is that scary anymore. Not as scary as Penumbra. But nothing else in the horror genre can top this. Hands down.
  2. GolovA
    Sep 11, 2017
    7
    If you've played Penumbra - little needs to be said about this one. If not - little can be said. Just play either.
    Amnesia relies on the story and atmosphere - and both are well developed in the game.
    Scary factor is not that high - yet it is there and always present. The game play does become somewhat stale closer to the end (you are kind of trying to accomplish different things by    If you've played Penumbra - little needs to be said about this one. If not - little can be said. Just play either.
    Amnesia relies on the story and atmosphere - and both are well developed in the game.
    Scary factor is not that high - yet it is there and always present.
    The game play does become somewhat stale closer to the end (you are kind of trying to accomplish different things by doing them in the same way - walking around, basically), but the level design and visuals are doing a good job of keeping the game fresh.

    I did get confused by the story at the very end, still - i finished it and it was a good run.

    En Resumen:
    Not bad. Penumbric, Atmospheric, good voice acting, a bit stretchy in the end.    … Expand
  3. DeadBones
    Nov 11, 2011
    7
    For the first half, a nicely atmospheric horror adventure. It kind of lands somewhere between Penumbra 1 and 2, gameplay wise, keeping to the same style but bringing back some of the real danger and stealth elements that were (sadly, I think) toned down for the sequel. Still, most of your time is spent crawling through the dark, keeping track of your tinderboxes and lantern oil and lookingFor the first half, a nicely atmospheric horror adventure. It kind of lands somewhere between Penumbra 1 and 2, gameplay wise, keeping to the same style but bringing back some of the real danger and stealth elements that were (sadly, I think) toned down for the sequel. Still, most of your time is spent crawling through the dark, keeping track of your tinderboxes and lantern oil and looking for ways to progress deeper into the castle.

    Around the halfway point, however, the game somewhat falls apart at the seams. The second half feels a lot more low-key compared to what came before it, and sadly fails to live up to the truly nerve-shattering set piece moments of the first. The whole experience loses some of its very compelling sense of dread and mystery as you go on, especially as it often fails to throw any real surprises at you.

    Amnesia loses even more of its luster if/when you figure out its one big trick for keeping you on your toes - for me, this coincided with getting into the latter half of the game. Suffice it to say that it made the formerly exciting and horrifying monster encounters less so, though even then it managed to sneak a few satisfying scares right in my face.

    In the end, it's worth playing through if you're at all interested in the type of games Frictional makes. Still, the first half seemed to promise so much more, and if only it had lived up to itself Amnesia would have been an exceptional game rather than a good, interesting but flawed one.    … Expand
  4. JimCorbett
    Jun 3, 2012
    7
    I didn't expect much out of this game as I am not a fan of the horror genre, but I was plesantly surprised by it. The ability to pick up and move a good amount of things in the environment was greatly executed. The slow pacing followed by sudden shrieks or lourd noises kept me on my toes throught the whole game. I just wish some of the puzzles were more well thought out. Some of them wereI didn't expect much out of this game as I am not a fan of the horror genre, but I was plesantly surprised by it. The ability to pick up and move a good amount of things in the environment was greatly executed. The slow pacing followed by sudden shrieks or lourd noises kept me on my toes throught the whole game. I just wish some of the puzzles were more well thought out. Some of them were very difficult while others were quite easy. I wish they had implemented the ablility to stack boxes or other items to reach other areas better. The story was quite interesting at first but it began to lose steam towards the end and i ended up kinda forgetting what was going on when i did reach the end. I also felt that the ending scene was unfulfilling as well, no matter which of the 3 different endings I received. Overall it was an enjoyable experience, those that are fans of the genre should definitely look into it. If you're looking for more action, then stay away.… Expand
  5. signcontrast
    Jul 7, 2012
    7
    For the price, it's not a bad game. Steam had it on sale for $5 or $10 when I bought it. If you're looking for something original, this game tries some things brazenly. In the end, it becomes repetitive. Thank goodness it's fairly short. I generally take a long time to finish games, as I'm something of a completionist, but this game was done in 12 hours. Games like Deus Ex: HR tookFor the price, it's not a bad game. Steam had it on sale for $5 or $10 when I bought it. If you're looking for something original, this game tries some things brazenly. In the end, it becomes repetitive. Thank goodness it's fairly short. I generally take a long time to finish games, as I'm something of a completionist, but this game was done in 12 hours. Games like Deus Ex: HR took me closer to 50 hours, and games like Skyrim took about 100 hours. -------
    ----
    That said, those are the game's two major flaws: narrow world which makes it short, and a repetitive game play. In the beginning, when the game play hasn't had a chance to wear on you, it's a fine and novel game. You sneak around, you get scared, you run, you plan your escape routes methodically, you wonder what is going on in this hellish world. All wonderful things. And if you're like me, you'll relish the immersion, so you'll put on a pair of headphones, turn up the volume, and turn off the lights. Make sure the kiddies are asleep because you won't want them catching a glimpse of this little horror bit. It'd give them nightmares. But it doesn't do this through cheap thrills and gore - though there's a little of that. Much of it is done through understated mixtures of sound and visuals. ----------
    ----
    Still, eventually you long to be able to use some of the things you find to at least hinder creatures. It feels like I should be able to use some simple lamp oil to set these nasties on fire - especially if I felt like wasting my precious oil, or if I'd been especially careful about saving it, as I was. And eventually you get the hang of the AI, but I can't complain too much about that. For what it's worth, the AI is better than new games like Deus Ex: HR. Probably the worst offending part of the repetitive gameplay is that the game actually gets easier if you reload more than twice. That's sad. Being a completionist, I *enjoy* the challenge of retrying the occasional situation a third or fourth time. That should be rare, since it breaks the immersion, but so does a monster totally disappearing from a zone because I happened to be taking a sip of beer on the first playthrough, and didn't quite get it right on the second playthrough. It detracts from the game's serious attraction: brutal and unforgiving horror survival. That gameplay would also be seriously enhanced with more to do in the game and more to explore other than the single dungeon. There were many times I asked myself, why would I stay in such a deathtrap?? I'd like to at least break a window and climb outside in the snow and discover that I couldn't travel far without the wolves attacking. Perhaps that would lead to some interesting gameplay with me exploring the stables and finding a demolished wagon, or perhaps I'd find that the roads leading to this castle were treacherously steep as poor Jonathan Harker discovers in Bram Stoker. These diversion would make sense, give me a break from the monotony of the castle, and immerse me in the world a little.------
    ---
    All in all, though, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the game for the pennies I paid. The game studio deserved my money, and perhaps we'll see more developed games from them in the future.    … Expand
  6. Mezurya
    Feb 11, 2012
    7
    While I feel it doesn't live up to the hype of Penumbra, it is still a great game. It may not be very scary, but it does give you a rush of adrenaline when you need to evade enemies. The puzzles are pretty original and symbolic, and you get a good feel for Daniel's psychosis, even though he never speaks when you are playing as him. The very beginning areas of the game, to me, were prettyWhile I feel it doesn't live up to the hype of Penumbra, it is still a great game. It may not be very scary, but it does give you a rush of adrenaline when you need to evade enemies. The puzzles are pretty original and symbolic, and you get a good feel for Daniel's psychosis, even though he never speaks when you are playing as him. The very beginning areas of the game, to me, were pretty boring. It kept me from playing the game for a few months (I forgot that I owned it for a while), but I eventually began to enjoy it. This game has become the popular "scariest game in the world" on Youtube, and you it's almost impossible to find a Partner who hasn't done a Let's Play of it (while also slapping a video of his face over the gameplay so you can see him pretend to be terrified). I think you'll enjoy it, but please, don't ham it up and pretend this game made you cry for your mommy. So in conclusion, I think this game is worth checking out, but more for the puzzles, and not for the scares.At its core, it is fun, and that's what matters. I recommend the Penumbra games if you want more. And I do mean a whole lot more.… Expand
  7. ns0l
    Mar 14, 2014
    7
    Great gameplay. Perfect designs. Dark creepy atmosphere. I really liked that game, but the most thing you do is searching lockers for matches and oil.
  8. iseeall
    Jul 29, 2013
    7
    An interesting game for a while, but i dropped it after a few hours (at the invisible boss). It does give the feeling of fear sure. Unfortunately it's low-budget nature shows pretty soon. There is just locks and keys. You proceed from one lock to another. I know, this is the standard of the genre, it's just that today's games use more varied locks something that a low-budget game justAn interesting game for a while, but i dropped it after a few hours (at the invisible boss). It does give the feeling of fear sure. Unfortunately it's low-budget nature shows pretty soon. There is just locks and keys. You proceed from one lock to another. I know, this is the standard of the genre, it's just that today's games use more varied locks something that a low-budget game just couldn't afford.
    The invisible boss requires you to jump too accurately and run too fast. After a few times dying I didn't see why I should frustrate myself further. But it was fun at start, so 7/10.    … Expand
  9. Setsudo
    Feb 2, 2013
    7
    Story original. Graphisms correct. The ambiance is intense and frightening as said. You walk in the darkness and have to care about your health and mental. A good product. Don't hesitate on that title
  10. HasAnyoneReally
    Nov 13, 2013
    7
    You get as much out of this game as you put in, allowing yourself to become fully immersed to experience the best play through you can experience. How every the voice acting of the main character, Daniel held this game back for me. Completely average and out of place, every time I picked up a note from Daniels diary i felt like i was being taken too far out of the game.
    However the    You get as much out of this game as you put in, allowing yourself to become fully immersed to experience the best play through you can experience. How every the voice acting of the main character, Daniel held this game back for me. Completely average and out of place, every time I picked up a note from Daniels diary i felt like i was being taken too far out of the game.
    However the atmosphere outweighed this and makes it only a minor complaint.    … Expand
  11. ThePatronGamer
    Nov 5, 2013
    7
    I would rate it higher but it's too scary to get through. I'm liking it so far except for the fact that there is no direct, you have to wander until you somehow solve a puzzle.
  12. Krizuwe
    Jan 22, 2014
    7
    Es la primera vez que juego un juego de survival/terror en pc y mas en primera persona. Lo mejor del juego es la ambientación, se salen, esta genial, estas constantemente en tensión y no sabes desde donde puede venir el siguiente peligro. El problema es que jamás ha llegado a asustarme ni meterme miedo. El sonido también es un gran punto a favor, a pesar de no estar doblado, la música delEs la primera vez que juego un juego de survival/terror en pc y mas en primera persona. Lo mejor del juego es la ambientación, se salen, esta genial, estas constantemente en tensión y no sabes desde donde puede venir el siguiente peligro. El problema es que jamás ha llegado a asustarme ni meterme miedo. El sonido también es un gran punto a favor, a pesar de no estar doblado, la música del juego es espeluznante. Pero no todo lo del juego es oro, lo que menos me ha gustado ha sido la trama, no he terminado de entenderla muy bien y tiene bastantes flecos, no me ha llegado a enganchar y la trama para mi es fundamental porque el juego me ha parecido muy aburrido, y el otro punto negativo que le veo al juego es que no puedes jugarlo con mando, para alguien que no esta acostumbrado a jugar con ratón y teclado (me incluyo yo) puede llegar a ser frustrante jugar.... En conclusión es un gran juego de suspense (no de terror) pero que no me ha llegado a dejar con buen sabor de boca...esperaba algo mas.… Expand
  13. Iluvatar21
    Apr 29, 2014
    7
    HOW I RATE: 10-9 score: perfect or near-perfect don't exist; 8 score: one of the best games ever. Top score; 7-6 score: great but not one of the best; 5-below score: serious flaws.
    ===========
    One of the FEW games that can scary your *** off. It's near perfect but it's too long, also the levels feel the same after 75% of the experience. A MUST PLAY.
  14. fijiboy
    May 30, 2014
    7
    so much detail was put into this game to appeal to every sense of fear a person has. the atmosphere is chilling and dark, no where feels safe and when you have to run, you do not want to look back. I don't know what makes the monsters so scary, but let me tell you, playing the game and watching a video on youtube is a totally different story. I don't think its the scariest game I've everso much detail was put into this game to appeal to every sense of fear a person has. the atmosphere is chilling and dark, no where feels safe and when you have to run, you do not want to look back. I don't know what makes the monsters so scary, but let me tell you, playing the game and watching a video on youtube is a totally different story. I don't think its the scariest game I've ever played, but definitely the most consistently scary, there is not a second in this game where I was just able to run down a hall all willy nilly without checking behind my back. the story is quite creative, but just isn't portrayed in the most appealing way, I never wanted to read any of the notes or journal writings after the first two or so, which unfortunately are sometimes needed to figure certain puzzles. although I did feel scared when nothing was actually happening... there still wasn't anything happening, which made some of the places that are free of monsters feel pretty boring, but the parts where there are monsters totally make up for it. a must play game for any horror or pc gamers, you will not be disappointed, it is very short though, took me just over 4 in a half hours to beat… Expand
  15. SuperkenGaming
    Nov 25, 2016
    7
    Amnesia: The Dark Descent
    More about frustrating you than scaring you.
    Amnesia the Dark Decent is one of the more critically acclaimed survival horror games of all time… And while me found it to be great at being a puzzle game... I didn’t find it great at being a survival horror game… You play as Daniel exploring a dark castle…. The dark plays a huge part in this game as there is a    Amnesia: The Dark Descent
    More about frustrating you than scaring you.
    Amnesia the Dark Decent is one of the more critically acclaimed survival horror games of all time…
    And while me found it to be great at being a puzzle game... I didn’t find it great at being a survival horror game…
    You play as Daniel exploring a dark castle….
    The dark plays a huge part in this game as there is a sanity gauge…
    If you stay in the dark too long it messes with your mind and things get blurry….
    Thankfully you can light candles and torches with tinderboxes found throughout the world and you have a lantern to carry around…
    There’s a catch though…
    Light attracts enemies… and you’re defenseless… so you have to hide in the shadows and not look directly at enemies to survive…
    However to today’s standards set by games like outlast.. Enemy encounters are more of an eye roll than a terror…
    Checkpoints are extremely forgiving making these encounters hardly matter all... so really they kind of just annoy you in the many maze like sections of the game…
    My ultimate complaint of this game is that it isn’t balanced with any bit of awareness in mind…
    Its balanced in a way that the game expects players to be in locations for only a few seconds…
    But this isn’t how things turn out beyond the first hour or so…
    There’s a massive focus on adventure game like puzzles here
    And these puzzles take a great deal of time to complete
    And they never stop.
    Ever
    its puzzle
    after puzzle
    after puzzle
    after puzzle…
    To solve this puzzle you have to find 3 to 6 different items in different areas, combine them… put them in the right spot, and do it again, and again…
    But it’s not even that simple…
    Remember the dark castle part?
    That lantern you’re carrying around… it needs oil too work…
    And oil is far too scarce in this game…
    Leading you to be lost in a dark maze feeling around for an object or an area to progress…
    And it’s an insane nuisance…
    The Dark isn’t Scary.. It’s just annoying...
    This is a puzzle game for crying out loud…
    I need to see things…
    Way too much back tracking for oil to run out as fast as it does or to be as limited as it is.
    The game is basically solve these way too frequent puzzles by feeling around in the dark while we annoy you with levels that feel like mazes and sometimes an enemy to get in your way.
    Amnesia is still a great game!
    It’s just not great at what it sets out to do...
    It gets your brain going, it gets the wheels spinning...
    But it doesn’t get your heart racing…
    If you like to be annoyed while you try to figure out puzzle solutions... this is a great game...
    But if youre looking for something to make sit on the edge of your seat while you desperately cling onto hopes of finding a solution to escape… this isn’t it..
    The pacing is too slow, and the gameplay balance in nonexistent…
    I give Amnesia: the dark decent
    a 7/10    … Expand
  16. Jackies
    Aug 17, 2016
    7
    It is a great horror. One of the scariest I've ever played. It screwed with me so much I had to play it only during the day. But let's be honest here - the puzzles were kinda boring.
  17. Jestzer
    Jan 13, 2018
    7
    Like many horror games, it starts off great, creating a great, scary atmosphere, with interesting gameplay and story, but by the end, you're exhausted. The puzzles become frustrating and uninteresting, and the scariness is quickly lost when you realize death is completely inconsequential, similar to Bioshock. Its narrative isn't the strongest, but the story is strong enough to keep youLike many horror games, it starts off great, creating a great, scary atmosphere, with interesting gameplay and story, but by the end, you're exhausted. The puzzles become frustrating and uninteresting, and the scariness is quickly lost when you realize death is completely inconsequential, similar to Bioshock. Its narrative isn't the strongest, but the story is strong enough to keep you interested. However, what your character physically does in the ending of the game is ridiculous and anticlimactic. While a lot of this game is fun, it ultimately left me with a sour taste in my mouth.… Expand
  18. frederik1478
    Aug 24, 2021
    7
    It was a nice experience and I was scared the first half of the game, I would recommend this game to you if you like to be frightened the only problem with the game is that I had to use some walkthrough to find out what I was supposed to do, the best thing about this game is the atmosphere that effects and sound effects they are phenomenal to make you feel uncomfortable and frightened.It was a nice experience and I was scared the first half of the game, I would recommend this game to you if you like to be frightened the only problem with the game is that I had to use some walkthrough to find out what I was supposed to do, the best thing about this game is the atmosphere that effects and sound effects they are phenomenal to make you feel uncomfortable and frightened. The only problem is the half way through the game the enemy stop being scary because you killed by dem and you Begin to get killed by the multiple times it loses the terrace effect and just become another game enemy. It's a game I would recommend and even better it's very cheap… Expand
  19. Goiti_2002
    Nov 3, 2022
    7
    Lo recomiendo con peros, la inteligencia artificial de los enemigos son un poco muy me, me gusto la forma que tiene el juego de contarte la historia, los puzzles no son puzzles que te hacen sentir un niño de 4 los por lo sencillos que son (cosa que es de agradecer).
    es un juego interesante para una persona que tiene un ordenador muy poco potente de hace ya bastantes años.
  20. tadnid
    May 12, 2023
    7
    It was a decent experience. It was an important step forward 13 years ago and inspired important games like Outlast. By today's standard it certainly shows its age. I did not find the game particularly scary (Outlast had me sitting on the edge of my seat a lot more). The story is good. Graphics are dated, some mechanics quite cumbersome. Difficulty is more on the easy side; I had a lot ofIt was a decent experience. It was an important step forward 13 years ago and inspired important games like Outlast. By today's standard it certainly shows its age. I did not find the game particularly scary (Outlast had me sitting on the edge of my seat a lot more). The story is good. Graphics are dated, some mechanics quite cumbersome. Difficulty is more on the easy side; I had a lot of unused resources in the end, and enemies get adjusted to you, so if you die, they bother you less. Puzzles were nice, there may be more here than standard horror games.

    Some editions come with the Justine DLC. I didn't bother with that one much as this side story does not save your progress, so you have to finish it in one go.    … Expand
  21. 2-D
    Dec 13, 2020
    7
    Really creepy atmosphere with quite a compelling narrative but unfortunately feels extremely dated at times in its gameplay which also is unbearably repetitive at times.
  22. kitru
    Feb 22, 2021
    7
    Good game, I liked the system of interaction with objects. Due to the lack of the ability to counteract the monsters, an increased sense of helplessness is created. Monsters in general are not scary, because half of them are invisible :)
  23. SilentLev
    Sep 16, 2022
    7
    В плане хоррор-составляющей первая часть Амнезии даёт фору подавляющему большинству проектов в жанре и по сей день. Новый проект продолжил идеи Томаса Грипа и лишь променял один мрачный и гнетущий сеттинг заброшенных катакомб Гренландии на другой мрачный и гнетущий сеттинг опустевшего старинного замка. И прихватив оттуда кипу стрёмных врагов, усилив их жуткий облик ещё сильней. Да, сталоВ плане хоррор-составляющей первая часть Амнезии даёт фору подавляющему большинству проектов в жанре и по сей день. Новый проект продолжил идеи Томаса Грипа и лишь променял один мрачный и гнетущий сеттинг заброшенных катакомб Гренландии на другой мрачный и гнетущий сеттинг опустевшего старинного замка. И прихватив оттуда кипу стрёмных врагов, усилив их жуткий облик ещё сильней. Да, стало страшней, однако интереснее ли? Где-то после первой трети игры заинтересованность для меня начинает стремительно пикировать вниз, и доигрывал я проект уже по инерции. Да, по своей первобытной жути она затмевает почти всё, во что я играл. В остальном, наименее любая игра шведской студии.… Expand
  24. Magnanimous_j
    Dec 13, 2010
    6
    There are things this game does fantastically. The sound is amazing, the atmosphere is incredible. The monsters are scary as hell. There were a couple times when after a few minutes of hiding from a monster, listening for his footsteps and creeping little by little out into the light, trying to figure out where he was; only to have him appear and charge me: The second or two before heThere are things this game does fantastically. The sound is amazing, the atmosphere is incredible. The monsters are scary as hell. There were a couple times when after a few minutes of hiding from a monster, listening for his footsteps and creeping little by little out into the light, trying to figure out where he was; only to have him appear and charge me: The second or two before he killed me, my skin actually tingled and I involuntarily drew breath. I felt the feeling of actual terror.

    The puzzles were another high point. They were intuitive and fun, you needed just enough brainpower to solve them that you feel satisfied afterward without just guessing randomly until you get it. The story, while standard spooky fare was more than adequate and the voice acting was better than most AAA titles. Won't win any oscars, but it wasn't bad enough to take you out of the story, like some games that cost 10X more to make.

    The graphics were Average at best, but the lack of visual POW never took you out of the moment. My big issue with the game was the mechanics. You have to constantly manage your light sources, which seems like an afterthought. Since you have no weapons in the game, they can't add challenge by making you manage ammo, so they just use light. Which was distracting because you have a lantern that burns out faster than Gordan Freeman's flashlight (and doesn't recharge) and a bunch of tinder boxes. These appear to be as big as beer cans, but for some reason can only be used to light ONE light source each. And as important to your survival that a single candle is... you can't pick it up and take it with you, even though it is obviously just sitting on a table. It feels like they decided that the game was too easy and needed something to make it more of a challenge.

    And I get why you can't have weapons, the feeling of sheer horror as some abomination sees me from across a dark cellar is something I have never felt in a video game before... but... there are weapons literally everywhere. In your puzzles, you use huge wrenches, fireplace pokers, metal rods, flammable lamp oil, shovels, BOMBS. but your character never thinks to use one on the roughly man-sized monsters that are wandering all over the place. The last thing that really bothered me about the game is one of the first things you see when you fire it up: Some tip of advice that says something along the lines of "don't play this game to win, instead, let yourself become engrossed in the story" or something to that effect. Just because you're an indie studio, don't ask me to give you the benefit of the doubt. Just make a great game. In closing: This game has some really mind-blowing elements. You can tell the creators really love electronic gaming and bring a level of craftsmanship that a lot of the mega-titles can't touch. The sound is some of the best I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. But in the end, a lot of the game play mechanic is contrived and serves only to artificially add complexity. To everyone who gave 9s and 10s:Lets hold indie developers to a HIGHER standard, not a lower one. Because they have the passion and innovation to truly create the next great games: not the EA team working on the latest Nazi Shooting FPS ported from XBOX.    … Expand
  25. Dylanmc12
    Mar 3, 2011
    6
    This games Gameplay got hit by a rock, so did it's music and character's, but it's immersion was instead rewarded with a gold medal ... And then hit by it.
    Amnesia told us : "That a isn't scary because one of the monster's have **** growing out of their knee's or the overarching plot, it's scary because of immersion, and being completley ... Alone ..."
    And hey! For an indie game the    This games Gameplay got hit by a rock, so did it's music and character's, but it's immersion was instead rewarded with a gold medal ... And then hit by it.
    Amnesia told us : "That a isn't scary because one of the monster's have **** growing out of their knee's or the overarching plot, it's scary because of immersion, and being completley ... Alone ..."
    And hey! For an indie game the voice-talent is prety good.    … Expand
  26. Grizmondus
    Sep 15, 2011
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It certainly is a creepy game, that can get the best of you at times. The level design, in some places anyway, is pretty solid, and you actually feel like you're in a massive castle. And then the horror elements come in. At first, they are genuinely scary. Monsters are intimidating in every way, be it by the growls they let loose to let you know of their presence, the tell-tale footsteps and grinding noises, and the possible rage they get into when they spot your sorry behind. They've definitely roused their fair share of scares from a number of players. But I'm not really one of them.

    For starters, the AI in this game is almost non-existent, following a seemingly on-rails methodology. This is ALWAYS the case in the game. Yes, there is pretty much one monster that doesn't follow this system, but it's for the only genuinely scary part of the game which doesn't last. When a monster appears, simply hide somewhere, wait for it to go out of sight, and it'll disappear from the level outright. The trend never dissipates, which is disappointing in the very least. This definitely makes the monsters more of an obtrusion than an actual enemy that could pose a threat to you. Even sadder is the fact that Penumbra did a better job in this regard.

    Music is pretty good, though. Mikko Tarmia is the composer, and he knew what he was doing with the game's soundtrack. Rather than give a sense of total isolation like Penumbra did, this one makes you feel like the walls are closing in. Graphics are mixed. There are solid effects here, like the SSAO lighting and higher-than-average polygon count, considering the low budget at work. Monster designs are a plus, so Frictional did a good job here. However, you can't help but feel like it is outdated. Hardly to the fault of the developers though, who may have earned enough cashola to warrant an improved engine.

    Physics is sort of important here. You can interact with pretty much anything in the game world, but other than opening doors, flipping levers & switches, and picking up items or notes, you don't do much of anything that makes you want to interact with the game world. While they did add the ability to fully rotate some objects, there isn't really a reason to. It could have been used to better effect, like say, to investigate an object that might have a nook or cranny containing a key or some other thing. Story is alright. There's little to involve you in the game, and there's no narrative. Every bit of the story comes from the notes and mementos you come across in the game. Plus, you might find yourself wanting some kind of landmark to come around to break the monotony you happen upon. You only come across one character that kind of interacts with you, but it's kind of creepy and you would have to have a suspension of disbelief to cope with it.

    You can play custom stories, even with things you make yourself, because the developers added features to elongate the game's replay factor. At least they accomplished that.

    It's a disappointing title, considering that Penumbra (sans 'Requiem') was a solid series of horror adventure games. This one is convoluted, gets predictable quite fast, and could have been improved in so many ways (don't make the enemies so pointless, for starters, as they are only there to give you the chills or scares for a few moments). Hopefully, though, they've learned their lesson and they try something better next time.    … Expand
  27. Budget_Security
    Oct 16, 2014
    6
    Refined old-fashioned horror for the discerning gentleman. This is the quintessential 'haunted castle' experience. Scary enough, but in a restrained way, without as much depravity as some other horror games. Pacing is deliberately slow and focuses more on the suspense and what you hear around the corner. No other game manages to make me feel so helpless - you can't fight, you can only hideRefined old-fashioned horror for the discerning gentleman. This is the quintessential 'haunted castle' experience. Scary enough, but in a restrained way, without as much depravity as some other horror games. Pacing is deliberately slow and focuses more on the suspense and what you hear around the corner. No other game manages to make me feel so helpless - you can't fight, you can only hide or run. The controls are refreshingly simple and work very well. The graphics and level design are a bit mediocre, and gameplay may lack a bit of variety, which prevents it from being truly great. Still, I can easily recommend this. The mod scene is one of the best around, with some great single-player custom stories that compete with the base game for quality.… Expand
  28. eternalsnows
    Jul 23, 2013
    6
    Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a very unique and enjoyable gaming experience. Right up until the last hour or two of playtime, that is. Before then it's creepy and atmospheric: you'll find yourself nervously looking around corners, jumping at sudden noises, and yelling as invisible demons chase you through tunnels, smashing doors that you throw closed behind you. There are a smattering ofAmnesia: The Dark Descent is a very unique and enjoyable gaming experience. Right up until the last hour or two of playtime, that is. Before then it's creepy and atmospheric: you'll find yourself nervously looking around corners, jumping at sudden noises, and yelling as invisible demons chase you through tunnels, smashing doors that you throw closed behind you. There are a smattering of old school adventure game elements to contend with, but the puzzles are all easy and don't detract from the experience. This changes towards the end. The puzzles start to take center stage and there are long stretches of wandering around, scanning the floor for items to pick up, pulling levers, and randomly trying to combine inventory elements. Granted, it never gets as unintuitive as Sierra or LucasArts games did, but it is a letdown given how intense the game was up until that point.

    And the ending is so, so lame.

    Amnesia: TDD is well worth experiencing for the first half alone, but overall it doesn't live up to its potential. I'm looking forward to seeing if the upcoming Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is able to correct these flaws and deliver a more cohesive experience.    … Expand
  29. Dco326
    Sep 20, 2022
    6
    Iskreno meni se nije dopala igrica, story mi je hit and miss, gameplay postane jako dosadan i to ej to.
  30. Babutto
    Jun 20, 2023
    6
    Not a big fan of such games but it's decent.

    Pros.:
    - Story.
    - Suspense.
    - Variety of endings.
    - Super stable game.

    Cons.:
    - Just boring (for me).
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Awards & Rankings

14
#14 Best PC Game of 2010
7
#7 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
17
#17 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 44
  3. Negative: 0 out of 44
  1. XGN
    Apr 19, 2011
    90
    Amnesia: The Dark Descent is the scariest game in years. You'll get an extremely creepy vibe from the castle and all of the mysterious things that are happening there. The voice overs and the ending of the game aren't great, but this shouldn't bother anyone seeing how you'll be extremely scared when you play this on your own in a dark room.
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  2. Absolute Games
    Jan 31, 2011
    83
    Amnesia offers an experience so rich that we're willing to forgive its weak ending, imperfections of the engine, and low-bugdet production values.
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  3. Thunderbolt
    Jan 29, 2011
    90
    At times it's a struggle to play purely because of how scary it can be, and it's not often you can say that about a video game. Just remember: lights off, headphones on, and try not to go insane.
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