Developer: Frictional Games
Publisher: Frictional Games
Platform: PS4, PC
Release Date: October 20, 2020
Genre: Horror
From the creators of SOMA and the original Amnesia: The Dark Descent, comes the first direct sequel within the Amnesia franchise. The original game released in 2010 and it became a sensation, pushing the whole horror genre forward. Frictional Games takes a long good care in developing their games and it wasn't until 2015 before they released their next game SOMA, a game which ranks high on many games lists for the generation.
The wait has been long once again but finally it's time. With Amnesia: Rebirth the creators are aiming to combine the existential dread experienced in SOMA with the more mechanical horror gameplay seen in Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Key story threads from the original game, set in Prussia in 1839, is being continued in Rebirth set in the Algerian desert in the 1930's.
Synopsis:
You can't let out a breath. The creature is only inches away. Its sole purpose - to feed off your terror. And so you crouch in the dark, trying to stop the fear rising, trying to silence what lies within you.
"I know you. I know what you're capable of."
In Amnesia: Rebirth, you are Tasi Trianon, waking up deep in the desert of Algeria. Days have passed. Where have you been? What did you do? Where are the others? Retrace your journey, pull together the fragments of your shattered past; it is your only chance to survive the pitiless horror that threatens to devour you.
"Do not allow yourself anger, do not allow yourself to fear."
Time is against you. Step into Tasi's shoes and guide her through her personal terror and pain. While you struggle to make your way through a desolate landscape, you must also struggle with your own hopes, fears, and bitter regrets. And still you must continue, step by step, knowing that if you fail you will lose everything.
- First-person narrative horror experience
- Explore environments and uncover their histories.
- Overcome puzzles that stand in your way.
- Carefully manage your limited resources, both physical and mental.
- Encounter horrific creatures and use your wits and understanding of the world to escape them.
- Before Amnesia and SOMA, Frictional Games developed the Penumbra horror series.
- Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs was an Amnesia spin-off developed by The Chinese Room (Everybody's Gone to the Rapture).
- Frictional Games is a two-game studio now. Their other game is likely not that long out from reveal, maybe 2021. A team of about twenty worked on Rebirth.
" Tasi's worsening condition is something that unfolds over time. In order to make sure it hits home we weave in some core narrative motivation into it. I am afraid I cannot go into what this part of the story is, as it is something we want to keep secret until release. But it is something we hope to be just as impactful as [spoilered] was in SOMA, if not more so.
The whole [revised] fear system has now gone from being a gimmicky addition to being an integral part of the whole story. It really helped us to simulate a looming sense of dread and to capture that feel of character's descent down a spiral of despair.
Finally, I want to note how all of this adds up into a coherent whole. As pleased as we were with SOMA, we never felt that the gameplay closely supported our overall narrative. This was something we wanted to do better. In Amnesia: Rebirth the narrative is supported on everything from the moment-to-moment system to the higher level narrative.
It is hard to describe the feeling of all of this coming together. The best way to find out is to give the game a go when it hits PS4 on October 20, and take a chance to live through a horror novel from within."
Some interesting gameplay insights posted on PS.Blog.
"Another reason for having this variety of environments is to provide an incentive for the player to keep playing. In a horror game the core experience that you are trying to evoke is terror, which is not very pleasant. This is in stark contrast to most other games where the core gameplay loop is usually enjoyable in its own right. In a horror game, you are always running the risk of the player quitting, because of the game being too successful at doing what you set out to do! If the player knows that there will be something new and exciting ahead if they manage to overcome their current ordeals, then they are much less likely to drop out. The promise of new environments works well for this, as do other things such as captivating narratives or unsolved mysteries."
Creating the world of Amnesia PS.Blog entry.
"I'm hoping people will see it as, like, a holistic experience, that they've gone through this, not just played a game but actually been on this long journey and become emotionally affected by the end of it. Hopefully, laying awake for at least a few nights before being able to sleep again."
Eurogamer: Amnesia: Rebirth is more than a decade of horror gaming refined.
"Players are now very used to the simpler tricks, and generally all low hanging fruit that you can use to make a game scary," says Grip. "We tried to avoid all of that during this period of development and to twist player expectations when possible.
I think possibly the other big influence on this game has been our own experiences of working on SOMA," says writers Ian Thomas. "It showed the studio that we could make games with a longer-form story, that builds up its horror over time rather than concentrating just on moment-to-moment gameplay. It freed us up a lot when considering how to put this game together."
PC Gamer: Frictional Games wants to go beyond jump scares.
Release date reveal trailer:
Story & Environments trailer:
17 minutes of gameplay:
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