Amnesia: Rebirth |OT| The sequel to The Dark Descent

[Bebpo]

Getting towards the end I think.

Didn't enjoy some of the areas I did tonight. The

Spoiler

maze with Leon was pretty shit. Not because it was scary but because it was dark and confusing and I went through all my matches and lantern oil and still had no idea where I was and where I was supposed to be going. Was just 20 mins of flailing around and it kinda sucked.

Scariest part was just the way the damn gates would close in your face.

Then all the stuff with Leon was pretty lame, game doesn't need boogieman monsters, I also don't think the red scar tissue is particularly scary. Oh no, it's blobby stuff.

Some of the areas around/after Leon were a bit confusing too, though that big scripted chase with all the zombies/ghuls was pretty intense and fun.

The theater slowed down a bit and can see better with the otherworld lights, a bit past that now.

I liked the game a lot until the Leon stuff, not feeling these areas as much, hopefully the endgame stuff is pretty good.

 

[AncientReptileBrain]

Spoiler: end game

i played from juuuust before the hunting grounds (saved yesterday after solving the three big pillar turning puzzle and entering the area beyond the energy lock) to the end of the game today, and honestly, i don't recommend doing that in one long sitting. by the end i was just ready for it all to be over with. :(

i really adored SOMA and to a lesser extent the first Amnesia, but by the end of this game the way the monsters interacted with you just got to be really... monotonous. once you discover what's going on with the failure system in this game the whole thing becomes, weirdly, more laborious than reloading, because it's just like "alright, alright -- i get it -- let's move on".

that, and i don't know, maybe it's just me, but the core conceit of this game "the _fear_ is powering things!" just... didn't work for me at all. i got to that and I was like, really?! that's what we're doing after SOMA?

the fort sequence is probably still my highlight, and i had a real blast playing through it. i loved the setup with tasi and the crew -- the idea of retracing your steps and trying to work out what was going on, and how each of the other crew members interacted with everyone else and ultimately died was this game at its absolute best. the idea of playing as someone who is pregnant, while still dealing with such a profound trauma is super strong, and i'm impressed how far they went with it.

so, i don't know... it's not a game i'm in a rush to play again soon, but there were still some really cool things in there. it's a worthy experiment, even if it didn't work as a whole for me in the end.

 

[AncientReptileBrain]

i know this is a double post, but while i'm thinking about it:

Spoiler: ending

the design of the queen's room in the tower and her pod thing was wonderful! the way it opens up to reveal itself was stunning.

 

[Chance Hale]

Are there major banding issues for everyone else? In some dark areas the screen just becomes a mess of artifacts on my oled. Am playing/streaming via geforce now since I'm without a video card atm but on the highest quality and bandwidth settings

 

[ThatDudeGuy]

Which ending did you go for?

Spoiler

I chose to inject the red flesh. Better to take her out since me and Amari were going to die anyway.

Click to shrink...

Spoiler: Ending Spoiler

I chose to take Amari and go to Paris. Upon reaching Paris, I was all happy to have made it, and my wife said, "Umm, but you still look like a scary monster, right?" The game cuts to black, but I wish it had shown some strangers reacting to you.

 

[Princess Bubblegum]

Regarding the endings

Spoiler: Spoilers for endings

None of them are satisfying, it's truly the sequel to The Dark Descent.

Tali escaping with Amari to Paris can only end badly. Tali is visibly changed and likely ends up in an asylum or whatever, which means Amari goes to an orphanage and given the time period she at best lives through the Nazi occupation of France. That's assuming Amari doesn't succumb to the same disease as her sister.

The iconoclast (aka kill everyone) ending feels like the real ending but makes little to no thematic sense.

Giving Amari to the queen and becoming a harvester is somewhat more sensible from Tali's perspective but still terrible.

 

[Bebpo]

Just finished.

Maaaaaaan, I did not like the back half of this game very much.

I thought the first half in the desert using and old forts and local mythology that ties into the first games lore was fun, mysterious, had scary bits, good puzzles. Enjoyed the cistern and stuff. It reminded me of the recent movie horror movie Under the Shadow about a Djinn.

Enjoyed the earlier otherworldy bits since they were interesting and filled out the lore and mysterious.

But the back half...especially the back third, just turned from a horror experience into a boring ass generic videogame. Too much explanation, too much of a non-horror fairly generic plot, fucking stealth dodge ghosts. Suddenly I was playing Metal Gear Solid and concentrating on gameplay mechanics and trying "not to lose sanity" instead of like ...being afraid of the dark and solving puzzles and avoiding the spooky unknown. Then all the bits where you lose gameplay control to drag out story focus...blegh.

First half I'd put up there with SOMA/Dark Descent, but I think the back half is really weak and their worst and most bland game. Hell, it might be controversial but I think A Machine for Pigs is way better than Rebirth. A Machine for Pigs had a really good story, fantastic ending, and a jaw droppingly good soundtrack that gave the story side more impact. Plus it was creepier than Rebirth for me with all the dark machinery and the one or two stealth sections with enemies creepier than ghost lanterns.

Pretty disappointed. The last thing I expected from Frictional is a generic horror game that feels like any half a dozen other horror developers could've done. Where was the innovation? Originality? In the early bits having to stay out of the sun to keep sanity was neat.

Spoiler

Portal stuff was kinda fun.

But they just failed to really doing anything interesting gameplay or narrative-wise after a certain point. I honestly found the last hour or 90 mins of the game tonight just pretty tedious to the point that I wanted it to be over :(

I'd give it like a 6/10. Hope their next game is better.

Also, is there a way to read the orange notes?

 

[Fiddle]

I think coming from SOMA (one of my favourite narrative games ever) this game is a pretty massive disappointment. As others have said the first half has some interesting ideas (the desert/fort) but then seems to devolve into worse ideas similar to Soma actually, like torturing/killing NPCs for your own gain, and even the otherworld's design I found to be very reminicent of Soma. It doesn't help that theres barely anybody to talk to, so Tasi just talks to herself almost the whole game and it isn't particularly engaging, unlike the Simon/Catherine relationship. The gameplay I thought was good, but I feel like there actually wasn't enough monster encounters to counteract the clearly less produced narrative. So you kinda get the worst of both worlds here I feel, not enough spooky monster stuff and not enough time spent into the story to make it really work.

Then we have the endings which I feel are not interesting/engaging at all.

Spoiler: Ending spoilers

They all fell completely flat for me, and don't seem to elaborate on anything? Like we just spent 8hours with Tasi, and to just see her appear in Paris and thats it? I feel like there wasn't a clear thematic vision for this game. It just seems all over the place and far too vague. I also didn't understand why the Empress needs our baby. What purpose does it serve? How does Tasi get back into the plane? I shouldn't be asking these questions after finishing your game.

Also, I find the presentation of the story to also fall flat. Loading screen audio logs over a jpg? Really? I'm fairly certain Soma didn't actually have loading screens, I think they used the airlocks to hide them. This is a big step back. Stopping gameplay to show completely uninteresting flashbacks over and over was just so grating.

I don't think this is bad at all, in fact I enjoyed it most of the time, but the endings really hurt it and it's just completely uncomparable to Soma.

 

[Reedirect]

Alright, just finished it, here are my thoughts.

The Good:
– The protagonist – liked Tasi and her backstory a lot! Finally an engaging protagonist in an Amnesia game.
– The art and location design – definitely a step-up over Amnesia and maybe even Soma. Some gorgeous settings with enough variety to keep things fresh. Deserts of Algeria mixed with a lovecraftian otherworld were pretty great.
– The ending –

Spoiler: end game

ended up sending Tasi and Amari back to Paris, and I was pretty ok with the decision. The game kinda stumbles its way to an actually interesting final dilemma, even if the narrative way there is rocky to say the least.

The Bad:
– I didn't enjoy most of the puzzles, unfortunately, which only made me realize that I actually had the same problem with Dark Descent all those years ago. They're way too mechanical for me, and since I'm playing on console, most of the wheel-turning, handle-twisting and rock-picking quickly becomes a chore with analog sticks. I don't remember having the same problem with Soma, though.
– The pacing is all over the place. I never felt I was progressing towards anything, some parts definitely drag on for way too long (that damn first portal puzzle). Things go wrong absurdly often.
– The enemy encounters, at least most of them. Some people already voiced their aversion towards them in Soma, but I thought they were pretty great there, but here I mostly couldn't be bothered to actually sneak around and play quiet, especially in the later sections. Chase sequences were good, as they usually are in Amnesia.
– The lighting mechanic – While I was enjoying it in the beginning, I was over it about halfway through because the matches burn off ridiculously quickly and the constant lantern oil management wasn't fear-inducing, more frustration-inducing, at least for me.

The Weird:
– Not sure if I've just played way too many horror games so I'm desentisized towards fear, but I didn't think this was scary at all, except for the great scripted sequence in the maze. You know the one.
– Despite playing on the recommended brightness, the game is just way too dark in some areas, making a few encounters pretty frustrating.
– I think this is the last game Frictional can pull off on this engine, but it's not only showing its age, its teeth are straight up falling out from how old it is.

Overall – a totally mixed bag of emotions for me. Loved certain parts, loathed others. Just when I thought the game started gearing up, it slipped on its face, and vice-versa, when I was giving up and just wanted it to be over, it gradually made me care again. Still, probably Frictional's weakest game to date, sadly.

 

[DarkChronic]

Just finished it! Overall I really enjoyed my time with the game - like other games, I feel like the scariest part is the first half, but by the end you are kind of going through the motions and it loses a bit of the scare factor.

I thought the story was decent overall - nothing mindblowing but enough the keep me intrigued. I enjoyed the ending I got (the third "hidden" one, from the looks of things).

Absolutely worth checking out if you are a fan of Frictional Games. Ultimately I did enjoy SOMA better (it's still my favorite of theirs) but this was an extremely enjoyable experience to play during late October nights. Looking forward to seeing whatever they tackle next - I do think a "shake up" to their formula is needed, so I'm excited to see what they bring.

 

[Chopchop]

Man, the game really ties things off on a depressing note.

Spoiler: ending spoilers

I think the game did a really good job of showing Tasi's pregnancy and her bond with her kids throughout the game. My kid is about the same age as Alys was, so watching her waste away like that in the cutscenes cut a lot deeper than I thought it would. Those scenes really hurt to watch. It really helps drive home how badly Tasi wanted to avoid the same thing with Amari.

All three endings are depressing, as are the credits drawings that really tie things off.

The one where you take Amari to Paris is just a phyrric victory, since Amari wastes away like Alys did, and Tasi slowly turns into a monster as well. The ending image is depressing but actually shows the best-case scenario, since Amari is obviously several years old and has a bond with Tasi, and Tasi still has some control over herself, even though she looks a bit inhuman already. It's never going to end well. Tasi will eventually have to watch Amari waste away like Alys did, and that's torture in itself.

The one where you hand over Amari is thematically the same as the ending to TLOU 1: You sacrifice everything to protect your child. You see Amari well cared for, but at the cost of untold suffering. In the picture you see Tasi who, in spite of the queen's promise that she won't even remember, clearly still remembers Amari. It's a nice touch that Amari has the doll with her.

The one where you kill everyone and end the entire world is probably the "best" ending in that it ends all the suffering and makes sure the queen can't continue to hurt people, but thematically it flies entirely in the face of what you fought to do the entire game. You fought and did everything to protect your baby, and then you change your mind and throw it all away in the end. Personally I think this is the right thing to do, but it's just so tragic to kill yourself and your baby in the end after you fought so hard.

The motivations to choose each endings are understandable, but they're still depressing to see.

 

[Fiddle]

– The lighting mechanic – While I was enjoying it in the beginning, I was over it about halfway through because the matches burn off ridiculously quickly and the constant lantern oil management wasn't fear-inducing, more frustration-inducing, at least for me.

Click to shrink...

I had a huge amount of oil throughout basically the entire game. I've read others say that it was annoying but I never experienced the "oh no im running out of fuel/matches" moment. It felt very easy to me in that department. I only ever died once or twice so it's not like the game put me on easy mode or anything. Weird. I think if they kept me on a constant low state of fuel/matches I actually would've found it much scarier, but unfortunately the game is 75% alien worlds which I found considerably less creepy than the desert fortress stuff.

 

[Reedirect]

I had a huge amount of oil throughout basically the entire game. I've read others say that it was annoying but I never experienced the "oh no im running out of fuel/matches" moment. It felt very easy to me in that department. I only ever died once or twice so it's not like the game put me on easy mode or anything. Weird. I think if they kept me on a constant low state of fuel/matches I actually would've found it much scarier, but unfortunately the game is 75% alien worlds which I found considerably less creepy than the desert fortress stuff.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I don't really know what the problem was. Maybe the fact that since you run out of matches fairly quickly in the beginning, I began to rush through dark corridors in order to stay in the light and keep fear levels at a low, which then prevented me from searching through cupboards and other places where matches are usually found? Dunno, but I didn't enjoy this mechanic that much, especially in the second half where I decided that I could handle fear in the dark anyway so I just saw it as a nuisance.

 

[Bebpo]

Yeah, I had no problem with the matches or oil, although I swear the matches lasted a lot longer in the first half of the game.

I thought the having to constantly check the baby gameplay mechanic was way worse.

 

[Neuromancer]

Was I the only one that thinks that maybe Tasi

Spoiler

is in one of those caccoon things the entire time getting drained of vitae and tortured? And being fed her own memories as part of the hope/despair cycle the aliens talk about?

That doesn't explain all the running around she's doing though.

 

[Tomasdk]

Just finished it, overall I'm quite happy with it, there was I think one area that felt a bit annoying to me and I'm confused on the story a bit.

Spoiler: story stuff questions

I missed one memory, I thought those were unmissable, oh well.
I still have no idea what the orbs were and the shadow and the red flesh stuff.
I don't know why Tasi went back to the plane and how she lost her memory. Maybe it was only implied and I missed it, or I missed some notes.
How was the queen able to sense her pregnancy from another world?

 

[cabelhigh]

Just finished it, overall I'm quite happy with it, there was I think one area that felt a bit annoying to me and I'm confused on the story a bit.

Spoiler: story stuff questions

I missed one memory, I thought those were unmissable, oh well.
I still have no idea what the orbs were and the shadow and the red flesh stuff.
I don't know why Tasi went back to the plane and how she lost her memory. Maybe it was only implied and I missed it, or I missed some notes.
How was the queen able to sense her pregnancy from another world?

Click to shrink...

For your second thing...did you play the first game? That's all a reference to the Dark Descent, tho honestly I didn't think they did a great job of explaining how it worked in this one, because

Spoiler

in the first game the shadow/red flesh was meant to be the guardian of the orb........but if the alien people of Rebirth MADE the orb, why is it attacking them? I feel like this got explained in a memory capsule that I missed.

Last two questions are plot holes that are never explained :) It's a biiiiiiig one

 

[Bebpo]

For your second thing...did you play the first game? That's all a reference to the Dark Descent, tho honestly I didn't think they did a great job of explaining how it worked in this one, because

Spoiler

in the first game the shadow/red flesh was meant to be the guardian of the orb........but if the alien people of Rebirth MADE the orb, why is it attacking them? I feel like this got explained in a memory capsule that I missed.

Last two questions are plot holes that are never explained :) It's a biiiiiiig one

Click to shrink...

Spoiler

I think I remember a memory orb/journal about opening a gate and the shadow came through. Like it wasn't original part of the orb but linked to it after coming through from another dimension when they used the orb to open portals to other dimensions.

Might be wrong, idk.

 

[Buckle]

Aww shit..

Accidentally took a laudunum. That isn't going to effect the ending or anything, will it?

Spoiler

I'm a terrible mother.

 

[Neuromancer]

Aww shit..

Accidentally took a laudunum. That isn't going to effect the ending or anything, will it?

Spoiler

I'm a terrible mother.

Click to shrink...

Wow, I didn't even realize you could take it! I'm going to guess no.

 

[BeeDog]

Is the "Overlooked" trophy bugged? I am trying to get it early on in the game, in the Cistern section where you have to navigate around the Ghoul in the two-floor and very dark section (it's the one where the monster pops out of the wall when you move towards the blue-lit staircase). As soon as the monster pops out, I try running around to bait it, the music changes, and then I fuck off and hide in a corner until the music dies down but I can't for the life of me unlock the trophy :(

Want to get it over with before moving on with the game.

 

[cabelhigh]

Is the "Overlooked" trophy bugged? I am trying to get it early on in the game, in the Cistern section where you have to navigate around the Ghoul in the two-floor and very dark section (it's the one where the monster pops out of the wall when you move towards the blue-lit staircase). As soon as the monster pops out, I try running around to bait it, the music changes, and then I fuck off and hide in a corner until the music dies down but I can't for the life of me unlock the trophy :(

Want to get it over with before moving on with the game.

Click to shrink...

I got the achievement from going into hide mode directly after the monster spotted me from afar. Tasi swore, probably bc she thought the monster saw her, then i went into hide mode and got the achievement.

I dont think it was in the Cistern tho. Later in the game

 

[KnivesAndCoins]

Spoiler: Mid Game Spoilers

I got to the Dark Dimension after leaving the Cistern. I have tried to save that hooked being's life by trying to find a way to charge a "battery" by myself, but couldn't. Anybody succeeded?

 

[Neuromancer]

Spoiler: Mid Game Spoilers

I got to the Dark Dimension after leaving the Cistern. I have tried to save that hooked being's life by trying to find a way to charge a "battery" by myself, but couldn't. Anybody succeeded?

Click to shrink...

I don't think it's possible.

 

[KnivesAndCoins]

I don't think it's possible.

Click to shrink...

Damnit... it all kind of hinted at the possibility, but after two hours i gave up

 

[Wollan]

Got some time to play this again. Just got past the 'Traveler' story trophy. I'm a bit unsure how late I am in the game but considering this is a silver trophy and other hidden trophies 'close by' have a higher percentage I'm guessing I'm nearing the end. Game has been upping the tempo and variation a good deal in the later half.

 

[tok9]

Seems like the sentiment in the last page or so is exactly where I'm at. Was looking forward to this game, it starts so so and The Fort is an excellent section but that's honestly about it. The story just didn't grab me, it's not particularly scary and ya, I would agree the engine is aging.

I was looking forward to this with how much I loved SOMA and I wasn't going into this with huge expectations but ya.. just not that interesting to me.

 

[gdt]

Overall I really enjoyed it. Loved the puzzles. Got a bit too stealthy over and over in the final 25%. Soma is better, but that's a hard bar right there.

 

[Rimkrak]

wow I found the game really disapointing compared to dark descent. I didnt feel tension despite playing at night in the dark with headphones, story was good at first but ended up being meh and didnt tie in a satsifying way with dark descent... i liked the characters, only good aspzct imo. I'm badly disapointed.
I hope Visage will leave me with a better taste. So sad after waiting for this game since it was annonced

Spoiler: Ending

ended up blowing the world even if it doesnt make sense since dark descent exists... but hey seems like the writers didnt care about tying the story anyway so

 

[Mary Celeste]

Just finished. The Fort was easily the best part of the game, everything else was either bad or worse. Tremendously disappointing in every regard, the worst Amnesia and possibly the worst Frictional game

 

[BeeDog]

I got the achievement from going into hide mode directly after the monster spotted me from afar. Tasi swore, probably bc she thought the monster saw her, then i went into hide mode and got the achievement.

I dont think it was in the Cistern tho. Later in the game

Click to shrink...

Hmm, thanks for responding. I have gotten that "Fuck I think they can smell me" comment several times, and the music dies out yet I'm not getting the trophy which is weird. :/ Do you need to finish the setpiece/area to get the trophy or does it pop up immediately after the monster loses your trail?

 

[Wollan]

I finished the game. Overall I'm a bit disappointed. I wouldn't say it's a waste of time if you're curious though, it's a solid walking-simulator type of experience with some good mystery.

Amnesia being more of a creature/direct-horror title... I think actually 60fps is important. I played The Dark Descent for the first time earlier this year on (the same) PS4 Pro and I had a great time. The creature felt non-scripted and the extra framerate fluidity and speed of the monster really helped sell it. That game is what can be considered somewhat of a budget/mid-level game from 2010 and to me it felt more 'alive' than Rebirth. With the ~30fps performance of this new game I felt like I was constantly reminded that this is a videogame and not a well optimized one. SOMA being more of an environmental title (and more atmospheric at that) didn't suffer anything in particular from the tech. Maybe the simplicity of the creature A.I in the original Amnesia was actually a better thing as that freak just charges straight at you while in Rebirth the videogamey state transitions and whatnot stood out to me more (by chance perhaps?). Overall I just wasn't that scared by Rebirth even though there definitely was stressing situations balancing light/darkness. Some designs like a large collection of creatures lulling and sleeping, as a gamer you simply know that's just background as it would not work gameplay wise and therefor the illusion goes away. I also noticed that some of the creatures were animated in an almost cartoony fashion which was another reminder that this is actually just a videogame. I'm a bit curious how I would experience this game on a PC with a more fluid framerate.

I was curious where the story would go, especially based on the title.
Question:

Spoiler: spoiler

I was almost betting a twist would be that Tasi would be birthing herself somehow... I thought I saw placenta near a grave at the very beginning of the game and with the amnesia as well as 'Rebirth' title... I guess it was just blood?

I enjoyed the musical cues throughout and there were some good moments of mystery when you discover various murals and otherworldly technology.

Trying to see the holistic design aspect that was the goal of this game I feel that it was a good attempt and it was a nice touch how the plot became a central game mechanic. If it wasn't for other aspects of the game I felt it could have shined even better. The 'penalty' though became a bit annoying and it didn't help that the environments were too labyrinthic so you're not given a fair chance/overview as a player necessarily (a roll of the dice) unlike TDD which had more open environments but also a more aggressive creature. The lock-ins and 'fighting the fear' was another this-is-a-game reminder.

I loved both The Dark Descent and SOMA but Rebirth felt more like average fodder.

 

[Buckle]

Just finished. The Fort was easily the best part of the game, everything else was either bad or worse. Tremendously disappointing in every regard, the worst Amnesia and possibly the worst Frictional game

Click to shrink...

Please.

A Machine for Pigs can't hold a candle to this game.

 

[ListeningGarden]

Please.

A Machine for Pigs can't hold a candle to this game.

Click to shrink...

amfp is the best game frictional has had any kind of hand in developing

 

[Wollan]

Anyone else speculate what was seen in the burial site just outside the plane?

Spoiler: start of game 'spoiler' + full story spoiler/speculation

I thought this was a placenta but the story didn't really go there.
With Tasi having taken a big part of the journey as seen in the flashbacks but somehow ending up back at the plane... and with the title 'Rebirth'... I suspected...

 

[cabelhigh]

Anyone else speculate what was seen in the burial site just outside the plane?

Spoiler: start of game 'spoiler' + full story spoiler/speculation

I thought this was a placenta but the story didn't really go there.
With Tasi having taken a big part of the journey as seen in the flashbacks but somehow ending up back at the plane... and with the title 'Rebirth'... I suspected...

Click to shrink...

I feel like a lot of the story was cut. What with the opening being so overstuffed with flashbacks

 

[Shake Appeal]

Struggling to finish this one, which bums me out, because I love Frictional.

Their other games had a sadness and a beauty to them at times, and this has that only in fits and starts, usually when you're outdoors. Otherwise it's just a litany of awful, paranormal things happening to a character who's already had awful, mundane things happen to them, and the regularity with which something goes awry or breaks is just numbing after a while.

I find the monsters less scary than in the earlier games, but everything else feels grimier and nastier. I just finished the

Spoiler

Leon section

in its entirety, and I was weirdly reminded of Condemned 2, another disappointing sequel that relied too much on violence and cruelty. Everything about the

Spoiler

alien world

is just so deadening and ugly, and I'm not sure the increased focus on "mechanics" and stealth stands up to something like Alien: Isolation. There are just so many nightmare sequences and flashbacks and loading screen voice logs, but they don't hang together to show me anything human.

SOMA was so wonderful, even at its bleakest, and this is just unpleasant to get through.

 

[Messofanego]

wow I found the game really disapointing compared to dark descent. I didnt feel tension despite playing at night in the dark with headphones, story was good at first but ended up being meh and didnt tie in a satsifying way with dark descent... i liked the characters, only good aspzct imo. I'm badly disapointed.
I hope Visage will leave me with a better taste. So sad after waiting for this game since it was annonced

Spoiler: Ending

ended up blowing the world even if it doesnt make sense since dark descent exists... but hey seems like the writers didnt care about tying the story anyway so

Click to shrink...

Visage doesn't seem to be that great either going by the completed impressions in the OT :(

I finished it.

My feelings soured greatly after the second chapter. It was obvious which ones were playtested through EA and how much that helped the experience. The second "half" of the game is not very good.

Spoiler: Endgame Thoughts

So one of the things that stuck out to me is that the beginning states that this game is very hard and requires strict resource management (paraphrasing). But this game is not hard. Almost nothing is a threat, and none of the resources need to be managed. I never changed a lightbulb in the whole game outside of the one story-mandated reason to do so, and Pills were useless, because light regenerates your sanity. The game is genuinely afraid of making its threats real and tangible. Enemies are all one-trick ponies that chase you in a straight line, pathfind poorly, and ultimately walk much less quickly than you do so navigating around them is simple. Nothing is a threat in this game. Once you realize this, all sense of dread evaporates.

The early game is the best, when the house is still tricky and parts of it are still unknown. But Rakan's chapter, and the final "chapter" genuinely suck. The unfortunate reality of this game is that it takes PT's concepts, story ideas, and aesthetics wholesale and then tries to stretch them over 13 hours; unfortunately the game design is just plain not up to snuff for it.

A really great example of the sloppy game design: The game unintentionally signals that moving things around in the environment is done with your standard click-and-drag method, like doors. You can obtain a "secret" endgame item early by moving a toolbox in the Garage attic. This is done by clicking and dragging, like a door. But in Chapter 3, you are required to move two things: A bench and a cabinet. Bafflingly, you move these by walking into them clumsily. This is poor, unpolished UX design and totally indicative of just how poorly playtested the last few sections of the game really are. The first two chapters benefit greatly from being the Early Access portion of the game. The third chapter is also where some of the poor translation/Script QA comes in ("I should keep this in hands now"), and it also features the worst voice acting in the game.

Additionally, The game just really feels its budget. The character not having a model, the animations being wonky, the overall camera work -- it's all very amateur. The game has performance issues, tons of bugs -- some of which that are game breaking -- and many recurrent issues that mostly boil down to "things stop working". It is possible to softlock simply by doing what the game wants you to do in many places.

Overall, I don't regret having played this, but I do think it's an easy skip for most people. It really does not live up to the hype, and I can't recommend it in this state.

Click to shrink...

 

[Messofanego]

amfp is the best game frictional has had any kind of hand in developing

Click to shrink...

Leadhead made A Machine For Pigs' story sound amazing. I might check it out just based on the writing.

 

[Bebpo]

Please.

A Machine for Pigs can't hold a candle to this game.

Click to shrink...

Machine for Pigs has way better writing, story, and the best music. The VA is chilling.

Jessica Curry - Amnesia: A Machine for Pig Ending (A Child's Shadow & The New Century Dawns)

A fantastic track from the original score for Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs composed by Jessica Curry. The Cellist was Jonathan Byers The Pianist was Jessica C...

youtu.be

(probably my favorite 3 mins of anything Frictional related)

As a walking sim, it's very good.

Rebirth is almost best when it's a walking sim as the gameplay stuff in the endgame just kind of sucks.

amfp is the best game frictional has had any kind of hand in developing

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Damn, and I thought I liked amfp lol

SOMA is still their best for me, though.

 

[Rimkrak]

Visage doesn't seem to be that great either going by the completed impressions in the OT :(

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Just started it yesterday, still in the first chapter but i already like it better than rebirth by a mile. Too bad if it's downhill from there, that would be 2 misses for me.

 

[Talos]

How long is this game? Loved the original and thinking about getting this but I've heard the pacing is very slow at the start.

 

[HiLife]

Visage doesn't seem to be that great either going by the completed impressions in the OT :(

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Naw. That thread barely got any traction and it felt like I was the only one keeping it bumped. There's just one poster in that in that thread who completed it and didn't like it lol.

Just started it yesterday, still in the first chapter but i already like it better than rebirth by a mile. Too bad if it's downhill from there, that would be 2 misses for me.

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The comments saying it's severely downhill are being hyperbolic, imo. It's not as enjoyable as the pre release chapters, but it's still a fun experience.

 

[Bebpo]

How long is this game? Loved the original and thinking about getting this but I've heard the pacing is very slow at the start.

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About 8 hours. It's pretty lengthy for the genre.

The pace is slow for the first 60-90 mins where it's basically a walking sim. The game opens up a bit at the Fort which is the first real area and is a really good area.

 

[TolerLive]

Beat it last night! Been streaming it on twitch. Took 4 2-3 hour streams to get it done but i really enjoyed it overall!

 

[Kazuhira]

Just finished it, a solid game overall.
I wish they had expanded on the endings a bit more,they felt quite basic imo.

Spoiler

i dunno, give a little bit of hope by showing that Amari managed to have a happy life or maybe overcome her illness or something. Doing a perfect run doesn't seem to be much different from returning to Paris like a harvester either.

One thing i like from Frictional is their otherwordly/alien-like architecture, i wouldn't mind them working on a new Alien game that takes place inside a spacejockey ship.
Hell,maybe they should work with the team behind Scorn.

 

[Talos]

Does this game not have customisable controls? 😭 I'm sure I'll get used to it but...

 

[Metroid]

So I got cought by the monster twice so far and died. After I respawned it was gone and I could walk through these sections without being chased. Is this intended?`Feels a bit cheap.

 

[Maximo]

So I got cought by the monster twice so far and died. After I respawned it was gone and I could walk through these sections without being chased. Is this intended?`Feels a bit cheap.

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Believe they didn't want the *scares* to be cheapened by having to redo them over and over.

 

[Lylo]

So I got cought by the monster twice so far and died. After I respawned it was gone and I could walk through these sections without being chased. Is this intended?`Feels a bit cheap.

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Yeah, i think that's their approach to this, they don't want the player to get frustrated with enemy encounters because after some time it's not scary, only an annoyance.