I was going to write about Amnesia, but I forgot...

This entry is basically just my thoughts and musings on Amnesia: The Dark Descent and general horror and computer games.


(Contains strong language from external sources)


With any sort of artistic medium, there are always going to be people out there who just want to scare you. There's always someone who makes it their sole duty to make you have the least pleasant experience ever. In films you have your countless slasher flicks and gorefests filling up the cinemas, in books you have Stephen King and the like, even music has its fair share of creeps. (See how long you can listen to this for)

Today, however, I'll be mainly talking about computer games. But in order to do that, I'm going to have to have a think about what 'scary' really is.

(Let me say right now that I'm not brave in any way shape or form when it comes to films or games. I'm the sort of person who thinks that playing this game or watching that film is a fantastic idea until I'm actually sat in front of it and in it for the duration.)

I'll briefly start by looking at films. There is a plethora of films that rely on a combination of cheap jump scares and instances of people chewing their own toes off so their head doesn't get turned inside out and such. Now don't get me wrong, both of these are perfectly legitimate techniques in horror; it's just the over-reliance on the "sudden scares + gore = scary" formula that makes for some pretty stagnant horror films.

I'm looking at you, Saw. Also looks like you're looking at me. Touché.

Don't get me wrong, though. For every crap horror film there is a brilliant one (well, almost) that has a good story and just scares you with its mere presence. What scares different people obviously varies, so that's why there are so many different types of horror film out there - to cater for different tastes (or fears, as it were).

Now I have played a few computer games in my time. If you'd have asked me a year ago which game was the scariest one I'd ever played, I probably would have said Dead Space or Silent Hill.

Or this piece of unrefined horror:

These are all pretty damn scary, for different reasons. But they have all been shunned into the depth from whence they came ever since I've played a little game called Amnesia: The Dark Descent, by Frictional Games (who, by the way, is an independent company made of 5 people. Yeah.)

Even the title is unnerving.

Amnesia does what other games don't. It manages to create an atmosphere that makes you worried that something's going to be there even if it's not. There might be a horrific monster round the next corner, because you just heard a creepy sound, but there might not....

Oh and by the way, you can't attack or kill monsters.

Yep, Amnesia has done the unthinkable and make you actually have to run and hide away from the monsters. Which is terrifying.

For an idea about it, I recommend buying the game (it's only a few pounds) or playing the demo, but until then here's this, the most popular Amnesia reaction video: (Warning, contains strong language - as you can see from the screenshot)

These sort of reactions aren't exaggerated either. I can say this because I actually did pretty much the same thing, the horror even manifesting itself as horrific cramp in my leg at one point (like I said, I'm not so brave)! The game effectively managed to capture the tension and unease that surrounds my favourite horror film, John Carpenter's The Thing. The whole idea that you know there's a horrific monster somewhere but you don't quite know where, and often it springs out where you least expect it. Even in Pingu.

Indeed, Frictional Games' 'other' game was Penumbra, which was so obviously based on The Thing it was like John Carpenter had done it.

The Thing...

...Penumbra

In a world where 'horror' means how bloodily can you eviscerate a shambling creature/ zombie, it comes as a breath of (not so) fresh air. The story centres around the protagonist, Daniel, who wakes up in a flippin' gigantic castle with - you guessed it - amnesia. The only things he remembers are his name and that he lives in Mayfair. It's then up to the player to traverse the creepy castle whilst finding notes that tell you of your past; namely that you have to kill a man named Alexander (whose castle it is) and escape a horrible 'Shadow' that is hunting you down and breaking down reality.


The reason I love it so much is that it doesn't rely on explosions or big guns or even a multiplayer to justify its existence (Battlefield 3, anyone?). The story telling and the audio-visual atmosphere help create, in my opinion, one of the most immersive experiences ever made. I can honestly say that I have experienced no piece of art on any medium scarier in my life than my first (and even second) playthrough of Amnesia.


This is also helped in no small part by the horrific enemies, which, without giving too much of the story away, are basically horribly mutated ex-humans called the Gatherers.

*shudder*

All this comes together to create the scariest misadventure you've ever had the (debatable) pleasure to see.


One of the main things that makes Amnesia so special is the attitude of its designers. Though there are only five of them, they still managed to create a game which, in my view, stands up to the AAA titles with huge teams working on them and millions of dollars thrown at them. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that it's better than many of these in some respects, as Frictional Games actually seem to know what the hell they are doing, rather than stick a big monster round this corner and give you this gun and make the game play this cutscene, its left entirely up to the player. There are no real penalties other than the horror itself, which helps you to be immersed.


For a better view on what I'm on about, check out this lecture by one of the designers (if you ever have some spare time). The beginning alone is fascinating, and shows a degree of thoughtfulness that seems absent from some of the biggest games these days.


Basically, Amnesia is one of my favourite games not just of 2011 (it actually came out in late 2010, but I was late to the party), but of all time. I heartily recommend it, if you dare. The big developers could learn a thing or two from this tiny but brilliant company, who are working on a new game which I can't wait to see.


I urge you to get some friends round and play this. It honestly is one of the scariest, funniest and most rewarding media experiences you're likely to have for some time.


With that said, I'm off to go cry in a corner.




-Sam