![]() The most disturbing effect of insanity, perhaps, is the chewing sound, like something literally gnawing at Daniel's mind (and mine). His vision begins to shake and lose focus. Daniel's breathing becomes labored and frightened. In the depths of insanity, things begin to happen. When surrounded by darkness, Daniel's sanity will slowly drain. ominous place, to put it lightly, and it takes its toll on our hero. Light is about more than simply seeing where Daniel is going, too. Of course, lanterns need oil to burn, and tinder boxes are in limited supply, so the choice of what light to use, and when to use it, becomes very important. The interplay of light and dark play a heavy role in Amnesia, with Daniel's only sources of light confined to an oil lantern or tinder boxes that can light torches and candles. I can see the controls frustrating some players, though most of the time I felt it added another layer of realism to Daniel's actions as he fumbled around in the dark.Īnd it is dark. Immersion occasionally went out the window when I cursed my mouse for not spinning Daniel around fast enough. That said, there were a few times that the controls felt like they got in the way, namely when running from a monster and frantically trying to slam doors behind me to block its path. It's an interesting concept, and one that usually helped immerse me in Amnesia's atmosphere. There are a few more ponderous actions, like turning cranks and wheels, which requires players to depress the left button and then move the mouse in a circular motion, as if actually turning the object. The same mechanic works for drawers and cabinets: Click, hold, pull. For example, to open a door, hold the left mouse button - grab the handle, essentially - and then pull or push the mouse, depending on which way the door swings. All of the actions in Amnesia are set up to mimic real life. Presented in first person, Amnesia sends players into the deeps of castle Brennenburg, gathering notes of Daniel's past, solving puzzles and avoiding the things that lurk in the dark. ![]() And so the tale begins, with Daniel spiraling ever downward in search of both Alexander and the truth of his involvement with him. The note makes a few things clear: Daniel's amnesia was purposefully self-inflicted, he is being followed by a shadow - "a living nightmare - breaking down reality" - and, finally, he must find Alexander of Brennenburg in the castle's Inner Sanctum and murder him. Awakening in the castle, the only clue to his affairs is a note from himself. As the title suggests, Daniel has a case of amnesia. Amnesia: The Dark Descent, a project crafted primarily by a small team of five people, presents us with something altogether different and wholly terrifying.Īmnesia puts players in the role of Daniel, an Englishman who has traveled to Brennenburg Castle in 19th century Prussia. Resident Evil, on the other hand, has firmly pushed in the opposite direction, arming its protagonists so heavily that the only thing to fear is an ill-timed reload. Silent Hill tends to lean further toward horror, minimizing combat for the sake of atmosphere and suspense. What began as an attempt to mix horror with video game tropes has generally strayed toward one or the other. "Survival horror" has gotten a bit cloudy over the years. Amnesia: The Dark Descent is our reminder. Most of us have forgotten what it's like to tremble in the dark, praying for the obscene, hungry beast to go away before your mind breaks. ![]() Granted, you won't find many such creatures in suburbia but, from a purely evolutionary standpoint, a healthy fear of the dark has helped humanity survive. ![]() What our parents neglect to say is that fear of the dark is, in fact, perfectly reasonable, because there are things in the dark. They say this not to provide us with a valuable life lesson, but to keep us quiet, so that they can sleep. As children, our parents tell us not to be afraid of the dark. ![]()
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