Amnesia: The Bunker Evaluation (PS4)

After successfully pioneering a brand new sort of horror expertise in 2010’s Amnesia: The Darkish Descent, developer Frictional Video games hasn’t proven a lot willingness to create one thing wholly genuine once more. Two sequels adopted the revolutionary unique — with just a few years of manufacturing put aside for SOMA — however with little in the best way of gameplay alterations to separate them, this new third follow-up needed to make considerably of a change. Amnesia: The Bunker is undoubtedly a greater sport than its predecessor Amnesia: Rebirth, and whereas it by no means absolutely shrugs off that sense of “been there, carried out that”, it seems like a greater route for the sequence.

Similar to the earlier three entries, although, Amnesia: The Bunker remains to be extra about hiding within the shadows and creating distractions quite than participating with the enemy. A clunky management scheme means that you can decide up and work together with virtually something within the surroundings, opening and shutting doorways (of which there are rather a lot) remains to be a chore, and one improper transfer will in all probability spell your demise. Which will sound acquainted to sequence veterans, however there’s simply sufficient right here to set it aside. One instance could be the incredible setting: the bunker itself.

The sport takes place in an underground bunker throughout World Battle 1. Having awoken to search out your self deserted and trapped inside, that you must discover a approach out whereas avoiding a monster that is on the prowl. Tight, barely lit corridors join every part of the bunker, highlighting the unsanitary circumstances troopers needed to dwell in in the course of the 1910s. Capturing off these passages reside quarters, kitchens, and equipment designed purely to assist the warfare efforts as human life is left to waste. It is an totally dreadful place, and Frictional Video games has captured that brilliantly.

Even with out a monster on the unfastened, the bunker is simply as scary a spot as it’s darkish, damp, and decrepit. It is a haunting, uncomfortable setting that has you on edge always — even within the seemingly protected haven of the administration workplace. Heightened by creepy audio and a chilling environment, simply strolling the principle corridors is a activity you may must psych your self up for.

What makes issues all of the extra daunting is you are by no means fairly assured to be finishing targets within the mild. Most important character Henri Clément is supplied with a wind-up torch, however powering it creates noise which attracts the monster stalking the hallways. Individually, the bunker has its personal lighting, however whether or not they’re powered or not is solely right down to you. Subsequent to the principle save room is a generator demanding gasoline to energy the overhead rigging. You have to enterprise out into the bunker to search out that gasoline and produce it again to maintain an inexpensive degree of visibility. With extraordinarily restricted stock house, although, you may rapidly begin to query whether or not it is best to even interact with the mechanic and as an alternative attempt to thrive at the hours of darkness.

All-round, it is a good backdrop that basically drives house the appalling circumstances of a World Battle 1 bunker, from its dingy, filthy rooms to the efforts wanted to maintain the lights on for a couple of minutes. It is horrible, and Amnesia: The Bunker revels in that. What lets it down is gameplay that hasn’t advanced sufficient in some locations.

It is inconceivable to get away from how dated the sport can really feel at instances, from its clunky controls to the fundamental loop of hiding away from the creature when it is on patrol. Significantly on a PS5 pad, the inputs really feel far too weighty; once more, particularly when doorways are concerned. It is very easy to overlook what button does what as there are all method of features mapped to the controller, they usually by no means really feel very satisfying within the first place. PS5 gamers may even need to be aware there’s solely a PS4 model out there, so options like adaptive triggers and haptic suggestions will not be lively.

What saves the bundle from being a retread of previous Amnesia experiences is a extra open-ended strategy to finishing targets. Whilst you’ll be handed duties to maneuver the story ahead, your major project is all the time to flee the bunker. The sport means that you can sort out this responsibility in any approach you want — to a level. There are normally a number of strategies of getting your arms on an merchandise or other ways to manoeuvre your self right into a room. The revolver can play a big function on this, in order for you it to. Regardless of the actual fact you are in a World Battle 1 bunker, ammo is extraordinarily restricted — having any greater than two bullets is a luxurious. As such, you should use them correctly. They are often shot on the monster when it will get too shut, or the firearm can create sufficient of a blast to blow a padlock off a door.

It is these dynamic selections and varied technique of entry that elevate Amnesia: The Bunker above its predecessors, however it’s not fairly sufficient to see the entry attain for the celebs. The sport remains to be slowed down by the gameplay design of previous, with these cumbersome controls and dated gameplay loops of hiding away from the monster policing the bunker. For pretty much as good as the sport is, it could want to interrupt off fully from what got here earlier than it to actually begin making waves once more.

Graphically, the title does little to impress past precisely capturing the terrible dwelling areas of World Battle 1. We solely have a PS4 model right here (performed on PS5 through backwards compatibility) so there have been by no means any expectations of graphical grandeur, however the monster particularly seems to be fairly dangerous while you come nose to nose with it. As well as, one or two glitches popped up all through our playthrough, such because the map disappearing fully when trying to view it within the administration workplace.

Conclusion

Amnesia: The Bunker sticks just a little too near what Frictional Video games has been doing for over a decade now, however with a extra free-form strategy to gameplay, the group is again heading in the right direction once more. Coupled with a superb setting, Amnesia: The Bunker represents an unlimited enchancment over its predecessor. You will nonetheless encounter the identical obstacles of previous, however this horror expertise comes really helpful.