After effectively pioneering a new type of horror experience with 2010’s Amnesia: The Dark Descent, developer Frictional Games has shown little appetite to recreate something completely authentic all over again. Following the revolutionary original, he had two sequels in the works, with several years of production time set aside for SOMA, with few gameplay changes to separate them, and this new His third sequel had to make some changes. Amnesia: The Bunker is arguably a better game than its predecessor, Amnesia: Rebirth, and while it doesn’t quite get rid of that ‘I was there and did that’ feeling, there are better games in the series. It feels like direction.
However, like the previous three entries, Amnesia: The Bunker is more about hiding in the shadows and distracting your enemies than engaging them. A clunky control scheme lets you pick up and manipulate just about anything in the environment, but opening and closing doors (of which there are many) is still a pain, and one wrong step will probably kill you. It may sound familiar to series veterans, but there are enough elements here to set it apart. One example is the bunker itself, which is an amazing setting.
The game takes place in an underground bunker during World War I. Upon awakening, I found myself abandoned and trapped inside. You must find a way out while avoiding the monsters that roam. Narrow, barely lit corridors connect sections of the bunker, highlighting the unsanitary conditions soldiers had to live in in the 1910s. Protruding from these corridors are living quarters, kitchens and machinery designed purely to support the war effort while lives are wasted. It’s an utterly terrifying place, and Frictional Games captures it beautifully.
Even if the monsters aren’t on the loose, the bunkers are as terrifying a place as they are dark, damp and dilapidated. It’s a haunting and uncomfortable environment that will keep you on edge, even in the seemingly safe place of the administration office. The spooky audio and horrific atmosphere builds up, and you’ll have to brace yourself just to walk through the main hallway.
To make things even more difficult, there is absolutely no guarantee that you will be able to reach your goals in the light. The main character, Henri ClĂ©ment, is equipped with a wind-up torch that, when activated, creates a noise that attracts monsters roaming the corridors. Apart from this, bunkers have their own lighting fixtures, but whether or not they are powered is entirely up to you. Next to the main storage room is a generator that requires fuel to power the ceiling rigging. To maintain a reasonable level of visibility, you’ll need to venture inside the bunker to find the gas and bring it back. However, with so limited inventory space, you’ll quickly begin to wonder if you should not even engage with mechanics and instead try to thrive in the dark.
All in all, it’s a great backdrop for a terrifying experience of World War I bunkers, from the dingy, filthy rooms to the effort required to keep the lights on for a few minutes. It’s scary, and Amnesia: The Bunker revels in it. The only disappointment is that the gameplay isn’t advanced enough in some places.
From the awkward controls to the basic loop of hiding from creatures while patrolling, it’s impossible to escape the fact that the game feels dated at times. Especially he feels the input is too heavy on the PS5 pad. Again, especially when doors are involved. With all sorts of functions assigned to controllers, it’s easy to forget which buttons do what, and you’re never happy with them in the first place. PS5 players should also note that features such as Adaptive His Triggers and Haptic Feedback will not activate as it is only the PS4 version of him available.
What keeps this package from rethinking past amnesiac experiences is that it’s a more liberal approach to achieving your goals. You will be given tasks to progress through the story, but your main task will always be to escape the bunker. To some extent, the game allows you to approach this mission any way you like. There is usually more than one way to get an item or enter a room. If desired, a revolver can play a big role in this regard. Despite being in a World War I bunker, ammunition is very limited and having more than two bullets is a luxury. So you should use them wisely. If a monster gets too close, it can fire at them, and firearms can cause an explosion large enough to blow off a door padlock.
Dynamic choices like this and different avenues of entry make Amnesia: The Bunker better than its predecessor, but it doesn’t go far enough for that entry to reach the stars. The game is still bogged down by outdated gameplay design with clunky controls and an outdated gameplay loop of hiding from monsters guarding the bunker. No matter how good your game is, to really start making waves again, you need to completely break away from what you were before.
Graphically, few things impress this title more than its accurate capture of the awful living spaces of World War I. Here he only has the PS4 version (via backwards compatibility he can play on PS5) so I wasn’t expecting the grandeur of the graphics at all, but the monsters in particular look pretty bad when confronted looks like Additionally, he’s had one or he’s two glitches while playing, such as the map completely disappearing when trying to view it in the administration office.
Conclusion
Amnesia: The Bunker is a little too close to what Frictional Games has been doing for over a decade, but a more free-form gameplay approach puts the team back on track. Combined with the excellent setting, Amnesia: The Bunker represents a significant improvement over its predecessor. Although you may encounter the same stumbling blocks as in the old days, this horror experience is recommended.
