When we first started making games at Frictional Games, we wanted to create an immersive horror experience. We threw in everything we could think of: puzzles, physics, combat, eerie dream sequences. Those of you who have played Penumbra: Overture will remember these elements well. Now, as we get closer to the launch of Amnesia: The Bunker, coming to PS4 on June 6th, I wanted to take a look back at how we’ve further refined our formula and approach to the game.
The real breakthrough came with Amnesia: The Dark Descent. We started focusing on the key aspects that lead to a more engaging experience. We’ve removed all other elements that don’t directly inspire the combat or horror experience. This made players more aware and more engaged with their environment. For example, even a simple sound effect can provoke a violent reaction, causing the player to run or hide. Players will be immersed in events like they’ve never seen before.
One of the only relatively safe places in Amnesia, the Bunker – Management Office. Carefully reviewing the map and planning your next move is crucial to survival.
This revelation showed that such techniques could be used to propel narratives in new ways. Few games did this at the time, but we felt we could still push the boundaries. This is how SOMA was born. we asked ourselves. Instead of scaring the player, could we evoke a similar sense of immersion in a more complex topic? became. Five years later, I know it can be done.
In Amnesia: The Bunker, revolvers are used to shoot padlocks, showing how they can be used as more than just weapons.
After that, we aimed to expand the studio to run two projects and split the team in two. One group worked on his Amnesia: Rebirth, aiming to tie gameplay and narrative more tightly together, introducing mechanics that had a significant impact on the story (such as stomach-stabbing simulations). We were proud of our results but felt we could have gone further. A telltale sign of this was that once players understood the game, they would approach each section in a predictable way. The gameplay simply wasn’t driven enough to give the player real power.
the lighter one. A very important item used to craft various tools, such as a torch that wards off rats.
Rebirth’s Creative Lead Fredrik Olsson pitched a simple idea when Rebirth was launched and another project (let’s call it the Super Secret Project) was still in the works. What if he had a monster, gave the player a gun, and unleashed it? Are they in open world? This was a smaller, more focused project that could be completed before the Super Secret Project. A bunker was born.
The concept is very different from modern games, but it’s not too far from Penumbra: Overture’s origins. In Overture, players tackled monsters in any way they wanted, using weapons, setting traps, or lighting canisters. Bunkers aim for the same thing, but a step up.
Revolver concept. Firearms available for the first time in a game from Frictional Games.
Around the same time Bunker was conceived, it became clear that the Super Secret project wasn’t on the right track. I felt things were too linear and not open ended enough. Taking inspiration from The Bunker, we decided to steer our other projects in a more open-ended, gameplay-focused direction.
When you’re out of options, brute force may be your only option. Be careful, though, as it can make a lot of noise and attract unwanted attention.
As a story-focused company, we strive to create stories that make players feel like active participants. This is a core part of our DNA. What all of our games have in common is an active first-person perspective exploring something (whether it’s the nature of the mind or the experience of pregnancy). Despite limited time and resources for the project, the bankers had to maintain this spirit. We have adopted a simpler and more straightforward narrative. “This is World War I. You are a soldier trapped in a bunker, and a hideous beast lurks in the shadows. Escape!” Dedicated. It’s not as complicated as previous entries, but it’s still a very story-driven experience.
This marks a new trajectory for our company. Or, more precisely, we are revisiting old paths and exploring what we can do with them. Starting with Amnesia, we started removing gameplay elements to see how far we could push that approach. Now we’re bringing systems, mechanics, and player agency to the forefront. I’m interested in how far this can be achieved. Bunker is an interesting first step, small in scope and aimed at a very specific experience.
Being small and specific doesn’t mean it was easy to create, quite the opposite. A number of interesting challenges arose during development. For example, the game’s open-ended nature means there’s always more than one way to get through a door. In previous games, it was carefully scripted to have one, and sometimes two, specific solutions available when going through a door.
In The Bunker, we just give doors certain properties, give them some tools, and let the player figure it all out. In a game that wants to pick and choose a specific overall experience, this is very difficult. There are certain high-level notes that must occur regardless of how the player chooses to play them. Solutions include making these beats more system-based (such as changes in monster behavior), and avoiding obstacles so that there is always a way to overcome obstacles regardless of what resources the player has. It involves setting things up.
It will be interesting to see how players approach the game. We have already learned many lessons and are incorporating them into our next project. We’ll have even more insight as we bring this game out into the world. We hope that you will give The Bunker a try, not only as a new entry, but also as a first step in a new direction for us as a studio.
