Fans of horror and gaming have always had the opportunity to experience the best of both worlds and that’s one of the nice things about being a gamer.  Every now and then I try to write about games that try to introduce experimental gaming styles, as opposed to the tried and tested blockbusters.

One development team I have keenly followed is the Chinese Room, the same guys who created the game “Dear Esther”, which was reviewed here last year or so. Dear Esther was a beautifully fascinating game, which guided players through a fantastic and seemingly tragic story. Chinese Room just released a new game called Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs featuring a dark story, superb audio and an amazing style of gameplay.

Plot

The dawn of of the 20th century approaches and in the year 1899 the player wakes up as Oswald Mandus, a millionaire industrialist and adventurer with no recollection of the recent past. As the game progresses it becomes clear that his children are missing and his wife is probably dead. Also, there seems to be something strange happening with the pigs in his house and the nearby factory.

As players explore the mansion and the surroundings of Victorian London, they come across notes, letters, and begin to have conversations with a mysterious man who might have valuable answers. The amazing thing about the game is the manner in which suspense and plot continues to build and evolve over time.

It even changes the perception the player has about his character (something that hardly changes in other games), where Mandus goes from being slightly disturbed to a mad genocidal scientist bent on playing god - or so it may seem.

As the plot thickens, the subtle themes that are touched upon become clearer. There is even suggestions that the entire plot somehow tries to draw attention to the horrors suffered by those during the industrial age during the Victorian era. A time that few could fathom - no rights, bad working conditions and poverty crippling the city. It is this context that gives way to Mandus who might yet become a villain of sorts.

Gameplay

Thankfully Amnesia avoids all the cliches associated with standard horror/mystery games and instead focuses intensely on the plot. Now this might not appeal to players who might want all the various puzzles like in Sherlock Holmes, or go in with guns blazing as with F.E.A.R. The game does not feature logical puzzles or require players to build large inventories or stuff.

Nor is there a combat element. Instead, players follow a route through the various environments that are only require simple things as opening locked doors, operating various bits of Victorian machinery and working with standard tools. The visuals aren’t amazing but the sounds are superb and gives players a sense of Victorian industrial era.

The only real threat is the frightening pig monsters,which are made more gruesome thanks to the fine backstory and the eerie suspense building through the game. The only real option is to avoid them and to do this you generally need to switch off your lantern (often your only source of light) and this puts you in pitch darkness, increasing the sense of fear and panic as you hear hooves and grunting all around.

Verdict

Unlike many other games you can’t really brag about the amazing combat system or mind blowing puzzles. But in this game you can go on for hours about the thrilling plot and the amazing sense of adventure that it brings about. There is an amazing sense of suspense and thirst for clarity each time a new twist is come around. There is generally just enough to keep you madly guessing but not enough to actually form a good enough explanation. As I said earlier, not everyone is going to take a liking to this game but it is different and in many ways it is very refreshing. Highly recommended.

By Navam Niles