First came Amnesia: The Dark Decent in 2010, kickstarting a new genre of survival horror games (or so the developer claims, it’s up to you to decide). Then there was an indirect sequel, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. Ten years after the original came Amnesia: Rebirth, which took physics-based mechanics to a new level while also building up the narrative experience. Well, it hasn’t been ten years since that, but there’s already a direct sequel looming. Amnesia: The Bunker promises to reinvent the rules of horror, bringing players horror survival with emergent gameplay, more player agency, and a sandbox semi-open-world environment.
The emergent gameplay and sandbox elements are what make Amnesia: The Bunker stand out from past titles in the series. Players will control decisions in the moment while armed with a revolver and a noisy flashlight, exploring a dark WWI bunker in the shoes of a French soldier troubled by his amnesia – shocking – and hunted by a creature from another world. Everyone is dead. Rations are running low. And only one bullet is left in the gun…
The game promises to test players’ cleverness, courage, and ability to keep cool to make quick problem-solving decisions. Each task, puzzle, and obstacle presents multiple solutions. The semi-open world encourages players to explore and experiment using their wits and any tools at their disposal. There is actually a huge amount of power in their hands. A stressful amount. Every decision will change how the game responds with consequences. This adds constant tension to the game.
The environments are “unscripted,” meaning objects, threats, and resources change with every new playthrough. The threats are adaptive. New levels of interaction with the world are introduced through puzzle-solving and tool-handing (my mental age is about ten so that term makes me giggle). The story is describes as “appalling,” but I take that as a good thing. Sound effects are carefully designed to create a “real” horror experience.
Developed by Frictional Games, Amnesia: The Bunker will be released for PC via Steam/Epic, PlayStation, and Xbox in 2023. Wikipedia currently states it will launch in March, but there’s no source attached to that so do with that information what you will. Console specifics weren’t given at the time of writing.
