Photo by Frictional Games
For as long as video games have existed, horror as a genre has been a favorite among game developers, producers and players. Studios such as Capcom, Supermassive Games, Creative Assembly, Visceral Games and Konami have each left their mark on the interactive medium with titles that constantly changed the landscape of game design. One studio in particular, Frictional Games, broke the mold back in 2010 with “Amnesia: The Dark Descent.” This summer, that same Swedish studio released their latest installment in the franchise: “Amnesia: The Bunker”, which can be purchased from digital storefronts such as Steam, PlayStation, Xbox and more.
Set against the backdrop of the Western Front of WWI in the year 1916, players take on the role of “Henri Clément,” a foot soldier in the French army. After escaping from a German attack during the introduction, Henri is knocked unconscious by artillery fire after saving his fellow comrade, Augustin Lambert, after Lambert fell into a crater. Henri wakes up inside a French underground bunker but finds the place deserted. He eventually stumbles across a wounded comrade who tells him that an unknown creature has slaughtered the entire garrison and that the exit has been blocked off by their commanders, who have left them all behind. Moments later, “the Beast” kills the wounded man, dragging him off into a hole. Henri must then find the means to break out of the bunker, while simultaneously fending off the Beast and discovering what happened while he was unconscious.
One of the most apparent things about “Amnesia: The Bunker” after the first hour of playing is how it represents a clear change from prior games put out by the Frictional Games. Instead of relying on psychological horror, which the games were well-known for, the Bunker incorporates elements of the survival horror sub-genre, including inventory and resource management and weapons to defend yourself with. This was a bold choice for the developers, drawing inspiration from other games like Resident Evil and Alien: Isolation, but one that works effectively and breathes new life into the franchise.
In terms of other changes to the design, the game is noticeably non-linear in contrast to the installments that came before it, with players required to explore the bunker, looking for resources and tools to stay alive and escape to the outside. The changes to game design also feature emergent gameplay, encouraging the player to get creative with the mechanics to accomplish objectives and overcome obstacles like traps and locked doors. These changes encourage a great deal of player freedom, making the experience feel more focused.
As stated before, survival horror elements have been included, such as inventory and resource management and weapons. The inclusion of weapons is an especially noteworthy change from previous games, allowing players to fight back against the horrors they encounter. The game manages to balance this out by discouraging the player from being too reckless with their limited resources. Sure, you can use the pistol or the shotgun to drive the Beast back or use a grenade to blow up a swarm of rats, but ammo is very scarce, and you might need those resources later. This helps to raise the stress of the situation, making it so the player never feels too comfortable.
The primary antagonist in “Bunker” is the Beast, with carnivorous and aggressive rats serving as a secondary antagonist. It’s here that the inspiration from Alien: Isolation is most apparent, as the Beast cannot be killed, only temporarily driven away. With the limited supplies, players are incentivized to either hide or run away whenever the Beast is on the prowl, which is where the psychological horror comes into play. The Beast is attracted to loud noises such as explosions, gunfire and busting open doors, but even quieter noises like cranking the flashlight or running catch its attention. The threat of the Beast can be lessened by keeping the power generator to the bunker on, causing it to hide instead of roaming about, but it will investigate if the player makes too much noise. However, even with the generator on, the player has a timer counting down to when the generator runs out of fuel, making the situation nerve-wracking at best and terrifying at worst when the generator shuts off, forcing the player to elude the Beast in the darkness.
The rats, on the other hand, are less of a threat and more of a hazard. They can typically be found scavenging on dead things, usually in the middle of hallways, serving as an obstacle to overcome. However, it is not as easy as just running past them or jumping over them–the rats can and will attack the player if they stray too close. What’s worse is that if the player is bitten by the rats, they will chase after the player until they heal, crawling out of every hole to get at them. Thus, the only way to dispatch them is with a Molotov cocktail to burn them and their food source or temporarily drive them off with a flare, a gas grenade, or a flaming torch.
The sprinkles on top of this terrifying sundae are the score and sound design. From the snarls and roars of the beast, to the sounds of distant gunfire and explosions outside the bunker, to the moody ambient music that plays when exploring the bunker, to the reliving safety of the administration room, the team at Frictional excel once again at keeping the mood at just the right level, messing with the player’s head through the use of creepy noises.
While all of this would suggest that “Amnesia: The Bunker” is an excellent game, there are some very noticeable drawbacks. The story, for example, is remarkably simplistic when compared to previous installments in the franchise. The promise of a horror game set against the backdrop of one of the worst wars in mankind’s history is an enticing setup, but is let down by flat characters, a predictable twist and missed opportunities for a deeper narrative. It is here that the game could have used the interplay of the horror of the Beast and the horrors of the Great War to great effect. Instead of having to worry about the war going on around the bunker, as the introduction alludes to, the potential is wasted by the rest of the game’s narrative and mechanical focus on simplicity.
Another pratfall of the game is the wasted potential of the Sanity mechanic prior entries were known for. While it’s refreshing not to worry about going crazy from being in the dark for too long, the game settles for a simple distortion of the camera instead of exploring the effects of the Beast and the horrors of war on the player’s perception.
Speaking of the Beast and other enemies, it is here the game’s engine that Frictional Games have been using for over 10 years really begins to show its age. While the AI generation of the beast is impressive in how it reacts to sound and harasses the player, such as bursting through barricaded holes, it never quite organically adapts to the player’s behavior. This serves as a contrast to one of the game’s inspirations, Alien: Isolation, where the enemy of that game, the Xenomorph, would adapt to the behavior of the player. Here, the Beast always reacts in the same way, with only slight changes, such as requiring more ammo to drive it away after shooting it each time.
While the game does have much more replay value than any of the other games developed by Frictional Games, it’s not by much. The game’s ending urges the player to do another playthrough with the promise of a unique experience each time, but this only extends to the randomized locations of certain non-essential items and door passcodes. However, it does, at least, have enough changes that incentivize recurrent playthroughs in contrast to the prior games.
While “Amnesia: The Bunker” does have some lost narrative potential and mechanical shortcomings, it is still easily one of the best games of 2023. In an industry that constantly insists that consumers don’t want single-player experiences, and that horror games don’t sell, “Amnesia: The Bunker” stands in contrast. It also helps show that Frictional Games can still scare the crap out of audiences. If you want a spooky experience for Halloween, or any time of year, this one is worth checking out!
Kelly Baker is an alumnus of West Chester University.