Amnesia creates unforgettable moments of organic, genuine terror, and has the power to immerse and terrify anybody.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent was a risky concept for a game, as were the previous releases from Swedish developer Frictional Games, being that the protagonist is being hunted by horrific monsters and he has no weapons to defend himself with. Risks that have successful outcomes pay off big time and Amnesia is destined to be remembered as the scariest video game of all time.
In it, you play as Daniel, who wakes up in Brennenburg Castle, in Prussia in the mid-19th century, with a self-induced case of amnesia (hence the title). Through reading a letter written to yourself, you determine that your goal is to descend (hence the subtitle) into the depths of Brennenburg Castle and murder Alexander. As the game progresses, through notes and letters found around the castle, you learn more about the disturbing history of Alexander and the castle, and that Daniel is being chased by a "shadow" that is "breaking down reality".
The game is broken into various sections of the castle, most of which containing their own large puzzle (such as dissolving a barrier of organic material) which can be solved by completing many smaller puzzles (such as finding ingredients for the acid that dissolves the barrier of organic material). The puzzles aren't that great. In fact, they really aren't puzzles so much as small quests to find things that you need to proceed. There are a few little puzzles that actually utilize wit rather than the ability to find stuff (which isn't wit), and they are far more satisfying, but the large majority of the puzzles are not compelling.
The compelling portion of the game is traversing areas inhabited by the castle's monsters, which are deformed humans, who are suggested to be victims of experimentation. Their models are really creepy, and often you won't even really be seeing them up close as you'll be running away if you ever see one. Being that you have no weapons to defend yourself with, all you can do is run away and hide from the monsters to avoid getting killed. The only thing you carry with you is your lamp to illuminate the far-too-dark castle and some tinderboxes to light up candles placed around the castle. Anyway, back to the monsters. This game understands the concept that the less you see of something, the more you get scared of it. Because if you don't see real threats often, its your mind itself that generates the terror. And by that I mean "Holy BALLS what was that noise?! I swear I heard something walking right over there!!"
Amnesia is the most successful horror game I've ever played because it utilizes the psychological aspect of the generation of terror. Sure, you can have loud violin screeches and monsters jumping out of ceilings, but you can also have a constant sense of dread and a lack of safety as you walk through a dark and ominous prison.
Sanity also plays a role in the game. Separate from your health status is your mental status, which can degrade if you look at the monsters or spend too much time in the dark. Consequences of a degraded mental state can be chattering teeth, hallucinations, and changing mouse sensitivity. Daniel is afraid of the dark, and being in it drives him slowly insane, but sometimes staying in the dark is the only way to hide from monsters. So, what you do to preserve your life will differ circumstantially? Because if your sanity drains entirely, then you fall over and are left at the mercy of any monsters that may find on the ground.
The graphics are quite well-done for an independent title, with good lighting effects and some impressive environments, although many environments do look too similar. The game's environments and graphics do a very good job at immersing the player in the role of Daniel in Brennenburg Castle.
The game has minimal music, but the overall sound design is terrifying. When a monster appears nearby, you'll hear it make an unforgettable "blehhh" sound and an ear-ringing sound effect increases as you look at monsters for longer. Often you'll hear the cries of victimized people or footsteps or creaking wood off in the distance, and it all effectively adds to the game's overall tension.
The game's engine allows for the development of many organic and unique moments of genuine terror. This game was really made by smart people. Let me give you a very recent example. You're walking out of a room into a series of corridors. You hear a "bleehhh" sound and your heart rate jumps instantaneously. Ahead you see a monster walk into the corridor. You turn around and run back into the room and hide behind a box, hoping the monster didn't notice you. The door is being broken down. The monster saw you. You get up and run way to the back of the room and hide in the back corner with a few pig carcasses hanging from the ceiling, swinging slowly. You can't see, but you can hear that the monster has entered the room and is looking for you. After a few tense moments, you see the monster is walking toward you. What do you do? You back up to the wall as close as you can and pull the pig carcass toward you to ensure that you can't be seen through the carcasses. The monster leaves after a minute or so. You breathe a sigh of relief. It's gone.
Amnesia creates so many moments that you are likely to remember so vividly as they will induce terror that can't be matched.