Amnesia: Rebirth

I'll get straight to the point:
Is it scarier than Amnesia: The Dark Descent? No.
Is the game revolutionary? Also no.
Is the game solid enough for a fun horror experience? Yes, for the most part.
Amnesia: Rebirth is better AND worse than The Dark Descent and SOMA in many ways. The variety of environments, sound design, resources management and puzzle design are great and definitely hold Rebirth a strong case in those aspects, along with some pretty tense monster encounters.
However, Frictional chose very weird and perhaps half-baked design decisions which affected the pacing and the narrative of the game for the worse. The game itself feels a bit rushed and rough around the edges, especially in the narrative aspects, making it hard to care for most of the characters. The game struggles with what it wants to tell you at first.
Even so, the game gets really good in its second half, focusing on an otherworldly plot that ties in to the original game from 2010.
I'm certain that fans of the original game will find this one enjoyable, although not without disappointment.
7/10.

(3 Min) Video Review
Written Review
Amnesia: Rebirth is a direct sequel to The Dark Descent. Unlike A Machine for Pigs, it has stronger ties to the original game, although you won't be in the same setting, or playing as the original protagonist.
Instead, you play as Tasi, a plane crash survivor that sets out to look for her missing crewmembers, in the deserts of Algeria. If you know the story of the Dark Descent, you'll know why that's quite exciting.
I will refrain from talking about the more interesting aspects of the narrative in this game, because there are a lot of really cool things at play here that are best discovered if you play the game blind.
Rebirth is similar to TDD in a lot of ways, however very different at the same time. Like the developers' previous game, SOMA, Rebirth is filled with a lot more narration by your character. She will voice her thoughts, and comment on notes after you have read them. All with fantastic voice acting.
Because of this, I found that there wasn't a constant feel of existential dread like in TDD, but that tradeoff comes with a very intriguing story. There are some beautiful environments, intriguing concepts, and an overarching story that kept me on the edge of my seat. TDD had a great story too, but it did manage to scare me just a smidge more.
That's not to downplay Rebirth's horror sections. In between comforting areas filled with warm sunlight, you will be hunted, and chased by creepy monsters. The designers did a great job at constantly playing with your expectations of when they will appear, and tricking you into undesirable positions. And the sound design helps bring it all to life in a terrifying way.
There's an additional option to lie down on the ground, which makes you even more hidden. It makes for some really creepy moments, when you can just see the monster's legs walking on the other side of a desk you're behind.
Like in TDD, you have a lantern that can be filled with oil, as well as a match that can be lit for a smaller radius of lighting. While the match burns, you can light a few other environmental lamps, which removes the need to use 100 tinderboxes per room, if you're clever with your match usage.
The game does a great job at rewarding you for thoroughly investigating rooms. Items are hidden in very interesting spots, covered in other junk, and it helps make the place feel real, like it was lived in.
Puzzles are still a thing in this game, and I found them to be overall very clever. They're not too hard, and not too easy. You have to think outside the box just enough to have you scratch your head for a bit, only to get a satisfying feeling of accomplishment after you figure it out.
The only slight downfall of the game is from a technical point of view. Sometimes the graphics look a bit dated, and there are limited FPS and Audio options. But those are very miniscule complaints.
Overall, I think it's a great sequel, with just the right amount of familiarity, while at the same time bringing loads of really cool concepts to the game. There are tons of great surprises that I didn't want to showcase, so if you like the idea of a horror game that's heavy on narrative, with some superb voice acting and setpieces, I highly recommend playing Rebirth.

The Amnesia series returns once more with this third instalment and has had many fans, including myself eager to see the improvements from the past game, and the cult hit Amnesia: The Dark Descent (ATDD). Unfortunately, Amnesia: Rebirth misses its mark and has many shortcomings, but still manages to be a decent narrative experience overall. Many of its 'flaws' will be seen differently by each individual as they're quite subjective in nature. Whilst I recommend this game as a whole, there are many aspects to it that are awry.
Pros
+ Excellent, poignant voice acting.
+ Variety of settings whilst maintaining its focus on dark gloomy environments.
+ ATDD nostalgia, with the memory tubes, door icons, sanity sounds, matches etc.
+ 3 varying endings with differing moral choices towards the games conclusion.
+ Thoughtful puzzles.
+ Exploration to find light sources/memories
Cons
- Very convoluted, disjointed, and difficult story to follow with multiple characters and jumbled memories.
- Lack of character development.
- Pregnancy mechanics, checking your baby bump to increase sanity becomes tiresome very quickly, especially with the protagonist’s comments.
- Lack of enemies. Many areas are totally safe and remove any tension previously created.
- Constant, forced immersion ruining cut-scenes
- Can only hold 10 packets of matches at one time.
Story
The protagonist, Tasi Trianon finds herself in the heart of the Algerian desert after a plane crash. Stranded and alone, with fragmented and scant memories, she ventures off into the unknown, impelled to move forward and search for her missing husband. During her trek, Tasi realises that she doesn't only have her own life and survival to consider, but also that of her unborn baby. Driven by her maternal instincts and strong will, she ventures deeper into the darkness, compelled to escape and find normality once more. This becomes the core of the game, in a quite mature and maternal approach to the survival horror genre, however, this may understandably, not appeal to everyone.
Gameplay: Enemies & Horror Elements
Understandably, most players, including myself, are going to compare this to ATDD and whilst gameplay is somewhat similar, I wouldn't say that it is an improvement on its predecessor. The harrowing atmosphere which we know so well from ATDD I found to be completely lacking. I played for hours without bumping paths with a single enemy and once I did, the constant baby coddling and reoccurring cutscenes were sure to remove any feelings of dread previously created.
All enemies (there are just 2 types) can only be found in the last 2-3 hours of the game. Gratefully, Frictional Games have kept their sanity mechanism which can be increased through light, but also uniquely through touching your pregnant stomach. At first, I thought this was interesting and realistic in that it would give a sense of comfort, however, at least for me, this became trite very quickly. A monster could be just around the corner, staring right at me and I can touch my stomach and speak to it with the same repeated baby-talk 'shh little one, it will be ok' and the enemy doesn't hear me and my sanity is suddenly improved.
I actually question Rebirth as a survival horror game, as these elements are so few and far between, I found it to be mostly a narrative Sci-Fi-horror mix. Those looking to relive the fright and jumps of ATDD should look elsewhere. Although I consider myself a veteran horror player, I did not find this game scary in the slightest and it should not be played with only this in mind. The game is dark and gritty, but has more of a focus on a Sci-Fi, SOMA-like atmosphere as opposed to fear inducing elements.
Furthermore, Rebirth is extremely forgiving in its gameplay. I believe I only died once when I was lost, but if players do die, you are respawned closer to the exit and sometimes the enemies even despawn. With already so little enemy interactions, the areas that do require stealth/hiding are thrilling. To make this even easier seems counterproductive if the aim of the game is to have a survival horror tag but remove the survival aspects.
Cutscenes & Choices (No spoilers)
There are multiple NPC's scattered throughout the journey, some can even be spoken with. For any ATDD fans, we know that this is a strange concept. I found that it removed the fear and loneliness that was once curated so expertly before, creating yet another safe environment.
We are introduced to an array of characters within minutes of starting the game, most of which I forgot shortly after. Followed by an ever-increasing convoluted story and lack of character depth, I found myself not really caring about her baby or any of the other people.
Tasi's memories are scattered, but she remembers the people she was travelling with, her husband, who she was etc. Completely opposite to ATDD where everything was unknown until the end. It is also not clear how she got amnesia although players can make assumptions. The cut-scenes are forced throughout the game, triggered by progress but becomes more of a nuisance in their recurrence, especially in the beginning areas which are just memories of Tasi's happy family life - boring.
On a positive note, I liked the inclusion of moral choices relating to her baby as well as the 3 different ending paths. With each ending contrasting one another, this encourages replays, combined with the motivation of Steam achievements.
Graphics & Sound
I don't remember once playing an Amnesia title and stopping to think how stunning the environment looks, but that's exactly what happens with Rebirth. Instead of sticking to the gloomy, caliginous paths, Frictional Games decides to switch things up with including both indoor and outdoor areas, sunsets, ruins, water features and more. That being said, the gritty areas are still just as dark as in their previous titles and the need for illumination is ever prevalent which is fantastic.
The voice acting is very well done, as expected. The decreasing sanity sounds are just as I remember in ATDD, however the monsters are not and I didn't notice any outstanding factors in the sound design as a whole, which is disappointing. Yet, I understand that the developers are taking on a new approach, trying to find a happy medium between SOMA and the original Amnesia, between Sci-Fi and horror and this must be a daunting task. Combined with the new addition of a female, pregnant protagonist which is not commonplace at all in many games, so I praise their bravery to try something new. Without a focus on the horror factor/monsters, I can understand why the sound design wasn't as memorable as the series used to be, but I hope this can be improved upon in future games.
Technical
This game was played with the following PC specs:
Intel i5-9400 2.9 GHz
16GB RAM
GeForce RTX 2060 6GB
1920x1080 resolution
HDD
Windows 10
I experienced no issues or glitches and the game played smoothly.
Conclusion
Amnesia: Rebirth is daring in its approach, deviating so fiercely from its immensely popular predecessor and whilst it is severely lacking in survival horror elements, it does manage to find its footing within its narrative story-telling and Sci-Fi focus. Despite its convoluted story and odd pregnancy mechanics, it is clear that Frictional Games are trying to merge the success of SOMA and ATDD into Rebirth but narrowly misses the intended mark and ends up being a decent game which I enjoyed, but is immeasurable to their aforementioned titles.
Rating: 7/10
Feel free to follow our curator page: Devils in the Detail.

If I could apply the Suffering From Success meme to any game developer, it would be Frictional.
You might read that and think I'm referring to some kind of loss of the Frictional magic in this game compared to their previous releases, but you'd be wrong.
I'm referring to the player reception of this game. Frictional's two most recent titles before Rebirth were lauded as genre-defining masterpieces that would set a new standard for survival horror in the following years. Two, their playerbase decided, is a repeating pattern- and as anyone who has watched a hype-train pull into the station knows: passionate fans plus sky-high expectations rarely bode well. Regardless of how good Rebirth is, it will never be good enough for some, because it's neither the game they convinced themselves they were going get, nor is it the game they got before. Comparison is, after all, the enemy of contentment.
Let's dissect this a little further: a good chunk of negative reviews for this game are from players who measure Rebirth not by how it fares as a stand-alone horror game, but by how closely it replicates The Dark Descent. Shockingly, the devs did not decide to create the same game they made a decade ago. I'd even argue that if the devs were the type to endlessly retread old ground, The Dark Descent (and SOMA) would never have been made at all. The former was also released at a time when we were all a decade younger and, for the novelty of it all, less experienced with this brand of run-and-hide horror game. These players have, sadly, been cheated out of a great horror experience by their own nostalgia.
Another chunk seem to be from folks who are all too aware that Dark Descent and SOMA were game-changers, and are disappointed that Rebirth does not attempt to reinvent the wheel. These players have been cheated out of a great horror experience by their own expectation that a Frictional game must always bring something revolutionary to the table.
One more (thankfully smaller) chunk of players seem to be, for one reason or another, disgruntled that the player character is a pregnant woman who dares to speak. There's already even a mod to "shut her up". Make of that what you will.
I am not trying to claim the game is flawless by pointing these things out. What I am trying to point out though, is that much of the negative reception here (critics seem to unanimously rate it between 8-9.5/10) is the result of fans judging it against their personal expectations, rather than judging it as a game.

So, how does the game fare as a stand-alone horror experience, then?
Pretty excellently, but let me make this clear: if shotgun-toting, zombie-killing carnage is what you look for in a survival horror game, then this is not for you. If you need combat or constant action to keep your attention, this is not for you.
If you're the type to take your time, soak up the atmosphere, to seek out and read the torn notes scattered around for any clue as to how you got into this situation, to peak around shadowy corners in fear of what may lie ahead? This is for you.
If you can immerse yourself in what the protagonist is feeling in the moment; if you can see yourself feeling terrified for Tasi as she cowers behind a crumbling pillar, cradling her stomach as horrifying images flash across your vision amid the shuffling horror that is smelling you out in the darkness? This is for you.
The atmosphere seems to bear down on you from all sides as though alive and hellbent on turning you into a claustrophobe. The tension can become so thick and oppressive that Tasi's fear seems to bleed through the screen and into your body (in a good way, you're here to be scared, after all). Emotional terror weighed heavily on my heart, too. It's hard to not feel anxious and protective as you listen to Tasi cooing shakily to her unborn child, trying to claw back the last vestiges of her own sanity. At times, you might feel your spine tingle as you crawl across the floor, knowing, but being unable to see, that whatever stalks the shadows is tailing close behind. You might even feel like you need to take a breather from the game now and then.
I won't give much else away, as this game is best enjoyed blind. If you want to experience fear and vulnerability as you step into the protagonist's shoes, if you want atmospheric, story-driven horror, a dash of mystery, or just a bloody good sequel that fleshes out some of the otherworldly aspects of The Dark Descent (provided you can take off your nostalgia goggles first), this is for you.
I advise above all else, to play it for yourself and make your own verdict. For me, it's clearly a solid addition to the Frictional library, and one of the greatest immersive horror experiences out there.
9/10

Better than A Machine For Pigs, but worse than The Dark Descent and Soma.

Just a reminder that stupid reviews by people who havent played more than an hour shouldn't keep you from buying the game.
It's different than Frictional's other games, but the terrifying Amnesia experience we all love (and hate) is very much present and so far I'm loving it. Brb, going back in.
Edit: Impossible Geometry

This is a tough game to review, partly because it's very story driven and I don't want to go into spoiler territory, and partly because of the quality of the games that preceded it. That last point won't mean much to horror newbies, so I have to view it two ways: both as a fresh experience, and from the point of view of a perhaps more jaded perspective.
This is going to be relatively straightforward.
For those who aren't over exposed to the horror genre, and are up for another bout of hide and seek, alternated with run like fuck, this is a great game. Dripping in atmosphere, with some genuinely unsettling sound effects and music, this is the work of masters when it comes to shit your pants ambience. If you're looking to be scared then you're in the right place.
For those who aren't new to the genre.......*sighs* well, this is going to depend on what you hoped for. Have Frictional Games improved from SOMA? Have they transcended the, IMO, pinnacle of storytelling in the genre of spooky, first person, stealthy horror games?
Have they made revolutionary steps in the gameplay? Have they reasserted themselves as the top dogs after several strong contenders for the crown in recent (ish) years? (Outlast, Apsulov, Maid Of Sker etc) In short.....are you hoping this will rock your world?
Because you could be ever, ever (ever!) so slightly disappointed if you'd hoped for a new wave of mechanics or approach to what is now well worn schtick for the developers. What is here is done at a very polished level, and they haven't slacked off as such, since it's expertly crafted.
But it's also nothing new, beyond them doubling down on the narrative and greatly refining the environmental physics puzzles. More of the same but better, albeit depending on your stance as to whether more is better.
Don't like the monster avoiding gameplay? great - it's at least 2+ hours into the game before you even encounter one. So for a very long time it feels like the worlds most nerve wracking walking simulator, and can get a bit boring until it lets loose.
When it lets loose it goes hard addressing the fact it's done fuck all but smoke and mirrors up to this point, and if you wanted monster encounters then you've got 'em big time.
All that build up to make it all the more terrifying when you actually encounter something? It's either dull as fuck or necessary legwork to give the monsters a deserved sense of menace.
The latter half of the game with it's noticeably relentless pacing of stealth and chase encounters? It's either a long overdue compensation to finally sink your teeth into something with intense action, or an inconvenience as you face yet another frustrating by-the-numbers sequence with only one viable way to play it..... i.e slowly
Personally I'm in it for the frights and for the pant-shitting gameplay, and so it was a bit of a barrier finding it's largely just the story up front with a few shocks for quite a long time. Though when the shit did finally hit the fan they've lost none of their touch at making pulse pounding tension, it's just that they're repeating familiar things by now, if you've played all of their games like I have.
Story-wise it's engaging, and really well told with great writing and voice-acting. I don't think that it was overall as fulfilling as SOMA' but there's no doubt they've stepped up a level with their ambition and creativity. The end result just didn't hit me as hard as SOMA, despite having some memorable moments where the morality of your actions comes into question.
It's enjoyable, but doesn't quite work when you see it all at the end. Decent enough science fiction horror to be sure, yet this is the follow up to an absolute cracker and will not stay in the memory like that game does.
As a game it has enough substance to keep my interest, albeit feeling like a walking simulator for a good few hours to begin with. The puzzles are nice to solve, the scares work, and it's fairly terrifying once they stop teasing you and actually have some enemy.
You can easily see they've got better in most departments, unless you wanted them trying something new. Because this is revolution, rather than evolution, it is the refinement that comes from this being their third iteration and the increase in their confidence and abilities. In a nutshell: despite how polished and involving it is, it's still gameplay you've done many times before.
I recommend it, as despite a few misgivings which hopefully I've detailed well enough for you here (albeit vaguely regarding the plot, so as to avoid spoilers) to decide if you want to jump in, I did enjoy my time with it.
Probably a boring as fuck to read review, but I wanted to discuss it without giving anything away, as the story is still worth having its mysteries preserved. It just lacks a little when compared to the emotional and philosophical gut-punches its predecessor slammed you with.
If you gave yourself over to their previous games, then this should equally grab you. If, however, you have horror genre fatigue then this won't rejuvenate your interest.
If you found this review to be helpful then why not check out my curator page here: