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

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

ok i have to say, i went into rebirth reading all of these disappointed reviews and whatnot, expecting the game to be pretty lackluster and not very horror driven. and then i played the game. what the hell is everyone thinking? it might just be nostalgia blindness for the original and they actually don't like it for the reasons they liked it, idk. But i played these games back to back and I can tell you right now there are moments in rebirth that scare me more than in the dark descent. Not to mention the storytelling - its such an enthralling and emotional rollercoaster that kept me engaged from start to finish, really right in there with tasi every moment wanting her to make it out alive due to not only her being herself, but also a spoiler reason i won't say. There are game mechanics that tie in with the narrative in a way i never thought could work but did, and it was so innovative and fun to see that.
maybe most people are just looking for "scare me now, other stuff later". but frictional was never really about that, and it frustrates me to see people putting this game down because there's more focus on the narrative and they think it dillutes the horror. if you're looking for a horror game thats just solely for simple scares, then go for outlast or something like that. but if you're looking for a game that keeps you immersed and brings you into a world of their own making, then finally taking that opportunity to instill fear and tension into your every move, then amnesia is your thing.
this game is completely worth the money and more, especially from this indie dev team. its well executed, very thoroughly thought out, and there are many tense moments keeping you on edge. No, the flashing images popping up on screen are not trying to scare you, the images have significance and the way it jumps out enhances that significance to the plot. if you know frictional, then you know this fact.
And whoever says this is not an amnesia game, you must have amnesia about TDD.

Amnesia: Rebirth is a first-person science-fantasy survival-horror adventure game developed by Frictional Games for the HPL Engine 3.5. Set nearly a century after the events of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, player-character Tasi Trianon is pitted in a fight for survival against the gruesome aftermath of forgotten choices with interdimensional ramifications in a sun-scorched, howling Algerian desert.
When I wrote my review of SOMA, Frictional's previous release, I mused on how the company strove (and continues to strive) for a gameplay-oriented harmony of profound themes and emotions with a mechanical basis for thoughtful, conscious player-interaction. To my interpretation, there is a theoretical perfect balance wherein all combined features of the design coalesce into a single experience which impresses upon the player something narratively and experientially intense and affecting, and this is the primary end-point which Frictional has aspired to, through the use of iteratively experimental and ambitious implementations of game-design across its titles. The goal is to create something the landscape of gaming hasn't truly seen, arguably, but this journey that started with Penumbra has, in my opinion, been somewhat misrepresented. I'll get right to the point: Frictional Games is not a revolutionary or groundbreaking studio. It doesn't seek to, with every initial release, create something unrecognizably new or astonishing, and it never really has.
Apart from its very first title, Penumbra: Overture, every game it's released has been deeply married to (and informed by) the flaws and successes of the prior title, inasmuch as it relates to this goal of "ludonarrative harmony" (so to speak). I would argue each title has had its own unique inspirations and ideas that were fresh and innovative, but Frictional doesn't operate with a goal towards innovation per se, rather iteration. It uses each title to iterate upon the last with a single endpoint in mind, changing as it becomes clear it is necessary to change. This isn't to say it's stuck in the past; its eyes are very much focused on the future. But the big, groundbreaking, innovative game which Frictional aspires to create is one which it is willing to share its work on: the prototypes and attempts it crafts along the way. This is what Amnesia: The Dark Descent was, and it's what SOMA was as well.
I suspect people get off calling Amnesia: The Dark Descent groundbreaking because they hadn't played the Penumbra duology which came before it, or perhaps the lone inspiration that guided that game's design was encompassing enough -- affecting and impactful enough -- to so thoroughly impress its players in a way no game, including Penumbra, ever had before. I would say this is the same story behind how SOMA got received, as despite its stripping down of Amnesia's gameplay to a near "back to basics" degree, close to exactly what Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs tried two years previously, it too was regarded as something forward-looking and progressive for the medium with its heavier story-focus, even to the detriment of its monster-encounters and basic gameplay.
Amnesia: Rebirth, too, has an ace up its sleeves, one I can't spoil here. Suffice it to say it's created a unification of Amnesia's core gameplay and SOMA's presentation with a number of thematic and mechanical ideas so out there I assumed they, too, would be globally represented as key features of yet another "groundbreaking" and "innovative" horror title, from what is, at this point, one of the most highly regarded practitioners in the genre's medium. One such feature is something akin to a dedicated "empathy" button, whose narrative and emotional contextualization shifts as the game calls for. It's a fantastic way to systemically break the tension, and creates a player-initiated flow of suspense and relief facilitated by the oppressively clockwork sanity mechanics. The puzzles are more involved, requiring deeper, more meticulous analysis of the events and environments being presented to you. The monster encounters, too, are made weightier and more challenging. They aren't any harder than SOMA's encounters, but the ambiguity and the tighter level design cooperate with their improved senses to make encounters that feel robust and affectingly "fail-able". I know this, because I failed during the tutorial encounter a portion into the game. I observed in my SOMA review that no section of that game quite matched the level of terror evoked by the prison level of Amnesia. In this game, certain portions surpassed it.
They've incorporated a sense of blockbuster swagger inherited from its previous title SOMA, a sense of sheer storytelling confidence and pacing which is difficult to achieve but easy to grasp, and the horror, too, has these qualities. There is a playful, devilish glee with which the game wears you down, at first thrilling and nostalgic, and slowly reaching a zenith of suspense and weight which feels impenetrable. Yet the story pushes you forward, building sympathy and stakes, motivational, emotional involvement. This, itself, was achieved in SOMA to a glowing degree, but the integration into gameplay afforded by Rebirth's innovations is unlike anything found there. The story of Rebirth asked me deeply unsettling questions. The gameplay of Rebirth forced ME to ask similar questions to myself. But these questions were player-authored. I was placed into a role which was deeply immersive, not because of its similarities to my own life, but in spite of how different it was, and because of how cleverly presented and implemented the new mechanics were.
Despite the mindboggling work -- the gorgeous detailing and intimate storytelling -- these novel mechanical adjustments and inspired design-oriented alterations made to both the Amnesia and SOMA formulas -- the spell seems to be breaking for many of Frictional's fans, and it's worrying. People seem to expect something as unexpected and unfamiliar as Amnesia: The Dark Descent was, back in 2010. But not only is that an unrealistic standard, it's not how Frictional Games operates, nor is it how it operated back then. Amnesia: Rebirth should, and I think someday will, be judged purely on both its own merits as a work of art and in how it pushed the bar forward for Frictional's aspirations. In terms of how it lives up to The Dark Descent's legacy: not even that game lived up to it, to those discerning players in 2010 who could recognize it for the iteration -- rather than innovation -- that it was. Amnesia: Rebirth is a terrifying and beautiful adventure across multiple worlds, 8-10 hours of landscapes and ideas larger in scope than anything yet attempted by the company, put forward in service of something deeply personal and profound, a gripping tale that will transport most players into a shockingly unique protagonist, rendered by the player's hand and by thousands of hours of meticulous, inspired developer effort. This isn't Frictional's magnum opus, but neither were any of its previous titles. Amnesia: Rebirth is, like all of those, another bold, large step in the right direction, worthy of being remembered.

i didnt play this long, i accidentally left my PC on with the game and went for vacation

TL;DR
If Amnesia Rebirth were the only Amnesia game to exist then it would be a fine game but that's all. Not great but just fine. Having read many of the criticisms of the game it's my opinion that some are solid and others didn't reflect the experience fairly.
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A note
The current top review for this game claims to have up to 600 hours logged on Amnesia: Rebirth, given my playtime that would be equivalent to roughly 73 playthroughs. Unless you're a speedrunner that makes no sense whatsoever, the real source of their play time is mentioned being custom games and content creation. There is little if any review of the main game and their experience is not the way most people will play the game let alone the expected way to play the game. But yeah I have 600 unlogged hours on shower with your dad simulator so I'm pretty much an expert.
Anyways this isn't a review of a review so lets try and give a comprehensive review of the core aspects of the game with only 8.2 hours logged.
Setting
This is one of the most important things for a horror game to nail and luckily for Amnesia Rebirth's it ends up being it's strongest aspect. One of the coolest features is how it takes place in the same world as it's forebear The Dark Descent. Unplanned sequels often have a very hard time incorporating the established lore without retconning things or being overly "fan servicey". Rebirth manages to do this without any issue and it was really refreshing and even nostalgic to expand the lore of its universe. Similarily refreshing is the non traditional desert egyptian horror setting. Where some people may find issue is it's primary method of delivering exposition. This is going to be through loading screens and notes that are found in the world. These have a lot of detail put into them and are were worth my time to read however that may not fit some peoples preference.
Plot
Brief synopsis - a pregnant wife and her husband crash land in the desert. You playing as the wife (Tasi) wake up in the plane crash to realize that everybody has left you so you begin your journey to find your husband and piece together your memory. This is fairly intriguing although the plot has a significant problem with regards to the Amnesia motif - much of what you end up remembering is more interesting than what happens in the current plot. This could be acceptable in some cases but really the majority of events that the player experiences are really of no consequence and end up feeling contrived. This is demonstrated by multiple plot points of "and then the ground gave out and Tasi ends up further behind than she was before". Sure events like this can be alright in moderation, but here they don't advance the plot and just hold it hostage to buffer out the playthrough. This is just incredibly on the nose later in the game with the gondola that gets you incredibly close to your destination but then inexplicably malfunctions careening Tasi off further than where she intends to be. This experience just ends up being tedious like a game of snakes and no ladders.
Another significant problem is the death of Salim. This was done far too early and lacked the emotional intensity the game tried to build it up to be. There are just so many conceivably better ways such as some sort of self sacrifice or even becoming a Ghul/harvester that could have made this profound. It's like the writer(s) knew how underwhelming it was so they had a conveniently timed cave-in to get the plot moving again. Another problem I had with the story is that it is essentially a racketeer plot. The empress infecting Tasi and then promises to cure them in return for the baby is simply extortion. The issue is such that some characters try to make it seem like Tasi doomed them when in reality she is just as much a victim as they were. That forced narrative took away from the depth of the story - Tasi didn't make a difficult choice and as far as we know there wasn't even a cure for becoming a Ghul. .
Lastly, the multiple endings were all pretty good but unfortunately I can't help but feel underwhelmed because of the lackluster player controlled journey.
Gameplay
Rebirth's gameplay isn't much different from Dark Descent or Soma and ends up being a sort of in between. A surprising aspect of Rebirth is the level design. It's actually quite good. Many areas loop back together or have locked doors that get used and generally speaking the areas felt realistic to inhabit and navigate. The set pieces were well crafted and fun to look at. Unfortunately though, there are a few "walking simulator" parts that felt very boring and even like they wasted a good set piece - perhaps the oasis for example could have served a purpose. Considering the desert and pregnancy motif it's a huge missed opportunity that thirst and nutrition weren't incorporated. The puzzles weren't really exceptional and they were pretty much bog-standard for the franchise so far so it's hard to complain about that.
There was also an attempt for a resource management aspect with regards to the light and dark but it fell incredibly flat. There's so many matches and oil cannisters in the game that it undermines the whole aspect of it. There's so many that it's to the point that you will invariably end up wondering "why the hell are these matches and oil cans in here of ALL PLACES".
A dilemma the gameplay has is its reliance on Tasi to react to what is happening. It's problematic because you're playing as a character with their own established traits which throws a wrench into immersion. This problem is compounded on because for most the game it is just Tasi. Because of this she is forced to react to most of what is happening which ends up being a large burden for one character to bear (SOMA did a great job side stepping this issue with Catherine). The end result is that Tasi will often react to things in an expected manner, but just as often in other similar cases not react at all. While it is okay if Tasi's reactions don't align with the players, it's the inconsistency in application that hurt my immersion in believing Tasi is an actual character experiencing this world.
Horror
While this is a gameplay aspect, it's arguably the defining aspect of any Amnesia game so it warrants it's own section. Horror is undoubtedly a complicated genre/reaction so some people's reactions may differ from my own. For reference I will say that I've found all the Amnesia games tend to be scary for the first half but to then become more action oriented in the latter half (SOMA was an exception and managed to be keep it's horror thrill to the very end). Rebirth doesn't buck this trend and in my experience the horror was similarly front loaded. I didn't really find the final "monster" to be all that scary either but it's conceivable that somebody else might. So really I can't say that Rebirth did a bad job, I just can't say it managed to be exceptional. And funnily enough that ends up being my overall sentiment to the game.
Final Thoughts
Amnesia Rebirth was a game with solid ideas and an underwhelming execution. A lot of this let down does come in comparison to Dark Descent and SOMA but even then it ends up being a serviceable game. I think for its ~$30 price tag it's not really that worth it but for around half that it's fairly priced. Finally if Frictional can take the good parts of Rebirth and polish it up then I'm confident future Amnesia games have potential.