The Amnesia franchise has been a great stand out for horror games over the years and Amnesia: Rebirth is a successor to The Dark Descent. Developed and Published by Frictional Games, it is available on PC and PS4.

The story places you in the role of a French woman called Anastasia Trianon, or Tasi for short. You are a part of an archaeological expedition to Algeria in 1937 when the plane you are on goes down. Tasi wakes up on the plane in the middle of a desert with no one in sight. As Tasi progresses she starts to recall the story, what has unfolded, and the fate of the expedition team, including her husband Salim. I found the story to be ok, but I was able to predict a lot of where things were going. Pretty early during the game, there is a plot twist that I was not expecting, and it was at this point in the game when the story score dropped for me.

Graphically, Amnesia: Rebirth is an amazing looking game. The way light is used perfect and it will play a big part in the game, as Tasi can ramp up her fear by being in the dark for too long, so matches and the lantern will be your best friend. There are certain areas where daylight breaking through rubble, notably when you are trapped in the cave systems underneath the desert. It is a great reminder that the game does happen during the day even with how little natural light you will see.

There are a few present graphics issues, with textures moving around on walls and floors. This is nothing major and shouldn’t be considered game-breaking, but just a common issue I noted while I progressed.

As expected from a horror game, the soundtrack is the backbone of the experience, and I would really suggest playing wearing a headset at full volume. It’s the best way to experience the terror the game has to offer, with the distant growls or objects being kicked around in your blind spots making for a very tense environment. The controls for Amnesia: Rebirth are very intuitive and it felt there was no button that didn’t have a use. Every button or stick has its purpose and all are utilized in ways that just make sense.

Amnesia: Rebirth has two interesting features that are unique to the game, but players will have to discover this for themselves, as even mentioning one would be a huge spoiler. Other than these, Amnesia: Rebirth keeps with the old style of the series with players able to pick up nearly everything and then throwing it around or placing it somewhere. This is really useful when exploring, allowing players to stash away things like matches, or finding useful items hidden away in jars and chests.

There are many puzzles within the title, and while I am not critically-minded enough for some games, these were not advanced to the point where I needed to start looking for guides. If you do get stuck, I suggest either taking a look around the puzzle for notes or just checking out the surrounding area, as it can be as easy as matching markings on a wall.

Due to how the story plays, there is no way to die from monster encounters, and it wasn’t until about halfway through the story that I worked this out. It was a bit of a low point when I noticed that no matter how well I played the stealth card, there was no punishment when I was finally caught.

Final impressions on Amnesia: Rebirth is highly positive, and even when the story dipped for me I still enjoyed the overall experience. With somewhere between nine and ten hours gameplay, there is a bit of replayability as players will be able to find things they missed on their previous journeys, though people with a better grip on puzzle games may experience shorter times. I am very glad I was given the chance to play it.

Written by: Shane Walsh