Amnesia: The Dark Descent

In games, the first-person perspective (you view the game from the main character’s eyes) is usually reserved for shooting games.

In Amnesia it’s used for something else altogether: to scare the wits out of you.

A homage to the work of author HP Lovecraft, the player in Amnesia starts by waking up alone, with no memory, in a draughty old castle. Clues and notes left by your former self are the keys to solving the riddle of your predicament, but a dark presence lurks in the shadows.

As you stumble around you will come across a number of puzzles to be solve in order to progress. For some you must gather items while others involve interacting with your environment. All this time, your character teeters on the brink of insanity.

Stay too long in the dark or witness a disturbing event and your vision will distort as terror sets in. Though frequently disturbing, there is no actual violence or combat in Amnesia. If you see a bad guy, the best thing to do is run. Fast.

Amnesia’s atmospheric sound design alone will set the nerves jangling. On the down-side, the game’s graphics looked quite dated and the voice acting felt a bit amateurish. These factors aside, Amnesia offers a highly inventive slice of gaming for an unusually low price and, as such, we strongly recommend it.

The game is currently only available as a digital download from services such as Steam and Direct 2 Drive but if you’re up for a truly chilling adventure, don’t let this put you off.

PEGI age rating: 18+