[Review] “Amnesia: The Bunker” on PlayStation 4

Amnesia: The Bunker is a survival horror game that was devloped and published Frictional Games. In this game, it is your job to scavenge materials to survive, and eventually escape, inside a WWI bunker where a terrifying beast is after you.

This game is genuinely terrifying and was so much fun to play. One of my favorite things about playing this game was the lighting. The lighting in the game really sets the tone and creates that uneasy feeling that makes you hesitate before turning a corner. I know lighting is small aspect, but in a game like this, I feel it is very important. One of my least favorite things was the player movement. It felt as if the character’s movements were too sudden and it was just something I wasn’t a fan of, but it did not take away anything from my gaming experience. To add to the horror and intensity, the game adapts to how you play.

The story is fairly simple and easy to follow. You play as French soldier Henri Clement and your goal is to simply survive and escape. As you’re exploring the bunker, you will find very little resources that you will need to craft supplies. I was a big fan of the resources being so limited. It really made me be careful with what I’m doing. When it comes to an actual story, there isn’t much, but I wasn’t too upset over this. The game didn’t need a great story to suceed because what it lacks in story, it very well makes up for it with it’s intense gameplay.

The visuals were actually impressive. As I menitoned above, the ligthing and ambience were incredible. The struggle to have a light source was a great addition to the game. It was terrifying to even have to walk a few feet with no light in this game. The lighting sets the tone for the entire game and creates that erie atmosphere. I know there are other details more important than lighting, but this game wouldn’t have been as good without it.

One of the few things in regards to gameplay I didn’t like was opening doors and cabinets. You have to hold down R2 while pulling down R3 to open things. It’s a small detail, but I don’t see the point in having to do all of that compared to just pushing a single button. This didn’t ruin the game for me, but it was quite annoying.

The idea to have the game adapt to you was genius. I loved that aspect and Friction Games knocked it out of the park. Having the game and the creature react to what you do was so stressful, I loved it. It really made you think and forced you to adapt how you play. Another thing I liked was that there are numerous ways to solve something.

The game’s controls were smooth and easy to learn. Except for the whole opening doors and cabinets thing, there wasn’t much to complain about in that department. Then again, just because I didn’t like the controls to open things, doesn’t mean that they are bad, I just didn’t like it. As I mentioned above, the characters movements did feel sudden but I wouldn’t blame that on the controls, I think that is more of a gameplay thing.

The sounds in the game very much complimented the lighting when it came to creating the erie atmosphere. I really had to try my best to stay quiet because I did not want that creature coming anywhere near me. I have no issues with what the sound department accomplished in this game.

This game has incredible replay value. You could probably play this game a dozen times and get a different experince each time. I think that will help with the longevity as well. You’re most likely going to experience something new each playthrough instead of getting the same thing every time. Kudos to Friction Games for developing such a fantastic game.

Overall, Amnesia: The Bunker is a game that I highly recommed. The atmosphere, the map design, and the gameplay made this a game that I think will have a lot of people talking. I do think the player movements could use some tweaking, but then again that’s just my opinion. One last thing I do appreciate it that the game offers an easy mode for players that are just wanting to explore and experience the horror without dying all the time. If you’re a fan of survival horror games, this game is perfect for you.

TCN was provided a review copy of Amnesia: The Bunker on PlayStation 4 for the intent of review purposes by the publisher/PR