Amnesia: The Bunker Review (Mz Cookies)
Amnesia: The Bunker is Frictional Games’ latest addition to the Amnesia franchise. Despite its large differences to earlier titles and short length, this is a fantastic, immersive game which has much to offer fans of survival horror. The constant looming threat and high tensions are now combined with a time constraint, creating an exceptionally unique balance of dread.
Pros
Terrifying atmosphere & tension
Randomised codes and Beast encounters
Multiple solutions to problems
Unique setting of a WWI bunker
Varied resources to find which all have positive & negative consequences
Physics-based interactions done right
Cons
Very short, 4-6 hours for one playthrough
Haphazard ending arena
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2999934781
Story
You play as Henri Clément, a French WWI soldier. The game begins trudging through trenches, aided by your fellow soldiers, hearing the sounds of war surrounding you. Gunfire, screaming and dead bodies are what Henri is used to, but he will soon be in a place of indescribable terrors, far from the battlefield. After this introduction, Henri finds himself trapped in a bunker, blocked in by rubble. In this bunker, things are terrifyingly quiet. Isolation sets in, but he realises he is not alone. He is being hunted, but not by his nation’s common enemy, but by something inhuman. To escape, Henri must fight through the darkness to clear his one exit out of the bunker. Alone and with limited resources, this is far from easy, relying only on his wits to survive this pit from hell.
Gameplay
Similar to Amnesia: The Dark Descent, players must explore an interconnected area for items to use. Items that will further unlock different sections of the bunker, leading to the main quest of retrieving dynamite and a detonator to clear the rubble. The game also uses physics-based interactions with objects and would certainly not feel like an Amnesia game without it! Open drawers by holding and dragging M1, throw objects with right click and so forth. There is a map accessible only from the Administration room (safe room) which also includes a saving point and the generator. After I had cleared an area rife with danger, I was high-tailing it back to the Admin room to save. Thus, there is a large amount of backtracking if you wish to save regularly and keep the lights on. Items can be combined and crafted, but inventory slots are limited, similar to Resident Evil style, and inventory management is a must. Whilst there is a storage locker, I had filled this to the brim with fuel and found dumping it on the floor in the room also worked. Different useful equipment can be found including flares, grenades, bolt cutters and even a shotgun. Rats also pose a threat, but can be killed, distracted or scared away by many different means. Find dogtags of the dead soldiers to open lockers to access even more handy resources too.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2999934490
The Generator: Keeping light on
An interesting addition to the game is this generator. The generator requires ample fuel, and if it runs out of fuel – no lights in the bunker. If this happens, you will have to rely on your very abysmal manual flashlight that also happens to be rather noisy and will attract the Beast. This constant sense of dread and time pressure felt rather well done, but inherently stressful. I was searching everywhere to find fuel, ensuring my-already-limited inventory was always stacked with it, so I can place it in storage when I make my way to the Administration room. The fuel does run out rather quickly, but I found so much of it that this was not an issue. Furthermore, the feeling of time pressure also made me move faster, no dilly-dallying around in this bunker! This was both good and bad, as it had the intended response of causing high stress and tension, but also meant I did not want to explore as much due to being too concerned about losing light.
The Monster: How can it be scary, I have a gun!?
Perhaps the biggest difference in comparison with earlier Amnesia’s is that players have a weapon. This was the most exciting revelation from the trailer and after completing the game, I absolutely love how the weapon seamlessly blended into the gameplay. Henri is a soldier, so he does have his revolver, but he enters the bunker with only one bullet left, and finding other bullets is extremely scarce. The gun can be used to shoot padlocks, open cabinets etc. However, doing so will typically result in the monster hearing you fire, and it will come running. Shoot it, and it may cower or run away – the first time. Subsequent firings seem to do less and less damage to it, effectively wasting your ammo and getting you killed. One of the scariest elements in the game is that there is little explained to you. Players are encouraged to experiment and explore different methods of problem solving. Think a door looks flimsy, but it won’t open? Throw something heavy at it, or try and find the key. Making loud sounds are a sure way to attract the Beast, so be ready. Henri can run surprisingly fast, and with the twist and turns of the bunker, it was relatively easy to lose the beast and hide somewhere, waiting for it to enter back into the walls. Earlier I mentioned high-tailing it back to the safety of the Administration Room, but this too has its dangers. Run haphazardly (especially without light) and you may just run into a trap set by the now deceased soldiers. Tripwires are placed sporadically throughout the bunker and may kill you on impact, or just create a lot of noise, further attracting the monster to your location (and further raising your heartbeat!)
Visuals & Sound
Amnesia: The Bunker looks gorgeous, in the most dreadful, depressing way possible. Light is brilliantly scarce, even the slightest flicker was enough to make me nervous. The original Amnesia influence is ever present. Henri’s vision becomes blurry and shaky if he looks at the monster and the red ripples at the edges of the screen start moving.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2999934666
Sound design follows suit and is the biggest creator of the tension. Henri is alone, meaning each and every sound could be the monster. It comes out of holes in the walls, and often I would happily open a door and rush in, only to see it slowly emerging from the wall. The audio swells and will collide if it spots you, beginning chase. The game does not rely on jumpscares or even these chase sequences, instead it is dependent on its immersive, frightening world.
Technical & Stats
This game was played using a keyboard & mouse, and with the following PC specs.:
AMD Ryzen R5 7600x 5.4 GHz
32GB DDR5 5200 CL36 RAM
Radeon RX 6800 XT
2560x1440 resolution
NVMe 3.0 SSD
Windows 10
Playtime: 4.5 hours.
Controller Recommended? No.
Replayability value: Yes, as codes/encounters are randomised. Developers state “no two playthroughs are the same.”
Conclusion
Amnesia: The Bunker is a fantastic next step for the series. Managing to modernise mechanics and graphics, whilst adding in exciting new additions such as weapons. Yet, it does not lose its original inspiration and is still very much, an Amnesia game. The dynamic monster, high tensions and non-linear approach to problem solving are just some highlights of the game. Although it is much shorter than I would have liked, the quality is remarkable, and I will be sure to venture into the bunker for subsequent playthroughs.
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