Amnesia: The Bunker from Frictional Games brings us a new first-person survival horror experience in the series with some interesting twists. Check our Amnesia: The Bunker review!
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Amnesia: The Bunker from Frictional Games brings us a new first-person survival horror experience in the series with some interesting twists. I previously got a chance to review Amnesia Collection – which bundles Amnesia: The Dark Descent and its expansion Amnesia: Justin along with Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs – and Ceidz got to review Amnesia: Rebirth, so checking out the latest game in the series that got its start back in 2010.
Your journey begins with your character – French soldier Henri Clément – finding himself running through the trenches of World War I as some very bad things happen around him. It’s during this sequence lets you know that you’re in for a different type of Amnesia experience, since you’ll have to use your gun and the few bullets you managed to grab a bit earlier so that you can kill the German soldiers who are trying to kill you from above. The good news is that Lamber – a fellow platoon member – manages to flank the Germans to clear the way for you.
It’s thanks to him that Henri manages to find a spot to catch his breath as he somehow continues to be in one piece… or so it seemed. One of the German soldiers managed to land a shot, so you’re currently bleeding and very close to passing out. After finding a couple of pieces of cloth and using them to craft a bandage, you manage to carry onward. After reaching a spot where the Germans launch a gas attack – and having Lambert once again save you by bringing you a gas mask – things start to get… weird.
Spoiler: Lambert doesn’t make it. The Germans catch up to you two and after severely injuring him, they land a shot that knocks the life out of him… for good. You’re left on your own, and wake up in the titular bunker with no recollection of what is going on and how you got there – you know, the whole amnesia part of the game’s name. At least there’s a note nearby that will clear some stuff! Henri has been admitted for medical treatment, and all his stuff is in a storage locker. He’s been in a weak coma state, having trouble even recalling his own name.
What follows is the game proper with the survival horror dialed up to 11. Since the game is played from a first-person perspective, you’ll control Henri with the left analog stick as he looks around and aims with the right one. Press the L2 button to bring up your gun and shoot with the R2 button. The game is very dark – on purpose, of course – so you’ll need to use a small flashlight by pressing the Triangle button. Unfortunately, it’s of the windup variety, which means that every time you want to use it, the thing will end up making a lot of noise… and that’s bad when there’s a monster looking for you!
You can crouch by pressing in on the left analog stick. The X button will be for jumping. You can interact with the R2 button, which will also be pressed for using the currently equipped item. Press the Circle button to holster the currently equipped item. When you need to get somewhere fast, you can press and hold down the L1 button to run. The bad news is that if you do run, you’ll end up making more noise, and this will bring more attention to Henri than he probably needs given the current scenario.
The game can be played in one of three difficulty settings: Easy, Normal, and Hard. Easy offers a bit more chill experience so that you can enjoy the horror at your own pace since you’ll be at a lower risk of dying… but you can still die! Normal will offer the standard experience in which you’ll need to adapt to your surroundings and be careful about what you do and when. And then there’s the Hard difficulty setting, which is perfect for those of you out there who need to experience a nightmare.
If you the type of gamer who aims to 100% Amnesia: The Bunker, then you’ll need to know that there are plenty of collectibles for you to find during your time with the game. And yes, finding all collectibles is something you’ll have to consider if you want to get a new Platinum trophy for your collection – more on trophies below. There are more than 50 notes to find, and each one will give you a glimpse into the world of Amnesia: The Bunker, so that you can have a better idea of what is happening.
And now, let’s talk about the trophies! The game has a full trophy list with a Platinum trophy for you to work on, with a list that has 30 Bronze trophies, 8 Silver trophies, and 3 Gold trophies. As mentioned above, you’ll need to collect all notes in the game, find all maps, collect the different items that can help you survive – flashlight, gas mask, lighter, cutters, and more – disarm a trap, beat the game, complete specific puzzles in the game. Oh, and beating the game without saving. You know, simple stuff.
As the latest entry in the Amnesia series, Amnesia: The Bunker gives us a survival horror experience that changes things around by allowing you to explore the game with a bit of an open world – but claustrophobic – feel, all while also adding combat elements, a first for the franchise. There’s some randomization added into the mix so that some elements are not the same for each subsequent run, so you’ll always need to be on high alert. Amnesia: The Bunker is out on PlayStation 4 with a $24.99 price tag.
Disclaimer
This Amnesia: The Bunker review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy provided by Frictional Games.
