As the black screen slowly lightens, the sight of a dusty, old mansion comes to view. Ancient boards creak and shift as the sounds of children playing in the distance filter through the old wood. As the man living these events slowly explores his mansion, solves puzzles, and avoids monstrous creatures, his controller sits safely on the other side of a screen, watching his story through his eyes.
Frictional Games’ horror video game series Amnesia returns with a third installment in Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, which was released Sep. 10. An indirect sequel to the series’ first game, A Machine for Pigs takes place in London on New Year’s Eve of 1899. The player controls one Oswald Mandus, who awakens with a several-month gap in his memory. As Mandus searches for his children and memories, a machine awakens in the depths of the mansion and monsters creep from the dark shadows.
A Machine for Pigs carries the same creepy air, sense of dread, and psychological horror as its predecessors. Relying often on slight movements and quiet sounds, it succeeds in creating an air of uncertainty that keeps the player on their guard, sometimes even after the game has stopped.
As well as the horror aspect of the game, it contains mysteries and puzzles that need solving. Most mysteries are figured out in time by finding journal pages scattered throughout the mansion, and puzzles are very physical, requiring the player to interact with the environment. With no inventory in this game, most of the puzzles require the player to use the game’s physics to move forward.
Several mechanics have been changed in the game to try and make it a newer experience from its predecessors. The game no longer features an inventory, tinderboxes for lighting candles, or oil needed to make the lamp work. Insanity levels from the darkness and looking at monsters have also been removed, and the artificial intelligence of the enemies was changed in an attempt to make them less predictable.
A Machine for Pigs is relatively shorter than its predecessors, to the point that it may seem like it ends long before it should. However, the time is ample for telling the story without dragging it out. As well as the length issue, some fans feel that the involvement of a second company, The Chinese Room, in the game’s production has somewhat alienated it from the series’ start.
Overall, the game holds the same unsettling air that comes with the Amnesia series, and despite the fact that the game is less lengthy, it does go through its own story at a good pace. Though some of the terror is lost due to mechanics changes with sanity and light, it is still a pleasing horror story to play.
