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Video Games and Eroge

Why is Amnesia: The Dark Descent considered scary?

Arizth · 2011-03-11T13:11:48-01:00

It has been bugging me for a while now. Every so often while clicking Stumble I'll happen upon an article printed in big, bold letters that AMNESIA WILL SCARE THE CRAP OUT OF YOU!!. I fail to understand HOW it will, exactly. I've given the game about three hours worth of playtime, thinking that perhaps the early bits were simply a build up to something grand, but... The occasional jump scare fails to so much as spook me. I grew up with Resident Evil, and when you've seen one set of mutant something or others leap out of an unexpected breakable surface with the intent of chewing on your soft man/ladyparts, you've seen 'em all. The atmosphere is decent, but the constant niggling sense of "Remember! Scary!" sort of kills it, 'least for me. You can only run down so many dimly lit/unlit corridors before they blur into one. The madness and hallucinations rely on jump scares, as well. Its a system consisting of "Flash something unexpected onto the screen just long enough to draw a second glance, and erase it right before the player looks again. It's scary that way!". And don't get me started on the PC himself. Despite the enemies I'd come across being both dumb as bricks and half as pretty, your afraid-of-my-own-shadow PC refuses to so much as consider picking up that brick/broom/chair I'm holding, and bashing in some undead/semi-dead skull. I've seen reaction vids, to the torture chamber, the invisible creature that might not be there in the water, the red fog, etc. The whole time, I was wondering if these people were playing it from a heavily deco'd room in a nearby mental ward. I mean, what the hell. Man up, stop whimpering like a five year old, and walk into the fucking water. You'll feel better once you know if its there or not, kept playing in my head. What does everyone else think? Is it just me?

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ZeroOBK

13 years ago

Arizth wrote...

I mean, it's a broken down castle, for fucks sake. Throw a loose brick. They are bloody everywhere.

Because bricks and chairs are totally effective against grotesque monstrosities, right? Also, attracting more of them through making a lot of noise is even better, right?

On a more serious note, it's just that you are, for some reason, unable to be immersed in the game. Other people find it easier to be immersed. That's all, really.

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