Amnesia: revival review

Amnesia: Rebirth is one of the hottest Halloween 2020 horror games. It is also a sequel to 2010’s acclaimed Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Fans of the horror genre may recognize The Dark Descent as a modern classic, leaving Amnesia: Rebirth with a lot to live up to. Will this series be able to recapture the magic of the original game with its third release?

A stronger narrative

In Amnesia: Rebirth, players take control of Tasi Trianon, a French drawing engineer in the early 1900s. A plane crash stops the protagonist and her team of engineers in the Algerian desert. She apparently wakes up from the accident with confused memories and many questions to answer about what happened.

Fans of the other two Amnesia games might guess that this one is much more story-centric than the series previously. Those fans would be right, as Rebirth’s main goal is to tell Tasi’s story first and foremost. Of course, that makes the game more compelling as a narrative.

The other characters are described too briefly to worry too much. However Tasi is really great as a protagonist. As fantastic as The Dark Descent was, I personally prefer this character to the largely silent hero from the first game. However, it would be understandable if some players found Tasi a little too talkative, as he reacts to most things in the world.

The tragedy of a mother

At the start of the game, it becomes quite evident that motherhood is an important theme for Amnesia: Rebirth. In fact, it actually plays in a mechanic that could be a little spoiler for those who want to experience the game as pure as possible. Said mechanic is a mechanism to cope with Tasi as she braves the dark caves and dimly lit interiors of the desert.

It is a necessity for Tasi to control her fear and anxiety during her journey, as too much stress will cause her to pass out and wake up somewhere else. In true Amnesia fashion, snuggling up near light sources can help alleviate these anxieties. However, Tasi is also pregnant. By cradling her stomach and comforting her baby, she calms down too.

While this is a fantastic addition to the player’s move set in a narrative sense, in the end it’s just staring at the floor. Instead of seeing the short on-screen action, players should look at Tasi’s shoes instead. Of course, this might be a bit boring for some players.