Let's Talk... Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs

The most notable change to the Amnesia series is that it's now no longer developed by Frictional Games, who, of course, made the horror hit Amnesia: The Dark Descent. A Machine for Pigs is instead developed by The Chinese Room, who are responsible for 2012’s experimental and controversial title Dear Esther. No doubt this news will be followed by pained groans from the many critics of Dear Esther, but A Machine for Pigs keeps the focused storytelling of Dear Esther whilst still maintaining an incredibly daunting atmosphere with its wonderfully disturbing setting. The move away from sheer terror to deep and involving storytelling will inevitably upset some fans of the original Amnesia, but if you can look past the move away from its terrifying roots you’ll find a fantastically crafted and deeply engrossing story.

Eerie set pieces and pigs... lots of pigs

In typical Amnesia style, you start the game alone in your huge mansion with no memory of what has recently transpired. What starts off as a simple quest to find your two children quickly dissolves into a desperate descent into the ever disturbing madness. The storytelling is consistently superb and easily the game’s biggest strength, an engrossing story is slowly uncovered whilst excellently written documents layer extra details about the sick, twisted world that surrounds you. For much of the game the story is being told all around you, the story is carved into the grim industrial setting, and it’s easy to feel like you’re being taken for a ride with pretty basic levels of interactivity. This is something that may put a lot of people off, especially those expecting another terrifying horror show like the original. The story is certainly a slow burner, but is well worth sticking around for the end.  

Gameplay in the original Amnesia was pretty simplistic, the game would often want you to complete small environmental puzzles that would often involve putting object A into object B.

Although there was still an extra layer of complexity on top of that which A Machine for Pigs has totally scrapped. In the original Amnesia your lantern, often your only source of light, required a constant supply of tinderboxes and lamp oil to keep the lantern fuelled at all times. This required cautious monitoring of your oil levels whilst making sure to only use the lantern when necessary. Tinderboxes and oil lamps weren't exactly difficult to find but they did depend upon thorough exploration of the world, often leading you astray to spooky areas that you otherwise might not have found. However, whilst the lantern still remains your trusty companion through the darkness it now no longer requires oil or tinderboxes to keep the flame burning bright. This takes away to stress of light management and allows you to keep your light up at all times, which certainly makes the world feel a lot less terrifying.

Amongst the filth of smoggy industrial London is the perfect backdrop for such horror

Also in the original game was the constant necessity to stay in the light in order to prevent the protagonist from going insane, which increased your heart rate and distorted your vision but has also unfortunately been removed from the new Amnesia. A Machine for Pigs is certainly a far less petrifying experience and genuinely scary moments are few and far between, but the tense atmosphere still does a great job of keeping you on your toes, even if it ends up being for a lacklustre scare. For those looking for the horrifying experience that made the original Amnesia so iconic I’d recommend the recent Outlast, which offers a much scarier journey with less focus on storytelling for the same price. Carried over from the original game, however, are the basic environmental puzzles that involve item A and item B and some simple basic labour, which often feels like dull busywork at times as you backtrack through mentally blueprinted areas to fix fuses, restore power, or open up hidden passages. With all the added stress and tensions of the original having been completely removed, the gameplay in AMFP is far less enjoyable than soaking up the next bit of hidden exposition.

A Machine for Pigs may have stepped down on the horror front, but the outstandingly ominous soundtrack adds an extra layer of spooky to the eerie Victorian hallways and looming industrial structures. Wonderful voice acting continually impresses with the excellent writing making the voice acting seem all the more impressive. The visuals are thoroughly pleasing with plenty of disturbing imagery and imposing set pieces to both amaze and disgust you. I experienced a couple of game breaking bugs and the odd crash but nothing major and certainly nothing that can’t be fixed. Controls are extremely minimalistic, likely to allow you to focus on absorbing the world and breathing in the petrifying atmosphere, with only movement and basic interactivity to worry about.

Overall, A Machine for Pigs certainly wasn't the experience I was expecting but I came away from it with no feelings of disappointment. AMFP might not be what you hoped but it’s still a worthy experience nonetheless.