Video Game Review: Amnesia: The Bunker

Frictional Games

Genre: Horror

Reviewed For: PlayStation 5

Also Available On: Xbox, PC

Amnesia: The Dark Descent came out 13 years ago. The game is well known for its atmospheric horror and constant use of tension. It’s still regarded as one of the scariest video games of all time and for good reason. Its sequel, Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs is solid, but never achieved the heights that the classic did. SOMA made up for the disappointing sequel with a stellar narrative, but Amnesia: Rebirth was another misstep for the franchise. Now, the fourth game in the Amnesia series has a chance to right the ship with a new setting. 

In Amnesia: The Bunker, the player controls Henri, a French soldier in World War I. After some unfortunate events in the bunkers that resulted in Henri losing consciousness, he finds himself in a bunker. Of course, he also has amnesia. As the player helps Henri navigate his disorienting surroundings, they will be stocked by a spooky monster that hates the light and eventually find the explosives needed to get out of the bunker alive.

Those who have played the original will feel right at home playing this entry. Players will navigate through tons of dark environments in the bunker as they solve puzzles and find documents that fill in the blanks of what happened while Henri was unconscious. Nearly everyone is dead, and the monster is the only creature that keeps the player company. Amnesia rarely relies on cheap jump scares to frighten the player. Instead, the atmosphere consumes the player, with a claustrophobic setting and a neverending sense of dread. Just where is the monster going to pop out this time?

Players have no true way to defend themselves. Running and hiding are the only options if the monster gets an opportunity to attack. Fortunately, there is fuel scattered throughout the map, and filling the generator near a save room with it will keep the light-sensitive monster at bay. Like many classic horror games, resource management is vital to success in Amnesia: The Bunker  Running for your life is always thrilling, but even when the bunker is adequately lit, the thrills come from players knowing that they are on the clock. Getting stuck far from the save room with no light is a recipe for disaster.

What isn’t enjoyable about Amnesia is everything outside of the things that go bump in the night. Like in Amnesia: Rebirth the puzzles in Amnesia: The Bunker are uninspired. Fortunately, they aren’t frustrating and are intuitive. Objectives are clear if players take in the documents, but most of Amnesia: The Bunker is simply walking from location to location after discovering what task is at hand.

The environments in Amnesia: The Bunker look great, and even if there isn’t much variety, it’s always creepy. 

It comes with many flaws, but Amnesia: The Bunker is still an enjoyable experience. The short campaign has some great scares that fans of the series will find delightful. It’s not the masterpiece that Amnesia: The Dark Descent is, but it is enjoyable and unique enough in its own right.