Developer – Frictional Games

Publisher – Frictional Games

Platforms – Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 (Reviewed), PC

Review copy given by publisher

It’s been 13 years since Amnesia: The Dark Descent came out and revolutionized the horror game industry with its run-and-hide style of gameplay. Though Frictional Games has created a few sequels in the franchise since then, none of them quite hit the high marks that the initial did back in the day. But now they’re back again with Amnesia: The Bunker, a shorter more episodic take on the series that breaks free from the classic Amnesia formula by intertwining refreshing new ideas and serves to be their scariest game yet.

Amnesia: The Bunker takes place… well, in a bunker! You play as a French soldier during World War I named Henri Clement, who finds himself waking up alone in an abandoned, caved-in bunker. You’re not alone though, as a nightmarish beast stalks the halls, sniffing for your every scent. During your entire playthrough, the monster is ever present and truly terrifying, and elevates the tension of your every move and decision. But one thing you know is that this beast is photosensitive, and scared of the light. Your goal is to get out of the bunker by finding TNT and a detonator to blow yourself an opening, but a seemingly simple task proves to be much more difficult. 

Gameplay here is similar to any other survival horror title, where you sneak around in secrecy to solve puzzles, find clues, and figure out your bearings, whilst avoiding the ghastly entities that can end you in an instant. The difference is that the game is semi-open world and features many non scripted events. Inventory management remains a pivotal gameplay mechanic here as you can only hold a certain number of items. The tradeoff between holding an essential tool versus backtracking to your storage is the ever important decision here. You might have noticed that there are guns and grenades in this game, something that was missing in all the other Amnesia titles. Yes you can defend yourself, but the question is: should you? Resources are incredibly scarce and hard to come by, and you can’t kill the beast.

You’ll want to constantly keep the bunker’s generator powered on and fueled up, as it gives you precious light and access to certain parts of the facility. A handy dandy watch lets you know just how much time you have left before the generators die. Otherwise you’ll be drowned in darkness with nothing but a wind-up dynamo flashlight that makes so much noise to the point where it sounds like starting up a lawnmower. Every little thing you do can attract the beast, whether it’s sprinting too much, breaking down doors, or moving objects around. And when it does find you, it is absolutely relentless, as it’s an instant death for you on normal difficulty. You can of course shoot it to wound it, but know that it will always come back for you. At the end of the day, it’s a race against time and how long you can manage your resources.

It’s without a shadow of doubt that The Bunker pushes the Amnesia franchise in a bold new direction. It’s so unlike any other title in the series, but yet it still inherits its hallmarks. It makes up for its relatively short playtime with replayability. Frictional Games has excellently injected immersive sim elements into the classic survival horror formula. The game is played with very little hand holding, giving you the freedom to find your own path to salvation in this derelict bunker. Do you choose to use your ammo-starved pistol on the beast or to shoot the lock off a door? It’s these difficult and dynamic choices that elevate the overall tension of the experience. You are encouraged to experiment with your surroundings to figure out the best possible way to escape.

The Bunker is a return to form for true survival horror. This is a very difficult game, with no auto-save or checkpoints, only manual ones. The team at Frictional Games has mastered the atmosphere here. Hearing the unholy screams of the creature stalking the dark and decrepit hallways, I get goosebumps every time. Excellent sound design combined with a unique backdrop provides the premise of a world with no respite. Even if you do escape this hell hole of a place, just think about what’s actually waiting for you out there. Another death filled battlefield from the aftermath of a raging war…

If it wasn’t clear already, this game is meant to be replayed. You will likely struggle and die many times on your first playthrough, but using your built up knowledge and experience for subsequent runs is what allows you to truly appreciate this game. Plus you slowly uncover and piece together the narrative of what’s really been going down in the bunker before you arrived. 

The game also offers three difficulty levels: easy, normal, and hard. I advise against playing on hard the first time, as you’ll have a frustrating time. It would have been nice to have cool unlockables for unlimited ammo or other bonuses after beating the game on harder difficulties, but one can dream.

Performance leaves much to be desired on the PlayStation 5. The game doesn’t really scream graphical powerhouse, but still takes over ten seconds to load in. Frame rates also tend to dip and freeze up when more action is happening on screen. Amnesia: The Bunker lacks a native PS5 version and is played only through backwards-compatibility on the PS4 version. That means you won’t be enjoying any DualSense features or 3D spatial audio! The controls are also clunky and outdated, especially when it comes to opening doors and interacting with objects. With random glitches and bugs sprinkled on top, this game is definitely needing a few more beauty patches down the road.

Amnesia: The Bunker’s engaging gameplay loop effortlessly blends in immersive sim elements, creating an absolute survival horror gem. The constant tension and fear-inducing atmosphere alongside an interesting premise make this an absolute win for the franchise. Frictional Games has set a new high for the Amnesia hallmark by being willing to experiment with new and refreshing ideas.