Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs

At the beginning of the review, it is worth mentioning that I started playing Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs mainly because I wanted to go through the series chronologically. After finishing Amnesia: The Dark Descent, I continued with the second, which I was curious about, to see in which direction the series would go.

Gameplay

The movement and basic controls are based on the first part of the series, but in a much simplified form. This time, the development was taken over by The Chinese Room studio, which is evident in the result. The game does not try to be as scary and does not work with the atmosphere in the same way as the original Amnesia.

The fundamental problem is the significant limitation of interaction with the environment. The player cannot manipulate objects to such an extent, doors are often just decorations, and there is no more space for exploration. The lantern oil mechanic has also been removed - the light shines indefinitely, which eliminates an important element of tension and decision-making.

The result is a very linear experience in which the player progresses forward, solves simple obstacles, and sometimes hides from a threat without having a real sense of danger.

Music

The musical background is not bad at all. The music is appropriately chosen and usually manages to create the right mood. In addition, the game features a recurring motif that seems consistent and works better in the end than random new songs.

The sound effects are problematic, however. The transitions between individual parts of the map are often very abrupt - ambient sounds such as explosions or the noise of machines suddenly become completely muted or disappear, which seems unnatural and disrupts the atmosphere.

Graphics

The visual style of the game is dark, which corresponds to the night and underground setting of the story. However, there is no significant graphical shift compared to the game Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

The color scheme of the individual locations is particularly distracting. When switching between outdoor and indoor spaces, the color temperature of the image changes significantly, which is noticeable, for example, in the light of a lantern, which sometimes appears yellow, sometimes orange, or sometimes brown. It's a small thing, but more sensitive players may notice it.

Another problem is the moving objects. Some mechanisms only start moving when the player approaches them, which creates the impression of technical inadequacy and breaks the illusion of a living world.

Story

The story is told linearly through the main character's notes and dialogues with Professor Mandus. The player has no way of influencing the course of the story in any way, and all actions serve only to move forward in the story.

The story takes place later than in the first game and tries to loosely follow it. However, the connection with the original Amnesia seems rather formal, and the emotional impact is minimal. After finishing the game, the story did not leave me with a strong impression or the need to return to the game.

Optimization

Unfortunately, the technical state of the game is one of the biggest problems. Even after more than twelve years, the game suffers from frequent crashes when loading new parts of the map. To successfully complete the game, it is necessary to interfere with the game files and run it through a different launcher, which is unacceptable for an ordinary player.

Other problems appear during more demanding scenes with steam or water, where the game drops significantly from a smooth 60 FPS to unplayable values. Given the undemanding graphics, this state is very disappointing.

Content and pace

The game starts very quickly and immediately throws you into the action. The pace is initially balanced and does not stand out in any way.

However, the content itself is quite repetitive. You are constantly repairing or, conversely, destroying mechanisms in order to move forward. The locations are small, and it often happens that the player activates something without knowing exactly why. If you go in the wrong direction, you almost always change something, which weakens the feeling of meaningful progress.