With Amnesia: The Dark Descent‘s release in 2010, when it completely rocked the gaming industry, the Amnesia series has established itself as a staple of the horror subgenre. Since then, the series’ creator, Frictional Games, has refined its concept with revisions like Amnesia: Rebirth. Yet with the following episode, the series will venture into unexplored territory.
The next game Amnesia: The Bunker is modifying the tried-and-true model of its predecessors in a variety of ways, from the addition of firearms to a new semi-open world layout. How exactly is the game going to be organized, specifically with regard to its map? Fredrik Olsson, the creative director of Amnesia: The Bunker, recently gave us an interview, and among other things, he provided fresh perspective on this topic.
Olsson claims that the game’s setting, the titular bunker, will be a hub-based map, with said hub serving as a safe space where players will be able to save, plan their next moves, and most importantly, make sure that the generator powering lights throughout the bunker doesn’t run out of fuel. This is because the unidentified threat that is constantly hunting you prefers to do so in the dark, and darkness, like in all Amnesia games, is your worst enemy.
According to Olsson, the experience in the game is hub-based. “Your safe room—or home base, if you prefer—is in the middle of the Bunker. You can plan your next move there, save your progress, store supplies there, and refuel the generator. The player has few restrictions on where to go and what to do because the rest of the bunker is easily accessible right away.
And how precisely will the game handle exploration and advancement? While there will be some chores along the key path that players must complete, Olsson notes that beyond those, the game will adopt a “very player-driven” approach that will stray quite a bit from the linear structure of previous Amnesia titles.
The player must decide how to best execute each assignment, he said, even though some of them must be completed in order to complete the game. The dynamic threat that follows the player and is able to materialize at any time based on their activities must be balanced against this exploration. As a result, unlike earlier games that relied on a more straight path, the gameplay is very player-driven.
Olsson also discussed the Bunker’s size and environmental diversity, stating that while it won’t be as expansive and diverse as, say, the settings of Amnesia: Rebirth, it will still contain a number of distinctive sub-sections, including some non-Bunker settings.
The environment might not be as expansive or varied as Amnesia: Rebirth, but the Bunker’s different sub-sections each have their own special qualities and atmosphere, he noted. The player can also encounter a few non-bunker situations, in addition.
On May 16, Amnesia: The Bunker will be available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, and Xbox. Watch this space for more from our discussion with Olsson.