In 2010, the horror video game genre was not in a good place, as its biggest franchises had largely abandoned it in favor of more action-oriented approaches designed to appeal to wider audiences. But then Frictional Games launched Amnesia: The Dark Descent, a pure horror game that became a Let's Play phenomenon, revitalizing the genre and proving that there was value in that kind of experience. Seven years later, Frictional Games has taken on the seemingly impossible task of following up the original Amnesia with Amnesia: Rebirth, and while it's unlikely to have as much of an impact on the industry as the original game did, it's still a great horror gaming experience.

Amnesia: Rebirth trades the creepy halls of Brennenburg Castle for a much different setting. It sees engineer Tasi Trianon stranded in the harsh Algerian desert, exposed, lost, and in typical Amnesia fashion, missing some of her memories. Soon she finds herself exploring pitch-black caves, abandoned cities, and stranger, otherworldly areas that she can access with a special amulet that players acquire early on in the game.

While the argument can be made that Brennenburg Castle makes for a creepier setting, Amnesia: Rebirth gets points for originality. There aren't many horror games set in deserts, and even though there are many brightly-lit areas for players to explore, the game is certainly not light on scares. Mostly thanks to tremendous sound design (especially when playing with a headset on), Amnesia: Rebirth is as terrifying as they come, and will have players on the edge of their seats. Amnesia: Rebirth is a master class of tension-building, and even the most seasoned horror game fans will fall victim to some of its well-earned jump scares.

Amnesia: Rebirth doesn't bombard players with grotesque monsters or cheap jump scares, though, but spends a great deal of time cultivating a suffocating atmosphere, so that when players do finally come face-to-face with its monsters, it hits like a lightning bolt. It takes quite a bit of time before Amnesia: Rebirth's creatures play any significant role in the proceedings, but the developers tease them with a glimpse here or a screech there. Anticipating Amnesia: Rebirth's monsters is arguably scarier than actually confronting them.

The first few times Amnesia: Rebirth players have to run or hide from the game's monsters are genuinely scary moments, though they lose their effect the longer the game goes on. It will become readily apparent before too long that Amnesia: Rebirth's monsters aren't really a significant threat to Tasi, and oftentimes getting caught by them simply means restarting in the same area, but without the risk of getting caught again. By the time players reach the end of the game, the monsters become more of a minor inconvenience than scary.

Amnesia: Rebirth's last couple of hours in general take a downturn, as the game becomes more about sneaking past monsters and walking in a straight line to the end of the story. Amnesia: Rebirth's story is plenty interesting all the way up to the end, with multiple outcomes depending on the decisions players make, but it's unfortunate that the gameplay struggles to stay compelling as well.

The majority of Amnesia: Rebirth, however, is excellent, top-tier horror gaming. It retains the physics-based puzzles of the original Amnesia, but without any needlessly confusing ones to slow things down. Exploring Amnesia: Rebirth's game world, finding key items, and solving puzzles are all very rewarding, and the main driving force that will keep players engaged with the game for the long haul.

Amnesia: Rebirth lets players interact with almost every object in the environment, picking up and moving things at will. While this is often used to solve puzzles, sometimes the mechanic is used to build tension, and to great effect. For instance, Amnesia: Rebirth players will find themselves in a situation where some heavy bags are blocking a door. As soon as they start moving the bags, a monster will appear from around the corner and start sprinting at them. It then becomes a panic to move the heavy bags as quickly as possible to get through the door and to safety. Other times they may have to lock a door before a monster can pursue them and will find themselves fumbling with the lock, and other times still, players will have to run full-speed through dark corridors while being pursued.

As one might expect from a game in the Amnesia franchise, it's not exactly easy for Amnesia: Rebirth players to see where they're going when they're running from monsters or exploring the game world. Most areas in Amnesia: Rebirth are shrouded in darkness, with players having to light the way using a limited supply of matches or a lantern that seems to constantly need oil. Resource management is a classic survival horror gameplay mechanic, and the way it's implemented in Amnesia: Rebirth is great because players won't be backed into a corner if they're wasteful, but they will still be punished in other ways.

Besides the obvious consequence of not being able to see as easily, players that force Tasi to stay in dark areas for prolonged periods of time will increase her fear. Fear replaces the insanity mechanic of the original Amnesia, with Tasi's fear increasing whenever she's in the dark for too long or sees something disturbing. If Tasi's fear gets too high, the game randomly pummels players with screeching jump scares that make an already scary game that much scarier.

There is no shortage of terrible sights for Tasi and Amnesia: Rebirth players to witness over the course of the game, and it's all brought to life with a visually stunning presentation. Amnesia: Rebirth looks fantastic, largely thanks to some impressive lighting work. The game is definitely a leap forward for the franchise in terms of visual presentation, with general detail and polish leagues ahead of the older Amnesia games.

Anyone that considers themselves a fan of the older Amnesia titles should definitely pick up Amnesia: Rebirth when they have the chance. Amnesia: Rebirth is terrifying, but more importantly, it is also fun to play thanks to its engrossing physics-based puzzles. Amnesia: Rebirth may not accomplish the impossible task of being as revolutionary as its predecessor, but it's still miles ahead of most horror games and is a no-brainer for anyone looking for something spooky to play this Halloween.

Amnesia: Rebirth launches October 20 for PC and PS4. Game ZXC was provided with a PS4 code for this review.

Amnesia: Rebirth

Amnesia: Rebirth is a 2020 first-person psychological horror game developed and published by Frictional Games. Taking place in Algeria, players will explore horrific locations, solve puzzles, and combat sanity effects. Fear and darkness play a major part in this game’s narrative and fiction.