Amnesia: The Bunker is the fourth instalment in the popular survival-horror genre, this time focusing on a poor, unsuspecting French soldier during World War I, who, until he awakens in a bunker alone and confused, thought the only enemy he would be fighting was that of the Germans. How wrong he is.

Fans of the long time series will be well versed in the set up, and even more familiar with the feeling and atmosphere of the game, even if the setting itself is different to what came before it.

Amnesia: The Bunker – Can We Just Fight The Germans?

Started back in 2010, the Amnesia franchise has grown into a sort of infamy with the many, many reaction videos of people playing the game on YouTube. Watching other people play the game tends to give us a fall sense of security, often mocking those reacting in such over-the-top and ridiculous manners, but once you boot up one of the four games, you’ll quickly realise just how tense the game franchise can be.

Amnesia: The Bunker continues this trend, with the opening lulling us into a false sense of security. Taking the role of Henri, we find ourselves attempting to escape a German push from the front, as we and a friend, Lambert, try to find out way out of the trenches and to relative safety. Gas attacks, gun shots and more rain down upon us, all whilst we’re thrown hints and tips in what could easily be called a tutorial, but it doesn’t actually feel like one.

Players will be glad of the tutorial, as for some bizarre reason, Frictional Games seem intent on having a convoluted and awkward control scheme, from opening doors to using a weapon, it all takes more time and more inputs than it should do, especially in this modern era of accessibility gaming.

Poor controls aside, the game quickly gets in the swing of things, and after a seemingly fatal wound, you wake up in the titular bunker, healed from your wounds and without a clue where the rest of your allies now are. A quick bit of exploring later, and your answer to that question is strewn all over the walls, in all it’s viscous glory.

As with any good first-person survival horror, there isn’t much hand-holding and you’re left to figure out exactly what to do, where to go and how to escape this hellish hole, all whilst the sounds of a patrolling, hunting nemesis is heard in the distance. Make too much noise in your exploration? You’ll come across The Beast at far too close a distance. So keep it quiet.

Related: Summer Game Fest: Alan Wake II Gameplay Shown, It’s Going to be Scarier, Bigger, Badder and More Terrifying than We Ever Thought Possible

The game will arm you and force you to break this rule many times during your playthrough, with doors requiring to be broken down or blown apart with a grenade, chains requiring to be cut through, booby-traps on the floor all-too-easy to set off if you’re not paying attention and more, all to entice and invite The Beast towards you.

Amnesia: The Bunker – The Beast, Puzzles and An Escape?

Very little is ever explained about The Beast, with most of the information about what transpired whilst you were healing coming through found notes. Many of these notes just hint at The Beast, rather than outright describing it, but the evidence of its power and ability to kill is littered throughout the corridors of the bunker, so it’s difficult to miss. Many times throughout your playthrough you’ll end up having to hide or fight The Beast, so you’ll get a face-to-face with the long-clawed, sharp-toothed entity, but I’d suggest you always hide, its far less tense that way.

The actual puzzles of the game are ingenious in many ways, and frustrating in others. The lack of handholding will mean you’ll come to the solution or end of a puzzle before you’ve found the required parts to solve it, or even where those parts are, requiring you to search the entire bunker for the tool or item required, and trust me, it isn’t a small map to quickly search, but the puzzles themselves are put together in a very natural and in-universe way that feels like it’s actually how it’d work back during World War I.

Related: Xbox Showcase: 5 Predictions of What We’ll See – Will It Beat Summer Game Fest?

The game does a great job of creating the intimidating and claustrophobic feeling of a defensive bunker during World War I, and whilst the premise itself is overused, Frictional Games manage to craft something that feels new. The constant need to manage resources, find new light sources, always keeping an eye out for fuel to fill the rapidly emptying generator – which keeps the all too useful lights on, let it run out and see how brave you are then – will help keep your anxiety levels nice and high, and that’s before you even meet The Beast himself.

You will end up dying. A lot. You will end up lost. A lot. You will feel a satisfaction come the end of the game that’ll make you want to shout at the screen. It’s worth fighting the repetition and searching to beat The Beast, and you’ll want to try different combinations and order of things mix things up on each playthrough.

7/10

Amnesia: The Bunker was played and reviewed on a code supplied by Frictional Games.

Follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.