The newest game in the Amnesia franchise was just released and fans are enjoying it quite a bit. Not only does Amnesia: Rebirth give players the same interesting, puzzle-filled gameplay experience as previous games in the series, but it also introduces a new host of horrors. Despite being plenty of fun to play, many gamers probably have the same question their mind…”Is Amnesia: Rebirth the scariest Amnesia game yet?”
While the fright levels in Amnesia: Rebirth will vary depending on the player’s personal anxiety threshold, there are a few aspects of the game that make it one of the most frightening entries in the franchise so far. Is Amnesia: Rebirth truly scary? We hope to answer that question for you in this article.
The Three Horror Elements of Amnesia: Rebirth
Please be aware that this article contains light spoilers for Amnesia: Rebirth. We have made an effort to avoid spoiling any specific moments or scares, especially those that take place after the opening hours of the game.
Jump-Scares
When compared to the other Amnesia games, Rebirth contains a significantly larger number of jump-scares. This is mostly due to the new “fear” system, which replaces the older “sanity” system of previous games. As you control the main character Tasi, you’ll want to avoid dark areas and frightening scenes as much as possible. If you spend too long in the shadows or stick too close to a monster, Tasi’s fear level rises, often resulting in quick flashes of disturbing imagery, accompanied by loud sound effects.
The jump-scares are enough to keep your heart beating, especially as the more intense moments wind down, but they don’t exactly make the game scarier. While jump-scares are decent for inciting moments of anxiety, these instances are fleeting and feel cheap. Amnesia has always been a series about slower, more methodical methods of frightening the player, so the abundance of jump-scares is slightly disappointing. That said, if loud noises frighten you, you might consider Amnesia: Rebirth the scariest Amnesia yet.
Claustrophobia and Suspense
Since the very first game, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, the franchise has been absolutely stellar at creating a palpable sense of suspense. The beginning of Amnesia: Rebirth provides countless examples of intense claustrophobia, as Tasi must navigate a series of increasingly winding caves. As your light sources dwindle and Tasi’s heartbeat increases, it’s hard not to feel the need to lean closer to the edge of your seat.
Amnesia: Rebirth reveals quite a bit about its mysterious multi-dimensional word upfront, which makes the supernatural oddities you encounter a bit easier to accept. Despite the growing knowledge you quickly gain about the abnormal sights and sounds you consistently experience, it takes quite a while before the more tangible threats are revealed. Although you might not think so at first, there are very real, very scary monsters waiting for you in the dark corners of Amnesia: Rebirth. The worst part is, you probably won’t know what’s coming for you until you’re staring it dead in the face.
Juxtaposition of Tones
Amnesia: Rebirth excels in this area where some of the other Amnesia games falter. For the most part, Amnesia: The Dark Descent takes place in a crumbling, ancient castle. Likewise, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs guides the player through dingy, dark factories and city streets for the majority of the adventure. Amnesia: Rebirth bucks this trend of consistently dark and gloomy hallways by throwing players directly into the middle of the desert at the start of their journey. In many horror games, the sun is a beacon of hope, reminding the player that safety is just beyond their reach. In Amnesia: Rebirth, that idea is utilized well, as the game shuffles players between light and dark areas with frequency.
While light and fire are a good resource to have in Amnesia: Rebirth, the existence of daylight itself does not always mean safety. At times, the scorching sun of the desert is just as dangerous as the horrors that wait in darker areas, forcing players to accept their plunge into shadowy depths. Rebirth does a great job balancing the suffocating atmosphere of claustrophobic darkness with the relief you feel when you see a shimmer of light. However, in both scenarios, Amnesia: Rebirth finds ways to crawl under your skin.
What’s the Scariest Amnesia Game?
Like we mentioned at the beginning of the article, whether or not you find Amnesia: Rebirth to be the scariest game in the franchise will come down to your personal fears. That said, Rebirth manages to produce a wider range of scares than its predecessors, including some water-based drowning sections that really got me on the edge of my seat. While the monster-chases are still prevalent and make up the bulk of the frights, Amnesia: Rebirth consistently finds new and interesting ways to creep out the player. While it might not be as frightening as Layers of Fear 2 or Outlast 2, Amnesia: Rebirth is an exceptionally creepy adventure that does the series justice.
