I decided I wanted to make a review of this game because it's the first horror game I've played in a fairly long time that legitimately filled me with dread, so consider that the first plus. I would consider myself a veteran of this genre, I enjoyed dozens and dozens of survival horror games over the years, and in the past I've speedrun resi 1 remake, 2make, resi 4, and resi 4 remake. 100%'d a few other games in the genre, for whatever it's worth. Needless to say, it is difficult for me to feel a lot of tension when I play a horror game now. I'm happy to say for the first time since Alien Isolation was new I was fearful during my first playthrough. I played on hard, and found the game delivered a well balanced and tense experience. This is mostly due to the fuel mechanic, which serves a very similar purpose to ink ribbons in resi but functions very differently. For any who aren't familiar, the titular bunker is powered by a central generator capable of lighting the better part of the building, which on top of making navigation much easier, makes the player less vulnerable to the beast which stalks the building. The generator runs on a finite supply of fuel the player scavenges as they explore the bunker. Save ribbons bottleneck your permanent progress in resi by making it impossible to save every minute bit of progress made, ensuring there is always tension, and progress can be lost. While saves are unlimited in the bunker, the game manages to use the threat of darkness to create a strong sense of tension. Knowing you are progressing further and further from the only safe room in the entire game while your source of light and safety is slowly ticking away induces a suspenseful dread of the darkness. This incentives taking risks and moving fast in the light, and God fucking damn let me tell, losing power for the first time is one of the most terrifying experiences I've had in a game and it hardly suffers diminishing returns. You are simply too vulnerable not to feel some dread in those situations.

There's also a slight immersive sim quality to this game, in the sense that there are numerous solutions to each problem you encounter in the game thanks to the quirky physics engine and enemy ai, who once understood, can be made to do a lot of your work for you. I won't spoil anything, but I will say as the loading screen suggests, if you think you can do something you probably can.

I can't give the game a perfect score for a few reasons. I'm unsure if this is a hot take or not but I think the story is just okay. It's functional, and nothing is really wrong about it, but I didn't find anything about it to be thought provoking or surprising. Unfortunately I also feel the game is not particularly replayable. Codes are randomized between playthroughs which is good, but completion rewards are lacking. After beating the game on hard you will unlock the "shell shock" difficultly for added challenge. There are also multiple endings in the game to strive for if you really found yourself dissatisfied with the initial conclusion. There are achievements tied to speedrun type activities like not saving, not storing items, beating the game under a certain time...none of which I have gotten as I am not interested in running this game BUT I can appreciate how one would want to. Perhaps I'm just spoiled by the old resi and silent games, but I really think modern horror games have lost sight of completion rewards merit.

Think about resi 1, unlocking special weapons or new game modes for completing the game repeatedly in different conditions is insanely fun and being incentivized to complete the game repeatedly on harder difficulties makes you a master inadvertently and natural guides you into speedrunning as you have the requisite knowledge to begin routing. Silent hill with its plethora of interesting endings, high emotional beats, and general artistry is just an experience that cannot be absorbed in one playthrough. Amnesia the bunker is not like either of these games. It is a phenomenal first playthrough, but I don't see myself returning anytime soon. I bought it one sale for $17 usd on steam and I felt more than satisfied with that purchase. If you struggle to see yourself speedrunning the game I might suggest waiting for a sale, but I don't think the msrp is unfair. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the genre.

I'm writing this after having played 4make for 75 hours and completing it (as far as achievements are concerned), to mixed thoughts. Anyone who believes the storytelling of the original was better would be hard-pressed to convince me otherwise. All changes made to the plot serve the characters brilliantly, making the narrative experience much more enjoyable. The same cannot quite be said for the level design. While the mechanics of the remake are solid, I believe it loses pound-for-pound in terms of setpiece quality compared to the original. Frankly, it felt harder to be creative and precise in tackling challenges. There's a certain flow to the original levels such that most of the rooms allow the experienced player to settle into a sort of wu-wei as he expresses himself. The remake on the other hand does remove certain rooms or rework them such that the overall pace of the game is better, but the moment-to-moment experience is a little less enjoyable for me.