Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a PC action game developed by Frictional Games. It centers on platform movement and landing judgment, enemy and hazard responses, and stage objectives, with controls and information arranged around keyboard and mouse, with a controller where the game supports one.
- AI score · out of 10
- 8.3 / 10
About this game
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a PC action game centered on platform movement and landing judgment, enemy and hazard responses, and stage objectives. Stages build pressure through routes, enemy patterns, and changing objectives, with progress divided into stages, tasks, matches, or growth milestones that make immediate goals understandable. Its value depends on whether these rules continue to create judgment and room for mastery rather than on length, sales, or series recognition. Short campaigns are judged by repeat-challenge value, while longer ones are judged by variety, pacing, and recovery after failure. Animation, hits, camera behavior, and readable hazards determine whether feedback remains dependable, while resolution, graphics settings, frame rate, aspect ratio, audio, text scaling, and hardware performance need to preserve action, state, and text readability together. The genre-specific limitation is that camera behavior, collision rules, input mapping, and repeated ground after failure can raise the entry barrier. Platform conditions also include OS and hardware requirements, installation media, patches, drivers, DRM and launchers, key binding and controller support, save locations, mod compatibility, servers, and era-specific OS compatibility affect the current release. This description covers only this platform release and does not import features or conveniences from remasters, emulators, or other console editions.
Collected in series
Amnesia is a first-person horror series about exploring unsettling places, piecing together lost memories and finding a way past lurking threats. Handling objects and solving environmental puzzles brings you closer to the answers, often while something is hunting you.
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Windows PC
AI review
AI reviews are subjective assessments, not player ratings. See each review for its evidence and limitations.Published date:
Powerful light-and-sanity horror with fiddly mouse interaction.
The original PC release of Amnesia: The Dark Descent places an unarmed player inside a castle where monsters, darkness and failing sanity compete for attention. Tinderboxes and lamp oil are scarce. Hiding in shadows may avoid a pursuer but also worsens Daniel’s mental state, making even ordinary rooms stressful. Notes and flashbacks gradually reveal his identity, while keys, levers and movable objects form puzzles that are usually approachable rather than deeply difficult. The adventure is compact, yet the carefully paced tension rarely depends on frequent monster attacks. Shadowed rooms, warped visuals, footsteps and distant cries do much of the horror work even as the graphics show their age. A contemporary PC test describes physically grabbing doors, levers and boxes with the mouse. That interaction increases presence but can make routine manipulation fussy. The result suits players who value helplessness and sound-driven atmosphere over combat. Later console controls and collection content do not inform this PC assessment.
Strengths
- Defenseless exploration and scarce light create dread.
Weaknesses
- Easy puzzles and fussy object manipulation.
Who it is for: Players seeking atmospheric, defenseless horror.
Play notes: Original 2010 PC build only, excluding later ports and bundles.
View scoring basis
| Dimension | Review state | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension Organic but modest puzzles keep momentum. | Reviewed | 7.8 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Vulnerability systems strengthen exploration. | Reviewed | 8.7 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Light and sound sustain dread. | Reviewed | 8.8 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Mouse manipulation is immersive but fiddly. | Reviewed | 7.1 / 10 | Not provided |
Review sources
Not provided
Core information
- Developer
- Frictional Games
- Publisher
- Frictional Games
- Release date
- 2010
- Platforms
- Windows PC
- Content kind
- Game
- Release state
- Released
- Region
- Worldwide
- Official website
- Not provided
- Offline minimum players
- Not provided
- Offline maximum players
- Not provided
- Online minimum players
- Not provided
- Online maximum players
- Not provided
- Categories
- Action · Primary genreAdventure
- Tags
- Main Story Under 10 HoursThird Person3D GraphicsDodgeFast-pacedPlatformingLinear LevelsReal-time CombatSolo-friendlyReplayable
- Supported game languages
- Not provided
- Requires base game
- Not provided
- Standalone
- Not provided
- Age ratings
- Not provided
- Play modes
- Not provided
- Perspectives
- Not provided
Release editions
- Windows PCWorldwide2010
Game gallery
Sources
Not provided