As Halloween inches closer by the day, a lot of avid horror game enthusiasts are likely looking for a suitably spooky experience to get them in the seasonal mood. Unfortunately, the month hasn't been filled with incredible horror experiences just yet, with Remothered: Broken Porcelain being panned by critics and The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope not hitting shelves until October 30.
Luckily, Amnesia: Rebirth launches tomorrow, October 20, bringing with it all the eerie scares, ghoulish monsters, and dark corridors that made the series so utterly iconic. Standing as the first entry in the series since Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs in 2013, the game already looks to offer scares in droves, taking players to a cryptic desert environment instead of the haunting castle and industrial interiors of the previous two entries.
Fans wondering whether or not to grab the newest entry in the Amnesia series are in luck, with the embargo for reviews of the upcoming horror title ending earlier today. As such, a number of publications have weighed in with their thoughts on Rebirth, discussing everything from its scares to its puzzles. So, without further ado, what are critics saying about Amnesia: Rebirth?
Game Rant (Dalton Cooper)
"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."
Score: 4.5 / 5
PC Gamer (Leana Hafer)
"Frictional has mastered the art of building tension using imagery, music, level design, and sound mixing. Parts of the in-universe story even spell out how they do this in a way that is both openly self-referential and self-congratulatory—it comes close to breaking the fourth wall, but it feels earned. The breathtaking story payoffs are well worth putting yourself through the ordeal, too. Their ability to marry deeply personal, relatable fears with cosmic horror is nearly unparalleled in games. While mechanically rusty, Amnesia: Rebirth deserves to go down as one of the most effective and mind-bending horror games ever made, just like its predecessor. See you on the other side."
Score: 91 / 100
US Gamer (Khee Hoon Chan)
"Making a sequel to one of the most acclaimed horror games in recent memory may be a tall order for some, but Frictional Games has done it with aplomb with Amnesia: Rebirth. Without straying far from the formula that made Amnesia: The Dark Descent so popular and feared in equal measure—the clever use of jump scares, immersive puzzles and the light-dark dichotomy—Rebirth has reinvigorated its brand of horror with a haunting narrative that’s as moving as it is refreshing. Rebirth may still be a bit too much to bear for players who don’t usually venture into horror, but it's a sequel that should please ardent fans and horror masochists alike."
Score: 4.5 / 5
GameSpot (Phil Hornshaw)
"Still, Amnesia: Rebirth feels like the culmination of Frictional Games horror titles up to this point. It refines the ideas and mechanics that have been central to the developer's games since Penumbra: Overture in 2007, it hones in on effective scares while avoiding the frustrations of failure, and it tightens the focus on character-driven storytelling. Rebirth is an unsettling, strange, tragic story that deepens the Amnesia mythos in a lot of cool ways, while managing to be just as creepy and frightening as its beloved predecessor."
Score: 8 / 10
IGN (Kyle Campbell)
"Amnesia: Rebirth beautifully tackles the battle between light and darkness, not just thematically but mechanically too. The areas where it clicks strike an excellent balance of problem solving and pure adrenaline, even if some of the later sections drag due to uninteresting puzzles and infrequent ghoul tussles. But with a consistently engaging story throughout, Rebirth still stands as one of the most thrilling survival horror games in recent memory – one that is anything but forgettable."
Score: 8 / 10
Rock Paper Shotgun (Alice Bell)
"I trust Frictional implicitly to do very interesting things, but though Rebirth takes a run at a bunch of cool and alarming concepts, it feels like it’s juggling too many to do any one of them full justice. Rebirth hasn’t haunted me since closing it in a way that Soma did, for example. I kept waiting for the take on pregnancy anxiety to become something more than what it always is. I could feel it straining to against the ropes of previously established bullshit lore about orbs. Amnesia: Rebirth isn’t bad at all. You just get the sense that if it was called Rebirth it would have been better."
Score: N/A
The Verge (Adi Robertson)
"Amnesia: Rebirth doesn’t reinvent horror games the way The Dark Descent does. But it refines one of the genre’s greatest entries into something more awe-inspiring and deftly designed, without abandoning its highest goal: making you shiver as you take your first step down a pitch-black tunnel."
Score: N/A
The Washington Post (Christopher Byrd)
"I had a wonderful time playing through “Amnesia: Rebirth” on account of its creative puzzles and rich atmosphere. The manner in which it pushes Tasi and the player to consider how far they’re willing to go in the service of a biological imperative is ingenious and a fine testament to why the Swedish development studio Frictional Games is among the more notable storytellers at work in the gaming industry."
Score: N/A
All in all, it seems Amnesia: Rebirth has been a roaring success with critics, boasting some high scores and a ton of fantastic comments. For the most part, it seems critics were once again compelled by the game's exceptional narrative, this time seeing protagonist Tasi dealing with her personal traumas following a plane crash that inflicts severe amnesia. Alongside that, it seems the light and puzzle mechanics make a stellar return, once again sewing tension with the reintroduction of the sanity mechanic which sees players having to avoid spending too long in dimly lit spaces. It seems it'll be a solid buy for anyone wondering what horror gems they should play this coming Halloween.
Looking at the game's Metacritic score, it's currently sitting at an 84, although that's likely to fluctuate as more reviews are calculated on the system in the coming days. As it stands right now, the game is currently only 1 mark lower than the franchise's iconic first entry, with Amnesia: The Dark Descent bagging a respectable 85 when it released in 2010. It has vastly outpaced the last entry in the series, however, with A Machine for Pigs only managing to score a 72.
Amnesia: Rebirth will be available for PC and PlayStation 4 on October 20.