Amigdala

About

Amigdala is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by GuidiGermano and was released on March 28, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Amigdala" is a single-player action game with good graphics that follows Gherman Driven, a conspiracy theorist on a quest to uncover the truth behind the "Philadelphia experiment." Armed with only a flashlight, lighter, and your wits, you'll solve puzzles, evade danger, and delve into a chilling story in this virtual reality-compatible game. The objective is to discover the secrets of the experiment and survive what you find.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

72%

Audience ScoreBased on 68 reviews

atmosphere26 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

Amigdala features a captivating atmosphere with good graphics and sound design, enhancing the horror experience.
The game offers clever puzzle mechanics and a unique premise based on the Philadelphia Experiment, keeping players engaged.
Despite being a one-man project, the game shows promise and has moments that can genuinely scare players.

The game suffers from numerous bugs, including game-breaking issues and poor voice acting, which detracts from the overall experience.
Players often find themselves lost due to unclear objectives and backtracking, leading to frustration.
The controls can be clunky, and the reliance on battery management for the flashlight disrupts immersion.

atmosphere
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
33%
7%
The atmosphere in "amigdala" is widely praised for its immersive and eerie qualities, enhanced by effective sound design and simple yet impactful graphics. Players appreciate the game's ability to create suspense and a sense of dread without relying on jump scares, making it a compelling experience for horror fans. Despite some minor technical issues and criticisms of voice acting, the overall ambiance and environmental design contribute significantly to the game's appeal.
- “With its thoughtful design and immersive atmosphere, it's well worth a try for anyone looking for a cerebral challenge.”
- “The atmosphere is amazing so far and the environments are really impressive to walk through - with or without the Oculus Rift.”
- “I found the game to be very atmospheric, the audio and visual providing a suitably uneasy feeling.”
- “Not that much of a horror, although the atmosphere keeps up the appearance; then the game crashes and you start from the beginning.”
- “I won't go into the actual game, but the atmosphere is just okay.”
- “The game has a very creepy atmosphere.”
graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
32%
9%
The graphics of "amigdala" are characterized by a minimalist art style that enhances the game's atmospheric experience, despite not being the most advanced or flashy. Many players appreciate the effective use of Unreal Engine 4, noting that the visuals contribute significantly to the horror theme and overall immersion, especially in VR. While some critiques mention outdated elements, the consensus is that the graphics are well-executed and complement the gameplay effectively.
- “With its minimalist visuals and haunting soundtrack, it creates a captivating experience that draws players in from the start.”
- “The game's graphics add to the atmosphere, and when playing with a VR set, it's even more immersive.”
- “Amigdala has excellent graphics and atmospheric/ambient sounds, all the details are managed to bring us some kind of mystery and horror.”
- “The graphics of this game look far worse to me than, say, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.”
- “The graphics look like old 3D graphics with a lame 'naked humans' model to me.”
- “While I could always see escaping gases with the flashlight, sometimes I couldn't with the lighter, which seemed a bit odd - but maybe this was an issue with my graphics card, I'm not sure.”
story
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
78%
11%
The story of the game is generally criticized for being unclear, clichéd, and poorly executed, with many reviewers noting issues such as terrible voice acting and a lack of coherence. While the premise involving the Philadelphia Experiment has potential, it is often described as lacking depth and substance, leading to a disappointing experience overall. Despite some interesting concepts, the execution leaves much to be desired, making it difficult for players to fully engage with the narrative.
- “Always nice to have a VR game with a story.”
- “You can tell with the item/object placement, the voice acting along with the story they developed.”
- “This game looks really cool, and the backstory is really interesting.”
- “The story is unclear and the voice acting is terrible.”
- “The story lost its credibility and its consistency.”
- “Games story is based on Philadelphia experiments which was also one of my favorite subjects, but the story is pretty much from a B-class movie with all the clichés and the voice acting is kind of horrid.”
gameplay
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The gameplay of "amigdala" is characterized by its intriguing puzzle mechanics and atmospheric world, with each level introducing new challenges that keep the experience engaging. However, players have noted issues such as clunky controls, a muddled storyline, and bugs, which detract from the overall enjoyment. While the game effectively utilizes its mechanics for a horror experience, it lacks depth and polish, making it more suitable for genre enthusiasts rather than a broader audience.
- “amigdala is an intriguing puzzle game that challenges players with its unique mechanics and atmospheric world.”
- “Each new level introduces fresh mechanics and obstacles, keeping the gameplay feeling fresh and engaging throughout.”
- “The overall gameplay and atmosphere was very nice.”
- “But the muddled storyline, bad voice acting, short gameplay, clunky controls (I used an Xbox controller), and buggy areas make it a no-go.”
- “Main objectives and gameplay elements can be described (in a nutshell) as unlock/open doors, collect objects to proceed, run away and play hide and seek with monsters, and do a good job in battery management; otherwise, it ends up as a walk in the dark.”
- “But I'm feeling that something is missing in general gameplay.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game's music is characterized by a haunting and minimalist soundtrack that effectively immerses players in its eerie atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience. While the background music contributes to the game's scary vibe, some players find the sound effects to be inconsistently loud and the voice acting lacking in quality. Overall, the music and sound design are noted for their high quality, despite some criticisms.
- “With its minimalist visuals and haunting soundtrack, it creates a captivating experience that draws players in from the start.”
- “The eerie soundtrack further enhances the mood, immersing players in the mysterious world of the game.”
- “The background music completely gives off the scary vibe with its low and silent sound.”
- “However, sometimes the sound effects are very loud compared to the low background music, and the voice acting sounds terrible.”
- “Very annoying music, especially when we find something, like a corpse with a crowbar.”
- “The background music completely gives off a scary vibe with its low and silent sound.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting frequent glitches, freezes, and buggy mechanics that hinder gameplay. Many players experienced significant issues, such as clunky controls and obstacles that caused repeated deaths, indicating that the game is not polished and suffers from a lack of optimization. Overall, the stability issues detract significantly from the gaming experience.
- “But the muddled storyline, bad voice acting, short gameplay, clunky controls (I used an Xbox controller) and buggy areas make it a no-go.”
- “I draw this comparison because CS:GO runs smoothly on my device in 16-player online games, but this single-player game constantly glitches, hiccups, and freezes whenever I turn a corner.”
- “I think I spent most of my time trying to complete the chapter because I kept dying due to the buggy flying obstacles (I kept getting hit by the obstacles no matter what I tried to do).”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
Overall, the optimization of the game is praised, with users noting smooth performance and stability, particularly in comparison to other titles. One reviewer highlighted the game's ability to run well on their system with good graphics and performance, while another emphasized the developer's efforts in creating a well-optimized experience. However, there are mentions of glitches and freezes in specific scenarios, indicating some inconsistency in performance.
- “The game is optimized very well.”
- “Amigdala is a courageously, well optimized, stable running and atmospheric one man project accomplished by a very kind and supportive young developer.”
- “Good graphics with good performance.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find humor in the game's loading screen experience, particularly when they realize they've been staring at a dark, unlit area while the game has already loaded, highlighting a playful and unexpected moment.
- “It's funny when you sit there waiting for the game to load, but eventually move the camera and realize you were just staring at a black, unlit location while the game was already loaded.”
- “The dialogue is filled with clever puns and witty one-liners that keep you chuckling throughout the gameplay.”
- “I love how the game breaks the fourth wall with hilarious references that only true gamers would appreciate.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly as they progress, with repetitive tasks and the need to backtrack after failures becoming frustrating. While the initial hours are enjoyable, the experience can quickly turn into a cycle of redoing sections to avoid pitfalls, detracting from overall enjoyment.
- “For the first few hours, the game was enjoyable, but then I started to find that it became a bit tedious. I'd get blown up using the lighter, return to my previous save point, redo the last 5 minutes again, but this time swap the lighter for the flashpoint just before I got to the point where I knew the lighter would blow me up.”