Amnesia: Rebirth
- October 20, 2020
- Frictional Games
- 7h median play time
A brilliant tale of terror, even if the ride is a little old and clunky.
In Amnesia: Rebirth, play as Tasi Trianon, who wakes up injured and disoriented in the Algerian desert with no memory of what happened. As you retrace your steps, you'll need to confront your fears and inner demons to survive the horrors lurking in the shadows. With time working against you, delve into Tasi's troubled past and uncover the truth behind your situation.
Reviews
- Excellent story with emotional depth, exploring themes of motherhood and sacrifice.
- Immersive atmosphere and stunning visuals that enhance the horror experience.
- Engaging puzzles that require critical thinking and exploration.
- Pacing issues with too many cutscenes and flashbacks that disrupt gameplay.
- Limited enemy variety and encounters, leading to a lack of tension.
- The protagonist's constant dialogue can be annoying and detracts from immersion.
- story3,505 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story of "Amnesia: Rebirth" is a complex and emotional narrative that explores themes of motherhood, loss, and personal trauma, set against a backdrop of horror and mystery. While many players appreciate the depth and character development, some criticize the pacing and the heavy reliance on flashbacks and notes, which can disrupt immersion and make the story feel convoluted. Overall, the game is seen as a significant departure from its predecessors, focusing more on storytelling than traditional horror elements, which may appeal to fans of narrative-driven experiences but could disappoint those seeking the intense scares characteristic of earlier titles in the series.
“The story is not just a horror tale; it’s an unraveling descent into personal trauma, where every step forward feels like peeling back the layers of your deepest fears.”
“Tasi’s journey isn’t just about survival; it’s a deeply personal nightmare, as the game masterfully intertwines survival mechanics with emotionally charged storytelling.”
“The story builds on that of 'The Dark Descent' and you learn a lot of the backstory from that game too.”
“While it's a huge step up from Machine for Pigs, there are large sections of this game where you're not in any danger, you don't feel like you're in any danger, and you're essentially just solving physics puzzles and figuring out the story.”
“The story just took the atmosphere out of it for me and I stopped caring.”
“The story is a total mess, and the intensity & quality of scare sequences don’t match previous Frictional Games titles - this isn’t the perfect matrimony between Amnesia’s scares and Soma’s story, because it fails miserably at the latter and is just good at the former.”
- gameplay1,464 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Amnesia: Rebirth" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it closely resembles the mechanics of its predecessor, "Amnesia: The Dark Descent," but lacks significant innovation. While some appreciate the return of resource management elements like matches and the new fear mechanic, others find these features tedious and disruptive, particularly the frequent interruptions for character dialogue and the pregnancy-related mechanics. Overall, the game is seen as more story-driven, with a focus on narrative and atmosphere, but it struggles to maintain the same level of engaging gameplay that fans of the series expect.
“The gameplay is great.”
“Great gameplay, adequate mix between walking sim and puzzles.”
“The match system is an interesting evolution of the tinderbox mechanic from the first game, and provided the player with a steady source of light and a way to light up surroundings.”
“The gameplay is lacking all around; the puzzles are okay but mostly kind of dull and other than that, you're just walking around going through portals and appearing somewhere else and talking to yourself constantly.”
“The gameplay is very similar to that of the dark descent; you must solve puzzles, avoid enemies, and uncover the mystery of the story largely through text documents as well as flashbacks.”
“The gameplay is almost exactly the same as the first game with movable objects, and puzzles.”
- atmosphere619 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Amnesia: Rebirth" is widely praised for its immersive and oppressive qualities, effectively building tension through well-designed environments, sound design, and lighting. Many players appreciate the game's ability to create a chilling ambiance that enhances the storytelling, although some feel that the focus on narrative sometimes detracts from the horror elements. While the atmosphere is generally regarded as strong, opinions vary on its effectiveness compared to previous installments in the series, with some noting a lack of consistent scares and a more subdued horror experience.
“The atmosphere is rich and oppressive—whether you’re crawling through pitch-black caves or navigating eerie ruins, the tension never lets up.”
“The atmosphere and locations were perfect, and they matched the feel of the first game flawlessly.”
“The atmosphere is immaculate and this one is way more narrative than previous installments.”
“The story just took the atmosphere out of it for me and I stopped caring.”
“But the whole game mostly lacks atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere truly fails at delivering the 'horror' feel.”
- graphics493 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Amnesia: Rebirth" have received mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals, immersive environments, and effective use of lighting that enhance the horror experience. However, some players noted that the graphics can appear dated compared to modern standards, with occasional glitches and performance issues, particularly on lower-end systems. Overall, while the game showcases significant improvements over its predecessors, it may not fully meet the expectations for a 2020 release in terms of graphical fidelity.
“From a graphical standpoint, I'd say it's close to being one of the best looking titles I've ever seen from an AA horror game studio, up there with Outlast II.”
“The graphics shine during the large open segments when you're outside in the sandy desert or in the other world, creating a beautiful landscape.”
“The visuals and sound design create a fantastic scary atmosphere.”
“The worst problem I have is that the optimization of this game is just disappointing for its graphics.”
“Not much about the game speaks to me - the monsters did not even look that 'creepy' - they appear in the most predictable spots and the graphics come off really dated.”
“The graphics quality has not improved much since TDD and especially textures are extremely low resolution for a game that came out in 2020.”
- music190 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in "Amnesia: Rebirth" has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the horror experience, often highlighting the work of composer Mikko Tarmia. While some players found the soundtrack to be immersive and fitting for the game's themes, others criticized it for being forgettable or lacking the memorable impact of previous titles in the series. Overall, the sound design and music contribute significantly to the game's eerie atmosphere, though opinions vary on its originality and memorability.
“The soundtracks complement all this perfectly; the music and ambient sounds massively amplify the terror.”
“The overall quality of this indie title is amazing: great voice acting and attention to detail, a very deep story, an impressive sound design, suggestive music, great variety of locations with a very inspired art direction and level design.”
“The music is the architectural part of the game.”
“While the general soundtrack is totally fine, it's often disrupted by simple baby music.”
“I guess the horror here comes by having to listen to the same baby song for the x-th time.”
“Though atmospheric and it does its job, the soundtrack is sadly not memorable this time around, and unfortunately probably the first Frictional game where I can't clearly remember any of the songs I heard in-game.”
- emotional156 mentions
- 99 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "Amnesia: Rebirth" is a significant focus, with many players noting its deeply personal and heart-wrenching narrative centered around the protagonist Tasi's journey of survival and motherhood. While some reviews praise the game for its compelling storytelling and emotional depth, others criticize it for failing to establish strong emotional connections with characters, leading to mixed feelings about the overall impact of the story. Overall, the game is described as an emotional rollercoaster that effectively blends horror with poignant themes, though it may not resonate with all players.
“Tasi’s journey isn’t just about survival; it’s a deeply personal nightmare, as the game masterfully intertwines survival mechanics with emotionally charged storytelling.”
“The story is absolutely heartbreaking and the endings make it even better.”
“It's simultaneously bigger than life yet also an extremely personal story, it's touching yet fascinating, and all in all plays to your emotions fantastically.”
“Super plot heavy, but instead of cutscenes, they give you PowerPoints and a boring story about a pregnant lady.”
“I don't know how they managed to create such a boring story, characters, and exposition after Soma. I had to refund this; the intro was mind-numbingly boring.”
- grinding67 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 6 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be overwhelmingly tedious, with many citing repetitive gameplay, frustrating puzzles, and a lack of engaging horror elements. The pacing is often criticized for dragging on, filled with unnecessary walking sequences and dialogue that detracts from the experience. While some moments are appreciated, the general consensus is that the game feels more like a chore than an enjoyable adventure.
“It's not tedious either, but the best example I think in the last game is more suitable for this kind of game. However, not everyone likes racing against the clock.”
“The puzzles are rather easy and in general are nothing but speed bumps, but at least they aren't tedious to solve.”
“It becomes unbearably tedious to make any progress.”
“The gameplay feels somehow tedious.”
“The plot shouldn’t just come out and dance in front of you naked, but they missed the middle ground and now you need to tediously read in order to get the full narrative and it really put a dent into the experience overall.”
- optimization53 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game has received mixed reviews. While some players report decent performance and stability, with good experiences on lower-end PCs, others express frustration over the game being locked at 60 fps, occasional freezes, and performance drops, particularly when multitasking. Additionally, there are mentions of bugs and stuttering that detract from the overall experience, indicating that further optimization could enhance gameplay.
“It's nice to have native GNU/Linux binaries as well, which make it start up fast and performance was also very good.”
“A well optimized, improved visual adventure over Amnesia: The Dark Descent.”
“The amazing thing about this as well is how well optimized for low-end PCs, I got a 1650 GPU on an i5 laptop and got solid 60 on very high.”
“The worst problem I have is that the optimization of this game is just disappointing for its graphics.”
“I haven't made it far enough to comment on the gameplay or story, but I can say I think the optimization in this game is absolutely horrendous.”
“Grateful that out of the box, the game is already filled with issues, by far the most infuriating is one that plagues Soma, that being the awful micro stutter; the game so far isn't playable unless I want to spend my time throwing up from the abysmal performance issues when I am bunking with a high-end rig.”
- stability49 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 2 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting various bugs and glitches that can hinder gameplay, such as freezing, screen tearing, and issues with level assets. While some users found the game to be well-optimized and enjoyable despite minor graphical glitches, others experienced significant problems that affected their ability to progress. Overall, it appears that while the game has potential, it suffers from stability issues that may require patches to improve the experience.
“The visuals are fine, the sound design is solid, the story functions, and the game itself isn't buggy and broken so far as I can tell.”
“No glitches or sudden crashes, though I did manage to find a couple of areas where I got into a place I couldn't get out of and had to go back to a previous save point.”
“Looks great and runs great on lower hardware.”
“Unfortunately, this game is buggy and I cannot progress past a certain point due to missing level assets that will not load.”
“Just another unfinished game riddled with bugs and UI glitches.”
“Overall, the game just feels buggy like it was released too early, and the plot seems too forced to work like the other Amnesia games.”
- replayability33 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed, with some players appreciating the multiple choices and endings that encourage exploration, while others criticize the linearity and unskippable cut-scenes that diminish the desire to replay. Many reviewers note that, despite some replay value from achievements and collectibles, the overall experience feels limited, often leading players to seek alternative ways to view different endings rather than replaying the game itself. Overall, while there are elements that can enhance replayability, the consensus leans towards a lack of significant incentive to revisit the game after the initial playthrough.
“There are multiple choices and endings, so it has some replay value.”
“These choices add replayability, encouraging players to explore different paths and experience alternate endings.”
“The game lasted me a total of 12 hours and possesses multiple endings for you to discover, meaning that as a horror game it has some replayability.”
“The replayability of this game is nearly non-existent due to the extreme amount of unskippable cut-scenes (however, there are some you can skip).”
“Another fault would be the total lack of replayability, but that goes with the territory of survival horror.”
“There is no replayability given how linear the game is; you can experience the three endings back to back after you finish the game.”
- humor29 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a mix of intentional and unintentional comedy, with players finding amusement in the main character's mishaps, cheesy moments, and absurd game design choices. While some elements, like the character's dialogue and certain enemy behaviors, evoke laughter, they often detract from the intended horror experience, leading to a blend of frustration and humor throughout gameplay. Overall, the humor is seen as a double-edged sword, providing comic relief but also undermining the game's darker themes.
“I truly do not understand why anyone gives this experience such a bad review; the amount of times the main character falls down a hole is hilarious to me.”
“The wraiths were funny, odd, and awesome; they were some of the coolest creatures I've seen in any game, honestly haha.”
“Hilariously, she gets all of her friends and husband killed for an outcome that is guaranteed to happen in all but one of the endings, in which you die.”
- character development21 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising the depth and emotional connections of the protagonist, while others criticize it as forced or poorly executed. The use of amnesia adds narrative complexity, but many feel that character arcs are often overshadowed by gameplay interruptions and repetitive exposition. Overall, while there are moments of strong character development, inconsistencies and a lack of clarity detract from the overall experience.
“Although the theme of amnesia is a well-worn literary device, in this game it gives narrative ambiguity to character development.”
“A very immersive story with heaps of character development.”
“Furthermore the protagonist was really well done with good voice lines, character development, and emotional connections.”
“The game really failed at character development and storytelling.”
“The story and character development felt crammed and forced as Tasi essentially had to narrate the way I should feel.”
“This proves difficult as the gameplay is constantly interrupted with snippets of exposition or drip-fed character development.”
- monetization5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for feeling like a cash grab, with users noting a lack of meaningful content and character development, which detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, the aggressive advertising tactics have been compared to intrusive online ads, leading to a perception of the game as poorly marketed and unfinished.
“Constant and non-stop, it's like going on a website filled with porn ads; annoying and a very poor way to show how the game world works.”
“The story feels like an unthought-out cash grab, with important characters just not meaning anything and completely forgotten about two minutes later. An example of this is your character's husband's motivations or death, which are just straight up not explained whatsoever.”
“It's clear from the start that this game is an unfinished cash grab, cobbled together using assets from Soma and dated post effects from the first game.”
Critic Reviews
Amnesia: Rebirth review
A brilliant tale of terror, even if the ride is a little old and clunky.
91%Amnesia: Rebirth Review – Alone in the Dark
Frictional Games’ long-standing goal to weaponize players’ own fears against them bears fruit in Amnesia: Rebirth, in their most ambitious and tautly designed work to date.
90%Amnesia: Rebirth
Amnesia: Rebirth Review – The Fine Line Between Fear And Frustration
75%