AMFP Member Review Thread

[Paddy™]

I wrote a pretty glowing review of the game earlier in this thread (which I stick by 100%, I loved the game) but I think I need to talk about some of the more negative aspects which I neglected to mention before.

Spoiler below!

Had the game been released as its own entity and not as a sequel to TDD none of what I'm going to say would matter, but it wasn't, and I feel like the animosity TCR is receiving from many people is something they've brought upon themselves. I don't mean that in a bitchy way.

For instance, in many interviews TCR gave about the game during its development they hammered home the idea that the game would have to be at least as scary as TDD if not scarier in order for it to be a success. Dan Pinchbeck even said on more than one occasion that if the game didn't spawn as many YouTube videos of people losing their shit he would be disappointed. The general consensus amongst reviewers - professional and otherwise - is that the game is either not scary at all or is significantly less scary than TDD. Despite loving the game I didn't find it particularly scary, either. Had they stated from the get go that the game would be much more about soaking up a good story rather than wallowing in TDD-like atmosphere and terror there'd have been a significantly smaller backlash.

The concept art and even the trailers were somewhat misleading. The concept art gave me an extremely different impression of what was coming (not the fault of anyone in particular, it just happens to be the case). The trailers - especially the first - showed gameplay which didn't make it into the final game. At no point in AAMFP do you have to hide from monsters as they beat down the door, for instance. That first trailer made it seem that AAMFP would be very similar to TDD in terms of gameplay, providing yet another reason to feel let down when it turned out not to be the case.

I have a distinct sense that TCR's inclusion of familiar Amnesia-related material was done begrudgingly. I imagine them having very specific ideas about the type of game they wanted to make but, knowing that they were pretty much obliged to adhere to certain ideas, felt they had to crowbar in plot points and set dressing which linked the game to Amnesia's world. Whether this is actually the case or not is another matter, the point is I felt this way during the game and would have had no problem whatsoever if TDD was never even hinted at during the story.

Imagine this game being released without any mention of Amnesia, either in the story or in the marketing. Imagine how fucking amazing it would be to discover a game like this without any expectations or preconceptions. The imagery, the story, the characters, the setting, the acting, the sound and the music...Jesus! I can say with as much certainty as I'd need to bet my life that this game would be acclaimed across the board had Amnesia: The Dark Descent been left out of the equation entirely.

So, that's my negative review - TCR and FG shot themselves I the foot by the way in which they publicised and marketed the game, not in how the game was developed or designed.

P.S. I love the game and FG and TCR